decibel Performing Arts Showcase
The Arts Council's decibel programme provides a platform from which established artists and companies with diverse practice can further their career by showcasing their creative excellence.
Dance policy
Our policy summarises the context for dance and the Arts Council’s role. It sets out our vision for dance and the priorities we have set to help us deliver it.
Dance plays a key part in contemporary culture: its impact is visual kinaesthetic, intellectual and emotional; it has expanded into a myriad of formats.
Dance in England
England has a great reputation for diversity, support for artistic development, and education and training in dance.
In the last four years, engagement in dance through Arts Council funded work has increased nationally by around 80 per cent. It is enjoyed by audiences in specialised contexts like Sadler's Wells, the Lowry, Salford and Birmingham Hippodrome. Equally significantly, people experience dance in schools, village halls and increasingly in outdoor spaces.
Arts Council currently supports 72 regularly funded dance organisations: 23 in London; 19 across the North West, North East and Yorkshire; 20 in the Midlands and South West; and 10 in the South East and East.
Capital development has been significant over the last decade. Arts Council England has invested £116,350,744 in new buildings for dance. Match funding raised through local authorities, regional development agencies, trusts and foundations and individual donations was £297,473,769.
Dance initiatives
Dance mapping
The dance mapping research creates a picture, a 'map', of the dance field, its ecology, economy and environment and its various segments and market trends. Pulling together this information provides evidence of the impact dance makes and how the dance field can make a more robust case for the work it does. This is the first time such a widespread data gathering of this field has happened. The full report and executive summary were published in September 2009.
Youth Dance England
Youth Dance England is the national organisation that champions dance for children and young people working to ensure that dance is available to all, both in and outside of school. Through a shared vision with the National Youth Dance Network and other partners, their aim is to increase access, raise standards and improve progression routes. www.yde.org.uk
Dance and health
Dance contributes to our physical, social and creative health and well-being. Visit our dance and health pages to find out more.
Development of Centres of Advanced Training for 11-18-year-olds, in partnership with the Department for Education and Skills
Currently there are centres based in Arts Council’s regularly funded dance organisations in Leeds, London, Swindon, Ipswich, Newcastle and (from September 2009) Nottingham.
