Dance board
Australian dance is recognised for its athleticism, distinctive style and diversity. A host of outstanding dancers and choreographers has earned Australia a global reputation for taking the artform to new heights.
The Australia Council supports Australian dance through the dance board, major performing arts board and market development section. In 2006-2007 the Australia Council provided more than $11.8 million for dance, including more than $3 million through the dance board.
This support takes the form of grants to individual artists, financial and operational support to arts organisations, market and audience development intiatives and strategic initiatives to build capacity across the sector.
The dance board fosters the development and growth of Australian dance. It supports excellence, encourages participation, increases distribution and enhances artistic sustainability.
The dance board's desire is to ensure the development of Australian dance – growth rather than just survival. It seeks to help build a vibrant, diverse and accessible dance sector. It’s vision is to see dance thrive.
The dance board endeavours to:
- ensure work of the highest artistic calibre gets made
- increase distribution – nationally, internationally, and through new forms of distribution
- increase community engagement by increasing audiences and participation
- increase investment in creation of work
- enhance company and artist sustainability
- gain higher earnings for dance artists
- maximise resources.
Diversity of practice and culture, particularly Indigenous cultural heritage, is an overarching objective across all of the dance board’s work.
The dance board shares the strategic directions of the Council. We also engage in international market development and promotion, education and creative communities via partnerships and strategic relationships with other sections of the organisation and government. In 2003 the dance board released Resourcing Dance, an analysis of the subsidised dance sector in Australia. This report detailed the issues facing the sector. The report identified the need for up to $5 million to assist the sector to realise its potential.
In response to Resourcing Dance, the dance board developed the Dance Action Plan 2006-2008. Currently 40 of the 43 key performance indicators have already been achieved and many deliver against the recommendations from Resourcing Dance.
The dance board through the council continues to seek the additional investments as outlined in the Resourcing Dance report. In 2007/08 the Dance Board will invest $4,570,085 into the small to medium dance sector. This is an increase of $1,412,000 from 2006/07 in part due to the one-off allocation of extra small to medium performing arts money from the previous government.
As the Dance Action Plan 2006-2008 concludes in 2008 the dance board is currently developing a sector action plan; Dance 2012 in partnership with Ausdance National. A series of forums were staged around the country in early 2008 to seek feedback and input from the sector. This will be a whole of sector action plan supported by all of the State & Territory funding agencies. Cultural diversity, particularly Indigenous cultural heritage continues to be a priority.