Dance Mapping - Arts Council England

One respondent stated that the major challenge facing the field was:
‘To DRASTICALLY improve the preparation for survival in the profession at university/
vocational colleges and below which is needs to start regularly in students’ 2nd year at the
latest and their CPD [continuing professional development] in their first years out of college.
Being able to write and articulate about interests and practice seem particularly difficult for
them’
The skewed distribution of the workforce suggests that geographically there is not the supply
to meet demand in certain regions.
10. Diverse working patterns
There is continuing and growing evidence of cross-sector working of portfolio dance workers,
whose work is encompassing a wider range of work than previously, and is cutting across
sectors within a mixed economy.
Rafael Bonachela
Rafael Bonachela has choreographed for high-profile individuals and companies in the
commercial creative sector including; Kylie Minogue, Tina Turner, the Kills, Primal Scream,
Jaguar Automobiles, Siemens Mobile and Hugo Boss. This supplements the limited income
he earns through Bonachela Dance Company (BDC), which is a project-based company. He
employs a commercial agent to manage this side of his career. He has also choreographed
for other contemporary dance companies in Europe, Australia and Cuba.
These partnerships have resulted in developmental and personal, as well as financial benefits
for Rafael. For example, his commission for Sydney Dance Company was only the second
full-length piece he had created, enabling him to expand his experience as an artist and
further develop his aesthetic. Working with this wide variety of clients has grown his personal
network of contacts and has raised his profile as a contemporary dance maker.
Commercial relationships have meant that he can sometimes employ the dancers that work
for BDC on more lucrative projects. However, they have not resulted in commercial
sponsorship for BDC, probably because contemporary dance reach is too small for these
companies. There have been some disadvantages for the company around his availability
when working on numerous international projects.
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