10 Mar 2015
During 2013 Creative New Zealand reviewed its funding priorities, programmes and initiatives for supporting New Zealand dance.
As a result of your comments and suggestions we are making changes to how we support dance. Our aim is to strike the right balance between supporting individual artists and choreographers and long-term support for dance companies.
What are the main changes?
Creative New Zealand will:
- increase the value of the biennial Creative New Zealand Choreographic Fellowship to $100,000, from $65,000.
- introduce a new funding priority for Arts and Quick Response Grants to encourage the development and presentation of high quality dance works
- be specific about the services provided to the dance sector by the organisation fulfilling the Dance Services key role funded through our Toi Tōtara Haemata (Arts Leadership) Investment Programme.
- investigate the feasibility of establishing an agency to support domestic touring of New Zealand dance works
- work with selected dance companies to increase audiences for New Zealand dance
New dance funding priority for Arts and Quick Response Grants
To continue our support for individual dance artists to create new work our new dance funding priority will be ‘Dance groups and individuals undertaking high-quality creative development and/or presentation projects’. While it is expected that work will be presented, the new priority will replace the existing funding priority which focuses on work that engages with new and diverse audiences.
Investing in the arts infrastructure
As part of our support for the wider dance sector Creative New Zealand will retain the two key roles funded through our multi-year investment programme Toi Tōtara Haemata.
The dance company role of creating and presenting high-quality dance productions is unchanged, but we will now be specific about the services provided for the sector by the dance services role.
The organisation fulfilling this role will provide a range of services including professional development opportunities, best practice resources and advocacy on social benefits of participating in dance. It will also promote the sharing of resources between funded dance companies and advocate for access to suitable venues dance companies and groups so they can rehearse and perform.
We will be calling for proposals for the two key roles in February this year.
Feasibility of a domestic touring agency
As part of this year’s review of our distribution strategy Creative New Zealand will also investigate the feasibility of establishing an agency to support domestic touring of dance works. Our dance review recognised that touring is vital to developing work and building audiences, but high costs and low audience numbers meant that choreographers and dance companies face significant financial risk.
In addition we will also work with selected dance companies to identify ways we can support them to build audiences for dance. This is our response to concerns that audience numbers for contemporary dance need to increase to strengthen the financial viability of companies.
Want more information?
Thank you to all those who contributed to the review by writing discussion pieces and to all those who offered their views and suggestions. You can find out more about our findings and analysis and how we consulted in our Dance Review Final Report 2014
CATEGORIES: Fellowships awards and residencies, Funding for organisations, Funding for individuals Latest news and blog
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