Dance Manifesto calls on Government to increase funding and boost participation.
A coalition of dance practitioners has presented a Manifesto to Culture Minister David Lammy, calling for increased funding for dance and increased opportunities for public participation. The Manifesto sets out four ambitions for dance, calling on it to be supported and developed as an artform, an integral part of every young persons education, available for everyone to watch and participate in, and a sustainable and healthy profession. Citing the ten million viewers of the television programme Strictly Come Dancing and the popularity of dance among teenagers, the Manifesto states that Never before has the publics engagement with movement, in all its forms, been so strong. There is a great appetite for the kind of enrichment that dance provides& The challenge before us is to meet the demand and to maximise the benefits dance can bring society at every level.
Billed as an unprecedented collaboration on the part of the dance industry, the Manifesto was launched in advance of the Big Dance, a series of public dance events taking place across the country from 15 to 23 July. It demands that the Government join with local authorities, arts councils and the sector to develop a long-term strategy for dance with an emphasis on increased funding for individual dancers and choreographers as well as for companies. It also calls for increased investment in dance facilities, demanding that the Government should work in conjunction with local authorities to provide and maintain a safe affordable dance space in every community. Other recommendations include the creation of a network of producers across the country with funding to invest in new choreography and the establishment of a centre for research into dance and sports health issues.
The document, which was drawn up by Dance UK in consultation with dance professionals across Britain and the National Campaign for the Arts, attempts to create a link between participatory dance, which fulfils many of the Governments social and health agendas, and the professional dance sector. Throughout, it refers to Government-set health targets, citing participation in dance as having the potential to reduce childhood obesity as well as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis. The Manifesto argues that Politicians need to recognise that the social and health benefits of dance cannot be separated from its artistic energy. If Government invests in strengthening dance as an artform, the sector will provide wider society with access to the highest quality experience. It also makes the case for increased dance opportunities for young people, claiming that access to dance in schools is a lottery. It recommends that support should be made available for schemes that get dance professionals into schools, and for the establishment of regional databases of qualified dance practitioners. Culture Minister David Lammy described the Dance Manifesto as &a wonderful example of the sector coming together to really raise the profile of dance. He continued, Through the DCMS Dance Forum, we will look at the challenges that the Manifesto has highlighted and work in consultation with Forum members to ensure that we address the concerns of the sector.