Supporting South Asian music and dance

Back in Autumn 2019, which feels a world away following the immense impact that COVID-19 has had on every element of our cultural sector, the Arts Council commissioned Courtney Consulting to undertake a mapping study of the South Asian dance and music ecology.

There was growing evidence highlighting challenges faced by South Asian dancers and musicians: this research was designed to capture a detailed picture of the current breadth of practice, helping us and the wider sector understand barriers to training, progression and leadership.

Although our work, and the work of the entire cultural sector, has been affected by the pandemic, the need to support and develop South Asian dance and music in England remain pertinent. The insights expressed in the South Asian Dance & Music Mapping Study, published today, are a stepping-stone to shaping long-term actions and cross-sector collaboration.

Many organisations and individuals have already used the development of this report to inform their strategic thinking. We hope everyone working across South Asian music and dance will engage with this research, considering its impact on their own practices, and joining with others in exploring how, collectively, we can respond to the provocations it poses.

Alongside the report, we have published a response that outlines the initial phase of Arts Council’s strategic thinking, and our commitment to working with the sector to ensure the continued growth and development of South Asian music and dance in England – which includes the following:

Advocacy

We have brought together an internal working group to look at the evidence provided by the report and the issues it raises, and to take this work forward by opening up conversations – across the Arts Council and with the sector – developing next steps and supporting National Portfolio Organisations and the wider sector to better provide opportunities for practitioners. 

How can we expect artists from diverse backgrounds to want to be performers when they don’t see themselves represented on stage?

- Contributor to the consultation

Funding

Our data shows that South Asian applicants to the National Lottery Project Grants (NLPG) programme generally have a higher than average success rate, however application numbers are low: we recognise the need to reach a wider pool of applicants and broaden the range of South Asian genres we support. These are areas which we hope to address through changes already being made to the programme, which will be relaunched in 2021.

A predominant theme within the report is the importance of visits to India and other South Asian countries to support professional development: we encourage artists to consider our Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) programme (when it is safe to travel) to support this aspiration.

We will work with partners, such as local authorities and local cultural organisations, to target specific groups for advice-giving for both these funding programmes.

Networking

The report makes apparent the need for deeper partnerships and connection between practitioners and organisations working in South Asian music and dance – as well the wider music and dance ecology – to overcome limitations and engender progress.

We want to work with the sector to organise and host a symposium, using the outcomes and insights of the report as a catalyst to facilitate conversations, which will help develop future actions, empower sector stakeholders of all kinds and identify responsibilities.

It is important to acknowledge that many of the concerns raised within this work are not specific to the South Asian music and dance sectors, and that the learnings and insight arising from it can have positive impact across the cultural ecology.

In early 2021, we will publish a Delivery Plan for our new 10-year strategy, Let’s Create. This study and its findings closely align to the ambitions of that strategy, and as we continue to develop the Delivery Plan, we will ensure this work contributes to our thinking in finalising the Arts Council’s new Investment Principles.