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DDF News — 18 Mar 2021

Dance Think Tanks Report 2021

Dance Think Tanks Report 2021

Collectively Shaping the Future of Dance in Ireland

In July 2020, Dance Ireland, Dance Limerick, and Dublin Dance Festival hosted a series of Dance Think Tanks: in-depth conversations with 29 artists and industry professionals working across different areas of the dance sector on the island of Ireland. This research was facilitated by Dr Aoife McGrath who has compiled this report.

The Think Tanks highlighted that the dance sector has enormous potential for growth, and the ideas for innovation and sustainable development offered by artists in this report provide an exciting roadmap for the sector’s future.

These conversations were convened both in response to the immediate difficulties experienced in the sector following the onset of the global pandemic, and also in response to more long-term, ongoing issues that are of importance to the sector’s survival and sustainability. Three broad themes were explored:

  • Making Dance Performance - Challenges and solutions around how artists can continue to make work.
  • The Dance of Interdependence - Considering the overall dance ecology nationally and internationally.
  • Shaping Sustainability - Exploring how to build resilience as a sector and be equipped for the future.

The report draws attention to the complexity of dance artists’ position within the performing arts landscape and how dance policy and funding schemes need to address this complexity in order to provide effective support.

It calls for increased visibility and representation of dance across educational structures and cultural platforms, and for equity in funding provision for dance. It identifies key areas of opportunity for the sector, including career development, the wellbeing of artists, equality and diversity, and sustainability in the arts.

The report is intended to inform the design of a shared strategy to support the future development of dance on the island of Ireland.

Download the Dance Think Tanks Report 2021.

Image Credit: Bastard Amber by Liz Roche Company © Luca Truffarelli

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