News – Democratic dance

Canvassing your market to find out what people want is usually the preserve of the marketing manager rather than the artistic director.
The technique is usually employed to assess audience reaction to prices, timings, publicity and customer care. Australian dance company The Chunky Move has now applied the method to creating a new piece, resulting in critical and artistic success.

?Australia?s Most Wanted: Ballet For A Contemporary Democracy? is the result of a questionnaire filled in by nearly 3000 dance-goers. The orthodox process of data analysis was carried out by professional data and marketing research companies, and a report produced which guided artistic director Gideon Obarzanek in creating the new piece. While not all of the suggestions were usable, ideas about the style and type of movement and set design were all incorporated.