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Arts Council England has launched its biggest ever consultation on dance and is inviting everyone involved in the art form to have their say.

The major assessment will be the largest undertaking of its kind, and will create a picture, or ‘map’, of dance in England. The map will influence the Arts Council’s future funding of dance and help create a stronger and more sustainable art form.

The survey is available online at www.artscouncil.org.uk/dancemapping. There are three surveys; one for venues, one for local authorities and one for anyone working in dance.

Janet Archer, Director of Dance Strategy, Arts Council England said; “Dance in this country is thriving; we are seeing new projects, audiences and investment emerging everywhere. That’s great, but we need to pin down facts so we can monitor growth, and keep track of how dance performs against other art forms.

“If you’re involved in dance in England in any way we want you to hear your comments and opinions. This is your chance to help gather the evidence needed to encourage greater investment in dance and create a vibrant future for dance.”

Arts Council England has appointed Susanne Burns and Sue Harrison to undertake the consultation. Both have worked extensively in the dance sector and are respected as experienced arts consultants.

The mapping project will pull together existing and new research to create a picture of the dance world; its ecology, economy and environment and its various segments and processes. It is due to be completed by March 2009.



For more information contact:

Emma Russell, Media Relations Officer, Arts Council England
Telephone 0207 973 6890 or email emma.russell@artscouncil.org.uk

Notes for editors:

1. Susanne Burns is an Independent Development Consultant with 23 years experience in the arts sector. She has recently completed the evaluation of Youth Dance England’s Next Steps/ Dance Links project, the Paul Hamlyn JADE Fellowships and the evaluation of BDE and led the Dance Training and Accreditation Project.

Sue Harrison is an international arts consultant with 15 years experience in arts funding. Whilst a specialist in Dance, her work since 1990, has covered all art forms at a policy level locally, nationally and internationally. She has produced a number of important papers influencing the direction of the arts in the UK and published several reports.

2. Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives.

As the national development agency for the arts, we support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts.

Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better.

Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.