Dance Mapping - Arts Council England

Subsidised/
social/
cultural
bottom line
– not-forprofit
Commercial/
economic
bottom line
– for profit
Workforce
development
Public education
and training –
schools/higher
education
institutions/Centres
for Advanced
Training etc
Strategic national
agencies
Private dancing
schools and
examining bodies
Vocational Schools
Research and
development
Independent
choreographers
8
Agencies
Writers and
academics
Policy makers
Producers (NB
they
commission
choreographers)
Table 1 Dance field: Stages of cultural production
4. Historical context of dance in England
Whilst it was not the scope of this research to map the history of dance in England, as Handy
stated, ‘The past is … the guide to the future.’ It therefore seemed important in mapping
dance in 2009 that we recognise how the field has developed historically.
A timeline of dance development over the past 40 years is contained in Appendix Three. This
shows a history of growth and expansion that, significantly, is related to education and
training as well as to the diversification of the aesthetic.
Production Distribution Consumption Evaluation
Producing
companies
– artist led
Producers –
curation of a
show
Archiving
and
preservation
Production
companies
Producers
Managers
Marketers
Tour
bookers
Agencies
Press and
PR
Digital
formats
Managers
Marketers
Tour
bookers
Agencies
Press and
PR
Digital
formats
Venues
Broadcast
and Media
Digital media
Venues
Broadcast
and media
Film
Music
Computer
games
Digital media
The growth and development of dance in England has been led by entrepreneurs such as
Diaghilev, who first brought ballet from Russia to Britain and subsequently Dame Ninette de
Valois, founder of the Vic Wells Ballet, later the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Although Laban and Kurt Jooss were practising at Dartington Hall from the mid 1940s,
contemporary dance did not really emerge until the 1960s when Robin Howard and Robert
Cohan brought Martha Graham’s work to this country, setting up London Contemporary
Dance School in 1964 and London Contemporary Dance Theatre (LCDT) in 1967. This led to
the growth in independent companies and was later followed by the establishment of a
separate department for dance within Arts Council of Great Britain in 1984. Thus began the
UK’s engagement with contemporary dance and the influence of, initially America, and then
Europe, South East Asia and the African Diaspora on the evolution of the form.
Evaluators,
Assessors.
Peer
reviewers,
Research
and data
collation
Accountants/
Financial
Appraisal
Evaluators
Research
and data
collation
Accountants/
Financial
Appraisal
8 In the research and development phase the artist-led approach that drives the subsidised sector means that work is
not usually mediated/read or checked like a new play would be by a repertory theatre. The work is developed on the
instigation of the choreographer and its success will depend on the quality of this work, the skill of the dancers,
marketers and the strength of the company brand. There is evidence to suggest that this may be changing.
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