Memorandum submitted by Freelance Dance
1. CONTEXTUAL
NOTE
Many of the questions your paper poses assume
that there is a connection between recreational dance (what you
refer to as "dance as a sporting activity"—which
is in itself a problematic assumption) and dance as an artform,
by which I understand you to mean dance as a profession practiced
by artists and watched (or consumed if you prefer) by the public.
It is problematic to talk about dance as one
economy as it is fragmented and there is often no connection between
those who dance recreationally and those who pay to watch professional
dance companies perform. For example, millions of people regularly
dance recreationally in clubs but this doesn't translate into
audiences for professional dance as an artform. Much of the dance
economy is also culturally specific. For example, someone who
is a Salsa enthusiast may well not be actively interested in any
other dance forms.
It is tempting to think that "if only the
government could somehow make more people who dance for fun go
and watch professional dance as an artform things would be better".
I'm not sure this is a sensible argument. It's the fact that dance-as-recreation
is often put into the same boat as dance-as-art that actually
gives rise to some of the fundamental problems for dance-as-art.
It might be more useful to reflect on the issues of the artform
by looking at it alongside other contemporary professional artforms
such as theatre, visual arts, film. As soon as one does this,
one can see more clearly how much of a starved and stunted child
the artform of dance is.
I have some overall knowledge and picture of
dance as a whole within the UK, but my experience is predominantly
within the area of dance as an artform practiced by trained professionals,
and within that I work in the independent dance economy which
is a diverse pool of artists making and performing dance as a
contemporary artform (ie. not the big classical ballet or musical
theatre productions). I work predominantly as a freelance manager
and producer within this sector and have worked for a wide range
of clients including artists and support bodies and so have quite
a deep knowledge of the issues of this economy.
2. CURRENT SITUATION/STATE
OF THE
DANCE ECONOMY
If you look at dance as a whole (ie recreational
and professional/art) there is no doubt dance within the UK is
booming. As an activity millions of ordinary people either take
part in and/or watch it is healthier and more diverse than ever
before. I have no idea how much it is actually worth to the UK
economy but when you consider the breadth of dance activity taking
place it must be substantial. From funky aerobics classes in gyms
up and down the country, to clubs from Ministry of Sound down
to tiny local ones, to Salsa nights and Tango salons, Scottish
and English country dances, Line Dancing evenings, Ballroom and
Latin American clubs, local Ballet schools attended by small girls
(and occasionally boys), and all the way through the spectrum
to professional dance performances from those by the Royal Ballet
to those as small as a solo Bharata Natyam (Indian Classical)
recital . . . it is a huge and diverse economy which surely must
touch most of the population on some level on a regular basis.
Dance as an artform practiced by skilled trained
professionals not only employs thousands of dancers and choreographers,
it is inherently collaborative. It creates and enhances work opportunities
for composers, musicians, set and costume designers, photographers,
producers and managers, graphic and web designers, videographers
and film-makers, dramaturgs, actors, singers and others, not to
mention all the support staff employed by venues and festivals
from technicians to box office staff to bar staff to cleaners.
Dance is widely used to help promote one of the UK's top exports—its
pop musicians—and to add depth and texture to productions
by prominent opera and theatre companies, as well as film and
television productions.
3. STATUS OF
DANCE WITHIN
UK SOCIETY AND
FUNDING LEVELS
FOR DANCE
There is a big BUT which follows the above.
Dance is frequently referred to—accurately in my view—as
the Cinderella artform.
Dance struggles for public money (let alone
practically non-existent private money), government and media
recognition is patchy and patronising. The media seem only ever
interested in sex scandals, the government only interested in
dance as a healthy recreation, and dance within formal education
is tacked onto sport as an afterthought.
An added problem for dance is that it is far
more resource and people intensive than any other artform. A crude
comparison: to get a new work off the ground a painter only needs
himself; his paints and a canvas, a composer himself and his piano
or computer; a playwright his notebook or computer. A choreographer,
however, needs himself, his dancers, and a rehearsal studio. Nowhere
is this discrepancy in resource needs acknowledged or reflected
in subsidy levels for dance.
There is no doubt that in terms of public subsidy,
things have improved enormously in recent years. But while government
money to the Arts Council (ACE) has increased steadily under New
Labour, and this has been reflected in the amounts given by ACE
to dance companies and facilities for dance, there is still a
huge gulf between the number of artists of quality needing support
and the amounts available.
In terms of other sources of income, there is
so little commercial or private investment in the dance profession
that this question is almost irrelevant. A glimpse through a directory
of grant giving trusts, or the Hollis Sponsorship Yearbook will
quickly demonstrate my point. Pitifully few businesses or trusts
are interested in supporting the arts, and certainly not smallscale,
subtle ones like dance. Within the dance-as-art industry there
is no equivalent to the visual arts or theatre worlds where there
are a number of wealthy private supporters or collectors—possibly
apart from the classical ballet world where the big companies
already take the lion's share of government subsidy anyway. Dance
has no "product" to be bought by investors or collectors—that
is its joy but also its downfall. Expecting it to diversify its
income sources in this climate is just ignorant.
There is a huge split between those who work
in "commercial" dance (music video, commercials for
example) and those who make dance-as-art which is reliant on public
money. Although a few dance-makers work within both economies
they are the exception rather than the rule. I am sure that many
more dance makers and performers would welcome the opportunity
to cross over, but the opportunities to do so are limited, and
the realities of career planning often preclude it.
If you were to compare the number of financially
successful artists within the dance profession to those within
other artforms such as visual art, film-making and theatre, we
would come off embarrassingly badly. My guess is that the UK would
"boast" at the most two or three (yes, two or three)
dancers or choreographers who are "millionaires" through
their work in dance (Michael Flatley, Matthew Bourne, Gillian
Lynne by my reckoning). The vast majority of choreographers, dancers
and support workers like myself within the dance profession—excluding
those working within the big ballet companies—earn less
than a humble secretary. Most dancers—even those who are
in their thirties, demonstrate the most incredible prowess and
experience, and are at the so-called "pinnacle of their profession"—probably
earn significantly less than £20,000 a year.
And yet the "sharp end" of the artform—the
one which needs the most subsidy and is considered the most elitist
and "difficult" is in my view the most important part
of it as it is this "end" that drives innovation and
creativity which keeps the artform living and growing.
4. THE IMPACT
ON DANCE
AS AN
ARTFORM
The impact of all this is seen predominantly
in the lack of career ladder for those employed in the dance profession,
and low earnings across the board, but particularly for the key
members of this profession—the performers themselves. This
of course has a knock on effect on the confidence of the profession,
its ability to grow and thrive and produce quality work, and a
constant "brain drain" (should that be "body drain")
of talent. Many of those who stay within dance spend months at
a time within the benefits system because most of the work available
is only short-term contracts.
I have frequently heard professional dancers
in their thirties—and believe me only the exceptionally
talented and determined few are still dancing at this age—retire
from the profession depressed, demoralised and feeling utterly
defeated by their years of struggle. Yet these are the same people
who provoke inspiration, admiration and delight in audiences.
This is nothing short of perverse.
While the majority of artists are still struggling
on a practical level to sustain a career, the excuse to supporting
them properly that the dance they are producing is "not good
enough" will always have a place to grow. It's a catch 22
that has been around for too long.
I myself am 37 years old, have fourteen years
of specialist experience, skills and knowledge in dance management,
but have never earnt more than £21,500 a year. I currently
earn less than £19,000. And at the time of writing I have
just finished two freelance dance management contracts but have
no immediate, medium or long-term work within dance. Next week
I will probably have to go to an agency and try to get some secretarial
work just to pay my rent and bills.
We are so accustomed to seeing the UK being
branded as funky and cool—the home of innovative artists
and artforms—but the reality of this for the dance world
is thousands of people working in unsustainable conditions, with
embarassing wages and no long-term recognition of their incredibly
specialist and virtuosic skills.
5. YOUNG PEOPLE
AND DANCE
IN EDUCATION/INCLUSION/DANCE
AS A
SPORTING ACTIVITY/DANCE
WITHIN HEALTHY
LIFESTYLES
When I read the words "dance as a sporting
activity" I get a sinking feeling. Dance is not a competition
with winners and losers, nor is it just about physical fitness.
It is so much more than that.
People I know who dance are usually passionate
about it, whether they are professional trained dancers (who frankly
have to be passionate to do it for a job because of the lack of
material reward), or those who attend recreational dance classes
or clubs. They are not passionate about it because it is a game
or competition they can win, or because it makes them feel physically
fitter. They are passionate because it makes them feel great—it
gives a sense of joy and expression and creativity. In short,
it is not just good for the body, it's good for the mind and soul
as well.
Of course the government should be promoting
dance as part of its encouragement of healthy living, but as its
benefits are so much greater than just physical fitness, it would
be better promoted as "good for the person—mind, body
and soul". (Perhaps the government could commission a piece
of research into the benefits of dance to mental health?)
Attempting to shoehorn dance (in your thinking
and policies) into sport will mean its full benefits and potential
will never be realised. The fact that dance within formal education
dance is usually tacked onto sport as an afterthought and taught
by inexpert PE teachers means it will never demonstrate its full
potential. As long as it can't reach its potential you—the
government—have a continued excuse to marginalise and deride
it.
6. MY RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Dance needs to be recognised as an artform
and activity which has the potential to touch and improve everbody's
lives: to make people healthier on all levels, physically, emotionally,
creatively, spiritually.
2. Dance as an artform needs to be recognised
as being of equal worth to all others, but as considerably more
resource-intensive. Public subsidy needs to reflect this and private
money needs active incentives from government to come forth.
3. Dance needs to take its place in the
curriculum alongside other subject areas as a discipline in its
own right. All children of school age should be given the opportunity
to participate in dance (not aerobics or exercise to music but
real dance of some form) at least once within the school week.
Finally, I would like to thank you for giving
the dance profession the opportunity to have our say.
1 May 2004
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