Dance Mapping - Arts Council England

Ryan (1992) examined the organisational dimensions of the cultural industries in detail and
proposed that, while the creative stage of making cultural products used to rest with the
individual, in an era of more complex production it is nearly always carried out by a ‘project
team’. He suggested that four roles and functions were required within this team and this links
to the notions of interdependence proposed by Becker (1984). We have developed this model
to reflect the project team in the dance field.
Roles Functions – as Ryan Examples – applying model to
Primary creative personnel Primary creators of
ideas and concepts
Technical craft workers Creativity is involved but
not the conception of
ideas
Creative managers Brokers and mediators
between ‘owners’ and
creative personnel
Owners and executives Power to hire and fire
and fund
dance
Choreographers, composers,
designers
Dancers, set makers, costume
makers,
Table 41: Dance field: workforce
Producers, arts managers,
executive producers
CEOs and boards/funders,
investors
However, we also recognise that this team depends on another key group within the
workforce, those that teach, train and develop those who make the work. We have called
these ‘learning catalysts’.
Learning catalysts Teaching, training,
facilitating and
developing the
workforce
Table 42: Learning catalysts
Animateur, community dance
worker, youth dance leader,
ballet teacher, higher education
lecturer, teacher, trainer
What we knew of the workforce at the onset of this mapping research was limited. Research
carried out in 2006 by Susanne Burns and commissioned by Palatine 45 , the UK Subject
Centre for Dance, Drama and Music, part of the Subject Network of the Higher Education
Academy, highlighted:
45 PALATINE is the UK Subject Centre for Dance, Drama and Music, part of the Subject Network of the Higher
Education Academy
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