Tuesday 27 June 2017 – Dance Consortium, a group of 19 large-scale venues located across the UK, is delighted to announce it has been successful in its application to remain an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) for 2018 – 2022.
Dance Consortium’s member venues have a shared passion for engaging people in the best contemporary dance from across the world. Since its formation in 2000, Dance Consortium has presented 41 tours by 22 different companies from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, France, The Netherlands, Taiwan, Israel and the USA (see notes for full list of tours). Its presentations and accompanying education activities have been experienced by hundreds of thousands of people across the UK.
This significant support from Arts Council England means Dance Consortium can continue to plan tours with dance companies from across the world. The four year period will help Dance Consortium re-affirm its commitment to the Creative Case for Diversity by reaching more people and building new audiences for dance, informed by a new Audience Development Strategy. Through the development of a new Learning and Participation Strategy, the Consortium will build on its audience engagement programme and new talent development initiatives will benefit the creative and administrative sectors of the wider dance industry.
During the 2018 – 2022 funding period, Dance Consortium’s key objectives include:
- Build on the success of past tours (see notes) to deliver a high quality and innovative programme of performances with diverse audience appeal including contemporary dance, circus and dance from South Africa, Asia and Australia
- Support the Creative Case for Diversity with more work by Black & Minority Ethnic artists and female choreographers. Work with national and international partners to develop a programme of research and development leading to a commissions and tours by dance companies from areas of the world new to Dance Consortium, its members and UK audiences
- Deliver a new learning and participation strategy and talent development initiatives that build on the success of extensive education work to date such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater summer Intensive and the Future Leaders programme
- Develop a digital strategy that includes the distribution of work via livestreaming
- Expand the Dance Consortium membership to include venues in the East and East Yorkshire/Humberside
- Build on partnerships with National Dance Coordinating Committee, One Dance UK, Birmingham Dance Hub, Dance Touring Partnership, Centres for Advanced Training, Dance Educators Group and Dance Umbrella
Ros Robins, Executive Director of Dance Consortium, said: “This continuing support from Arts Council England will enable more people from across the UK to access and enjoy the very best international contemporary dance. Plans for a diverse programme of tours and a new learning and participation programme will build on past successes and see more people from more areas of the UK engaged and inspired by dance.”
