Memorandum submitted by George Piper Dances
I wish to submit written evidence about the
importance of dance in the wider community and how investment
from Arts Council England has impacted upon our work.
Directors' Michael Nunn and William Trevitt
of Channel 4 TV's Ballet Boyz fame set up George Piper
Dances in January 2001. George Piper Dances is a professional
dance touring Company and is firmly committed to promoting a wider
understanding, enjoyment and access to the art form. It undertakes
a range of educational activities and various initiatives with
schools and community groups to support its artistic programme.
The Company believes that everyone has the ability to dance, and
should be given the opportunity to develop these skills.
The Company's fresh approach to dance, with
its narrative use of film woven into its ballet and contemporary
dance repertoire, has attracted new audiences and has helped the
Company to become a significant dance company of national stature.
This has been borne out through a string of awards including:
winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Dance Production
2003; winner of Theatrical Management Association (TMA) Award
for Outstanding Achievement in Dance 2003 and winner of
2003 Critics' Circle National Dance Award: Outstanding Female
Artist. In addition, it has received nominations for: South
Bank Show awards (2003 and 2001); 2003 Society of London Theatres
(SOLT) award for Best New Production; and two 2003 Critics'
Circle National Dance Awards: Company Prize for Outstanding
Repertoire and Best Male Dancer.
George Piper Dances receives project funding
from Arts Council England. In the last year alone, it received
just over £100,000 investment from Arts Council England and
with this investment has been able to attract and lever over £500,000
in income from various sources. The investment has enabled the
Company to undertake a number of activities and have a direct
impact on helping to tackle a number of issues currently being
examined by the government including healthy living and exercise,
social inclusion and creativity and innovation in education and
business. In the last year alone, the Company has:
— produced 35 life-enhancing performances
to over 50,000 audiences and achieved great critical acclaim from
all the national press and critics;
— worked in partnership with Channel
4 TV to create imaginative television programmes about dance that
have been viewed by over two million people (most in the C2 and
D market segment groups);
— involved more than 649 participants
between the ages of 11 and 89 in dance education workshops or
projects. Participants have come from a variety of backgrounds:
from inner city London boroughs in Education Action Zones and
regeneration areas to more rural areas across the country. The
ability levels have ranged from groups with little or no dance
experience, to groups with mobility impairment and learning difficulties,
to those pupils studying Performing Arts and Dance at GCSE, A
Level, BTEC and International Baccalaureate level, to full-time
students studying dance at vocational level;
— delivered a series of creativity
workshops in the workplace for 45 senior managers including one
who is physically disabled at FutureBrand (a global branding and
marketing design company); and
— created 40 weeks employment in the
creative industries for dancers, choreographers, designers and
musicians.
Even with its current level of investment from
Arts Council England, George Piper Dances has been forced to curtail
its activities in 2004-05 due to rising costs of producing quality
performances. It seems that the rapid success of the Company has
created a huge demand for its work that cannot be met without
increased funding from Arts Council England. Part of George Piper
Dances' decision to submit this evidence to the Select Committee
for Culture, Media and Sport was influenced by its desire to convey
just how important it is for government to increase funds available
for the arts. Even a small investment can have a huge impact on
a very large number of people living in the UK as borne by the
above statistics. George Piper Dances hopes that with some increased
Arts Council England investment in 2005-06, it will be able to
carry out its full programme of planned activities and hope that
the Select Committee will appreciate the importance of such work
in addressing areas of strategic importance to government.
Statistics alone do not tell the whole story;
testimonials from those who have been "touched" by our
work will show just how we can impact on key areas in education,
health and quality of life.
The following statements are from participants
who have taken part in George Piper Dances' workshops:
"Having been born with a walking disability
and, at times, somewhat limited flexibility in my legs, I found
it a particularly liberating and fun challenge . . . it showed
us that at quite a basic level how important it is to work together
in order to achieve something that you haven't done before . .
." (participant on a Creativity Workshop at FutureBrand)
"I found the whole thing a real breath
of fresh air—we have been having a difficult time of it
lately throughout the business and it helped to lift morale and
ease the stress . . . a real pleasure to work with such talented
and `real' performers and artists." (participant on a
Creativity Workshop at FutureBrand)
". . . (The project) made me feel younger
and gave me something to look forward to and talk about . . .
practising the steps has helped me to move more easily"
(an 89 year old participant from the Waterloo Action Centre)
"We are lucky that such prestigious dance
professionals come to the school—with every new experience,
we students come into contact with a new method of teaching and
a new focus, developing ourselves as creative artists . . ."
(final year student at Central School of Ballet)
". . . feedback we have received
from the teachers has been very positive and they welcomed the
opportunity for the pupils to have such a quality dance experience
both as participants and audience as this makes a real difference
to their educational experience." (Director of citymoves,
community dance project in Aberdeen).
The following are some excerpts from some reviews:
"So extraordinary and captivating that
it gives you a renewed appreciation not just of the power of dance,
dancers, and choreographers, but of the human body, spirit and
mind as a creative force as well."—Ballet.co Magazine
"New works have been made, new audiences
have been encouraged—tickled, I'd venture—into dance
by the Boyz' sunny attitude to dance". Financial Times 25
March 2003
"George Piper Dances is not only alive
and kicking very handsomely . . . it seems to have cracked the
hardest nut of all: it has found a youth market for classical
dance." The Independent on Sunday 17 November
2002
29 April 2004
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