Introducing the Dance Manifesto

Dance Manifesto entire delegation (left to right): Victoria Todd, Alistair Spalding, Jonzi D, Darcey Bussell, Arlene Phillips and Caroline Miller

 

Nobody can ignore the explosion of dance in the UK – not even politicians. With 10.5 million people regularly watching the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, spectacular nationwide events such as Big Dance organised by the Mayor of London, Nike promoting dance competitions and workouts, and products from beer to cars using dance to advertise their goods, we have seen a massive growth of participation in dance.

Seizing the moment, the dance world has taken a momentous step and come together to create the first ever Dance Manifesto, produced by the National Campaign for the Arts (NCA) and Dance UK. This new document is aimed at the government and outlines the key aspirations of the dance industry.

On 10th July the ballerina Darcey Bussell, Strictly Come Dancing and Strictly Dance Fever judge and choreographer Arlene Phillips, Hip Hop choreographer and producer Jonzi D, and Alistair Spalding, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sadler’s Wells presented the Dance Manifesto, to the Minister for Culture, David Lammy MP. His response was overwhelmingly positive.

Learning to speak to Government in a language it will respond to has been a long and frequently difficult journey for the wide and often disparate sections of the dance world. To produce the Dance Manifesto the NCA and Dance UK undertook a six month consultation process, talking to an extensive cross-section of individuals and dance organisations, spanning professional dancers and companies, vocational and amateur training, community dance, the dance health sector, dance managers, theatres and producers.

At the end of the process four key ambitions for dance were identified:
1. Dance to be supported and developed as an art form
2. Dance to be an integral part of every young person’s education
3. Dance to be available and affordable for everyone to watch and participate in
4. Dance to be a sustainable and healthy profession

These goals are broad brush stroke ambitions, they do not go into fine detail but that is not the point. The Dance Manifesto is really a symbol and an encapsulation of a call to all of us involved in dance to become advocates for what we do.

The Manifesto is written in clear language so that politicians and other non-dance specialists can read it and understand the key issues facing dance today. It is short and digestible and is full of facts, figures and quotes which show what dance has achieved already, whilst stressing how much more we can do with extra resources.

For ISTD members and dance teachers in general, the Dance Manifesto is a tool to focus local politicians and funding bodies on the important work you do in their communities and the hundreds of thousands of people that you collectively teach.

It can also be used as a starting point to talk to your local councillors and MPs about the issues that concern you in your work, and to tell them how they can help. These might involve highlighting the cost of hiring spaces to hold classes, or the quality of the dance floors and facilities in these spaces, or the need for every state school to have access to specialist dance teachers. The key thing to remember is to focus on what is important to you in the Dance Manifesto and to make it relevant to your local councillor or MP.

The ISTD is already lobbying hard on your behalf, but by working as part of the larger Dance Manifesto campaign we can bring more attention to the issues affecting you. The best way to get a politician’s attention is to talk about his or her voters. At present, dance has a low profile with politicians simply because most don’t know what dance facilities and organisations are in their local areas and how many of their constituents enjoy dance and the benefits it brings them.

If there is one key thing that ISTD members can do to improve the profile of dance with politicians it is to write to your local MPs and councillors and tell them what you are doing, how many people you teach, the benefits it brings participants, and invite them to visit a class or your school. Once politicians know about the great work you are doing and you have made personal contact they are much more likely to support your goals.

Dance has been less effective in making its case heard with politicians compared to music, sport or the visual arts. But now, with our profile higher than ever, we have a unique chance to unite behind the Dance Manifesto’s aims and to push dance to the centre of the cultural debate in Government.

To do this, all parts of the dance sector must speak up and make themselves noticed. You can add your own or your organisation’s name to the list of Dance Manifesto supporters by emailing info@danceuk.org.

The ISTD is strongly committed to supporting the Dance Manifesto, and joined Dance UK at A Chance for Dance – Be Heard Not Just Seen, the Dance Manifesto Summit at the Lilian Baylis Theatre on Wednesday 4th October 2006.

The event was part of Dance Umbrella and speakers included Sir Gerald Kaufman MP (ISTD Grand Council Member), Chair of the new All Party Parliamentary Dance Group, Arlene Phillips, the NCA and Dance UK.

Caroline Miller, Director of Dance UK

Photograph: Jim Fletcher