A different tune

"A Different Tune or the Same old Song?" - a paper by Suzanne Burns

Introduction
This is an exciting – if challenging - time for dance. Dance has never been as understood as an art form as it is at present with government agendas highlighting both the intrinsic and the extrinsic value of the form and its ability to contribute to so many leading agendas – social inclusion, health and well being and education and creativity. This is also an exciting time in relation to public policy for children and young people. DCSF agendas on entitlement and access, changing primary curriculum and the 14-19 reforms are further examples of opportunities that must be grasped.

At a time of unease and unrest - the economic downturn, the imminent and likely change of government – it is important that the dance field speaks with one voice and makes its case for ongoing investment through clear demonstration of impact and value.

This seminar is an important event in this overall context. It brings together artists, educators and policy makers from within dance and from outside the field to consider two interlinked notions that are pertinent to taking the field forward: the need to consider how we engage children with dance that is culturally diverse and reflective of the society within which we live and how we may use digital technology to assist us in doing so .....

The potential positive outcomes for children engaging with the arts that are often mentioned can be grouped under three broad types:

• immediate positive educational, emotional and behavioural benefits for
the children and young people themselves (for example, enjoyment, self confidence, communication skills, creative thinking)
• potential short- and long-term benefits to wider society (for example, reduction in crime or anti-social behaviour, an improved economic situation due to more skilled workforce)
• potential long-term impact on children’s attitudes towards and engagement with the arts, with potential benefits for the children (enabling life-long enjoyment of the arts) and the arts sector (building arts audiences and practitioners for the future)

The recent ACE publication: Encourage children today to build audiences for tomorrow ... (March 2009) points to the critical importance of childhood experience in the arts - cultural socialisation –in relation to active arts consumerism as an adult. It’s headline findings are perhaps unsurprising:

• being encouraged to get involved in the arts as a child increases the chances of being an active arts consumer as an adult
• the effect of childhood experience is very strong, nearing in magnitude the effect of education – the strongest predictor of arts engagement
• the level of parental encouragement differs by family background and personal demographics: parents of high social status are more likely to encourage their children to engage in the arts; girls and white children are more likely to receive encouragement than boys and children who are not white
• this research highlights the importance of initiatives such as Find Your Talent, which ensure all children have an opportunity to engage in the arts
• further research is needed on the relative importance of family and school in influencing life-long patterns of engagement

It is a credit to Bisakha Sarker, to FUSE and to FACT that this event is taking place. No one artist has worked as long and as indefatigably as Bisakha furthering the cause of both South Asian dance and children’s entitlement to dance.

Dance Mapping Research

Between July 2008 and June 2009, Sue Harrison and myself have been working on mapping the dance field in all its manifestations. The work has been fact finding and whilst commissioned by ACE it is for the dance field and will hopefully assist us all in understanding where we are as we make strategic decisions on how to move forward into the future. The research has been extensive but a few key points are pertinent to todays’ debate:

• Dance is uniquely placed to take advantage of new technology and digitisation. As a visual medium with some world leaders already pioneering work in the area, we can grasp the opportunities both to create work and to develop new means of reaching and engaging audiences
• Dance suffers from a lack of physical infrastructure – there are few designated spaces for dance relative to other art forms and this affects the touring and production economy as well as public engagement. Where partnerships and co-productions are possible between venues, promoters and artists greater relevance to constituencies of interest will occur and this has to be a key strategic way forward for the profession. A Different Tune is a good example of this in action
• Dance and dancing are popular. People love dancing and millions do so every week and yet audiences for theatre dance remain small. We must ask ourselves why this is the case? Do we communicate in meaningful ways to potential audiences? Do we connect with them in ways that make sense or do we create a sense of marginalisation because of the way we talk about dance and the dance aesthetic? I am mindful that we are in a space here that attracts hundreds of people every week to see film and that this venue and the organisation that runs it is seeking to make meaningful crossover between the popular film programmes presented in these screens and the gallery spaces on the ground floor. We must do the same with dance .....
• Dance is important to young people. It is the second most popular physical activity after football for young people (according to PESSCL research) and in the private sector we can estimate that more than 750,000 young people are dancing each week and this starts at the age of 2! Uneasily placed in schools between PE and Creative/ Performing Arts, dance is both vulnerable but looked at differently potentially powerfully placed to effect change.

Increased Investment in dance by ACE over the period 2008 -11 will support infrastructure development of more RFOs. But , dance still gets a very small slice of the GfA cake and must start making stronger and more strategic bids into this competitive funding strand. ACE Strategy is being developed over the Autumn and the outcomes of seminars such as this must feed into that process to ensure that dance policy and strategy reflects true needs.

These are important times and we must work collectively and collaboratively to take the opportunities they present and move forward with confidence and strength.

I welcome you here today and hope that you will take something away with you.....