NORTHERN AREA DANCE NETWORK – TOPICS AND STRATEGIES ARISING
TAKE MORE RESPONSIBILITY/BEING PROACTIVE
Be an active role model, being aware that good practice can be an inspiration in itself and be
generous with this.
Take responsibility, as a practitioner, to deliver high quality work and to take a stand for
developing the dance ecology.
Take responsibility for this growth industry – demystifying it! Bring it out of dance venues/bring
people in?
Redefine roles and responsibilities to the sector.
Artists to have a stronger sense of entitlement – do not apologise or ask for permission!
Each take responsibility for our own development. Be pro-active – find and utilise all the
resources already there for people. Don’t wait for people to come to you – approach,
communicate, people are more open and willing to help and support than people realise. Don’t
forget the smaller organisations – they can be just as supportive as the larger ones (sometimes
more so?).
Let’s stop sitting in a room, endlessly talking!
Be honest, not allowing mediocre work to be pushed, just because it exists.
Value the contribution made different aspects of practice and the extent to which they depend on
and feed each other. In particular participatory and performance based work, established and
emerging mainstream and experimental.
Work to demolish hierarchies.
Not be afraid to celebrate and nurture success – even when it isn’t in the small scale.
Each take responsibility for our own development. Be pro-active – find and utilise all the
resources already there for people. Don’t wait for people to come to you – approach,
communicate, people are more open and willing to help and support than people realise. Don’t
forget the smaller organisations – they can be just as supportive as the larger ones (sometimes
more so?).
Be responsible – simple steps: “I hereby give one hour every week to look outwards and
volunteer my time to support someone/something else!
Less questions, more actions.
All take responsibility for including the development of dance in our strategic aims, whatever form
the delivery of jour work takes.
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UNDERSTANDING AND DEVELOPING THE ECOLOGY
Get a clearer sense of the ‘dance ecology’s’ shared and common values – find rich
collaborations.
Make each person/organisation’s contribution to the ‘dance ecology’ more visible.
To actually map out the dance ecology that we are referring to – do we really know what exists?
Or do we just think we know?
Where does generosity of Artistic development begin or end?
Let’s have a strategy for the North.
Define and establish what our local, regional and national dance ecology is. Understand roles and
responsibilities so best linkages and contributions can be made = Stronger partnerships and offers.
A dance ecology that take the notion of ‘ecology’ seriously’ ie. by taking note not just of northern
dance artists and companies but the places, site and locations and communities in which these
artists are based.
Audit of what is out there – do we really know?
Build a stronger ecology to support quality. Supporting/encouraging work to be made – even with
little funding to get dancers dancing more, working with more people, exploring, expanding
experience and ideas.
A more joined up approach to the dance ecology: professional practice should support dance at
all levels and abilities as well as choice in style, level, delivery, etc. (Why do we separate youth
dance when so many young dancers are aspiring to be professionals?)
Where does the dance of the African Diaspora fit in to the ecology of the North?
Need to identify where the connections are through joined up practical processes to identify the
focus and the way forward together. Mechanisms could include:
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Innovative touring models that breath scope to showing work across the North and beyond
Roaming annual festivals
Practical conferences
Across North ‘Artists Collectives’ schemes
NPOs AND COMPANIES RESPONSIBILITIES
Lobby for recognition of excellence in community work (if that is what is referred to as effort).
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An umbrella organisation for the North that is not focused on the delivery of activity but on the
strategy of advocacy of current opportunities and networks as well as supporting the development
of new partnership initiatives.
Package by dance agencies which includes rehearsal space, food and accommodation.
More cohesive audience development offer to share what works and strengthen the ‘audience’ part
of the dance ecology.
Collective effort to address the needs of the independent artists or small artist led companies, like
Insurance, regular CRB update, centralised accounting systems, etc.
A co-ordinated PR/marketing campaign to highlight what exists in dance across the North to
highlight provision in the North to those already there and those outside of the North.
Northern National Dance Agency and any other development organisation to have regular
communication re:
 Artist development
 Production
 Promotion
 Youth dance
Support for an artist-led organisation that pulls together independent artists and encourages new
‘experimental’ work.
Some form of PR/marketing campaign to work on the North as a dance community.
PROMOTE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
There needs to be a stronger transition between community and professional dance – within
festivals.
Not just for the sake of ticking boxes respect the integrity and vision of dance development. For
instance, if you mean diversity of dance, give equal opportunitiy to good dance artistis from
different styles not just their ethnicity or background.
Does the North engage with the development and creative sensibilities of Dance of the African
Diaspora?
PROMOTE MENTORING
Close the distance between educator and employer to ‘nurture’ and increase retention.
More job shadowing, mentoring opportunities in the North. To upskill young professionals.
Mentoring! By and for emerging artists and professionals, across peers with resultant training.
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Mentorship by leading professional dance artists for younger, less experienced artists living in the
North to develop key skills both as artists and choreographers and managers in order that they can
develop their roles and their craft.
Developing healthy roots that flourish and spread elsewhere but come back to the homelands to
‘reseed the talent’.
Excellence – by whom is this defined? Whose excellence is it? Instead of trying to compete and
strive for the Southern definition – let’s own what we have and celebrate it.
Internships – learning the trade before applying to your own working!
A way to make visible and so quantify and value informal sharing, support, learning and coaching.
NORTHERN TOURING CIRCUIT
Create a Northern touring circuit.
Hold auditions, R&D and rehearsals in the North where the Company or venue is based (rather
than in London)
Invite programmers/producers from in and out of the region to see/comment on work
produced/created in the North.
For theatres to have a transparent policy of who they can/are willing to work with (emerging or
established companies) within their venue. Being clear in the level or type of support they could
offer, within any relationship.
We will represent ‘True North’ on a national and international level to ensure representation.
What currently works well? Where are the gaps? What do we want? Some things might have to
go to build something bigger and better. Greater North reach, brand and profile.
Different approaches to curating and presenting dance in the North to accommodate different work
made. We don’t have many mid-scale theatres, we do have small scale/rural/outdoor venues.
BUILD INCLUSIVE NETWORKS
Recognise ‘buildings’ eg. Yorkshire Dance Centre, as something more. Bring back community
ethos!
Communicate, let people know what we are all doing! Sign posting to those who are experts at
what they do!
Understand who/what are the key contributors to setting the strategy/vision for Dance in the North
– so that I can affectively input at the right time (like today). If these are no more then when do we
all come together?
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Be more vocal about spaces – extend information through all networks.
Annual Northern Area Dance Network event (conference/debate/showcase/network event)
Have regular meetings (like today) in the different pockets of the North.
A greater sense of open mindedness between all forms of dance to network, collaborate and
engage with each other. There are too many divides between our own art before we can start to
expect others to engage with us.
Work together to better communicate opportunities, best practice – both to each other and our
wider communities.
There is a working party in Manchester working on developing an artist-led dance consortium to
offer support for professional development. I want this to continue to evolve and be recognised in
supporting the dance ecology. It needs to promote openness and trust for artists.
Create middle scale opportunities – platforms are useful for offer limited progression.
 Middle scale venues
 Middle scale creation
 Middle scale curation
A dance network for the North – a small unit attached to an organisation to pull together the
broadest range of dance activity across the North. Bringing people together but also an on-line
presence. Arts Council should fund this.
Have more dialogue between the ‘various’ components of dance ie. venues and artists.
Create a ‘Northern network’ share info/opportunity (shared logo/ID?)
Have a more inclusive network/support group in which artists can mix to discuss/lead projects.
The artist creating the strategy and being responsible for how it will be moving forward.
Network/support group, meeting to discuss professional development. Facebook group
acknowledging events, ideas, classes etc. to provide information and accessibility.
Get out of the habit of working with friends. Create opportunities and invite artists from other
regions within the North.
Communication – shared knowledge across the Greater North.
Universal signposting to and for – venues, working artists, student graduates, post graduates.
Develop and drive a Northern network that’s relevant and provides breadth and scope to dance
development.
To encourage and promote networking events, not just between artists, but including educational
institutions, venues and organisations.
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To enable exchange in a safe environment for young choreographers to make work in other areas
of the North.
ROLE OF CONSERVATOIRE/HE
Develop vocational education to rival that of the Conservatoire of London with the help of the ilk of
NSCD.
Target HE students in their first year before the “London when I graduate” thoughts set in; with
opportunities that will entice them to stay, put down roots, etc.
Start at the ‘ROOT’ – Universities, conservatoire to mix share and create together! Produce,
manage and dance for each other.
Professional development to start in the education system. Artists need to understand and be
equipped with practical tools to embrace the world of dance to remove the fear factor of developing
own work and remaining in the dance sector even when they move past their 20s.
We need a dance conservatoire in Liverpool! Where professional have the option of daily
morning professional level class (not just one day a week) allowing the professional community of
dancers to regularly be inspired, refine their skills, sharpen mind and body, and meet each other to
be inspired together, dream together and eventually feed our region with young dancers who want
to stay in the region because of what it offers.
Linking schools and dance colleges in the region through platforms and collaborative
opportunities.
Encourage more dialogue between the arts/education/dance training organisation and the
venues/theatres who will host the work – so the relevance is instilled – ie. not about the work itself
being relevant but the relationships that must be forged between dancers and the venues.
SUPPORT EMERGING ARTISTS
I would like to see more support from Dance Agencies or offers to support emerging artists to help
nurture quality work.
Challenge the ‘young artist’ to understand the difference between fear and change.
Eradicate the word ‘emergent’ and focus on the work as opposed to the age of the artist.
Ensure from the earliest stage of professional learning that dancers understand the collective
nature of the work and the performance of it. Also encourage different ‘post study’ models – it’s
not simply ‘become a dancer’, it’s a continuum that should be support the longevity and embrace
the knowledge and skill after graduation.
The entrepreneurial dancer – practitioner led, umbrella organisation, governing bodies, panels,
etc.
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‘An eye for the real’. Developing the entrepreneurial artist – how to make dance make money
make sense. The bigger picture of dance commerce and how this community extends in to the
business sector and vice versa. The benefits of the Cultural Olympiad where Dance has been
considered as a dynamic way forward to promote the spirit of the games as a National Identity of
the UK – let’s use this to build upon sustainable dance infrastructure.
PROMOTE THE MANUFACTURING OF DANCE
A collective response to professional development ie. team artists with venues and agencies
Ensure we support work from a range of artists – not just young. Acknowledge and support
experience over ‘just out of college’.
Support facilitation for development of new work and experimental dance by Indian classical
dancers.
Create works of ‘excellence’ by using the unique landscape and ecology of the North (the
spaces/places others don’t have – celebrating the Shire!)
Place of creative manufacturing and production – ‘The Creative Region’. Efffective networking of
artists and venues packages across the UK and Europe.
Prize or recognition for Northern dancers/artists to work towards. Enables a sense of
achievement, competitive edge, to increased standard of work and drive between
groups/individuals.
Actively promote the manufacturing and industrial heritage of the North – large empty spaces …
Create ‘Make your work here’ packages to include:
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Studio
Accommodation
Local transport
Access to musician/filmmaker
Dancers
Wifi
Host mentor
Other stuff … in one total price!
NPOs and venues to put together a package for artists to include space to create/rehearse, travel,
accommodation, subsistence and mentoring.
MORE COMMISSIONS
Let’s invest properly in the creation of work!
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More organisations/artists to be able to offer commissions.
Funding given to an experienced curator, producer or production management company
specifically to commission major dance projects that could only happen in the North and not
anywhere else (eg. by virtue of site-specificity/community participation).
To create a Northern touring and commissioning network for outdoor/sited dance performance
(via festivals, local authorities) and led/supported by Dance Initiative Greater Manchester.
FESTIVAL
Create a clear concise vision of what its purpose of a North Festival is; why have a festival of the
North? This could be an artistic vision of a director, a need to support artists in the area, develop
audiences, recognition of arts practice, maintain critical mass in the North?
Do we need a Northern Festival? No.
What are the statistics geographically for Juncture? How many of the region attend? Use this data
as the start of a discussion about the vision of a North festival.
Festival – look at existing models and identify if it works and why.
An international dance festival that showcases diverse dance practice, creations and productions
by dance artists of the North.
Strategic way forward – Festival of the North: identify location and reasons for the location,
merits, resources, community engagement, artist engagement.
A festival of the North that supports the ACTUAL artists who work here and that embraces the
diversity that is represented.
Identify venues and organisations (big and small) within the North that would be interested in ‘the
Festival’ with a view that more support and revenue could be generated for the festival.
An annual Northern Festival of Dance attracting companies of international distinction as well as
showcasing regional dance artists and workshops and debates/discussions.
Festival to share the diverse dance productions at all levels.
Northern festival that moves from city to city.
A festival for the North that showcases the excellence – not with a particular aesthetic. Celebrate
the diversity!
Create an Edinburgh Festival for Dance each year/bi-annually to give a focus for both new and
mid-career dancers/companies – to see if a showcase of the excellent work created. It would also
support the established companies as they continue to develop.
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A North festival offer like Edinburgh showcase.
Annual North festival/conference.
Festival – bi-annual? To give groups something to work towards and a platform to share – what
they’ve done AND what they hope to do. How then can individual groups and companies support
one another.
A Northern Festival – Training/coaching – Artists – Community – Performance – Ideas/sharing/lab
– finished productions.
Encourage creation and showing of work for and in ‘the North’ to help establish a voice of the
North.
Applications process to the platform or festival should be transparent, equal and informative to
make sure the quality of the work can be maximised.
Purpose of a Nothern festival? Nurture and develop artists within the region, maintain the artists,
develop sense of pride and achievements, increase excellence in practice, etc.
Northern festival of the human body – A big dance festival building over 5 – 7 years … but need to
attract people from a much broader base that current showcases do. Needs to bring in youth
dance, sport and other art forms.
Do some market research in to figures of dance workshops and performance throughout ‘the
North’ – is there a demand? If so, for what? What % of ‘international’ work has been programmed
and how was it attended? This research should then lead to some of these audience members
with the proposal of the festival and also the ‘Northern’ artists. Take this to London!
BUILD A BETTER DIGITAL NETWORK
Facilitate an open on-line network for the whole of the North and promote opportunities within this.
Create a digital connection across the North’s dance offer.
DOCUMENT AND EVALUATE BETTER
Use best practice/evaluations/models that we have been successful elsewhere, and positively
interpret these within our own region/geographical area rather than always drawing negative
comparisons. Remember there is a choice of where to live and work for most people in this
country.
Better sharing of the evaluation of work (both performance and participatory work).
Recognise and respect the value of the detail of the “work at the coalface” for its contribution to the
wider ecology – take steps to document and communicate this better.
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Artists need opportunities need venues need artists. Partnership/consortium working amongst the
above to share skills, knowledge, needs and ideas, resulting in new funding for genuine
opportunities for artists including R&D, funding and mentoring. Broad range of venues and artists
needed.
Not to be so focused on inward navel gazing – North/South collaborations should spread the word.
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