When Arts Council England revealed its funding plans for the next three years last week, much was made of its intention to ‘level up’ and divert funds away from London to places historically underserved by investment in the creative industries. In the Bristol area, 24 organisations are set to receive a total of £10m in annual funding over the next three years - an increase of £4m from the annual awards made between 2018 and 2022.
But although there’s plenty to celebrate in the breadth and scope of those organisations that received grants, some artists feel that there are also significant gaps in which disciplines get recognised. Bristol-based performing arts company Impermanence requested 75,000 to help deliver a diverse dance programme in the city. It was unsuccessful but told Bristol Live that despite putting a tremendous amount of time and effort into its application, it didn't come as a huge surprise.
“Dance in the south west is chronically underfunded. It just feels like the support isn’t there,” said the company's co-director Roseanna Anderson. She notes that in total, the region received £1,435,890 for dance, proportionally far less than the south east, which receives just two per cent more overall funding but has £4,790,524 allocated to dance.
This compares to £7,851,590 in the morth, £14,332,176 in the Midlands and £18,487,522 in London. Throughout the entire south west, only six applicants for dance were successful, with just one, Seeta Patel Dance Ltd, based in Bristol.
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One major obstacle for dance-orientated groups trying to thrive in the city, Ms Anderson explained, is that Bristol has no dedicated building for dancers to train, perform and connect with the community. Impermanence had hoped that if it received an ACE grant, it could be a chance to create a more permanent place for dance within the city's cultural sphere.
Currently, the company is resident at The Mount Without, operating a 50-50 hybrid model with the venue, which puts on concerts and exhibits and is available for private hire. Over the past 12 months, Impermanence has hosted 10 dance companies in the space, allowing it to perform its work over multiple nights in tandem with other events such as masterclasses.
Alongside performances, Impermanence runs a range of activities within the community, including The Mount Without Social, an afternoon song and tea for the over 60s, and the popular LGBTQ+ cabaret night, Ring my Bell. And it has an ongoing partnership with nearby Willow Park Primary, something the company is particularly passionate about, given the lack of dance education in the school curriculum.
Speaking about what missing out on the funding would mean for their future plans, Ms Anderson said: “We will try and do as much as we can, and we’ll still definitely have our partnership going with the school and the socials. It’s probably the performance programme that will take the biggest cut.”
Despite describing the application process as “exhausting and devastating”, Anderson says she and her team will still keep exploring funding avenues to help them continue to support and sustain dance and dancers within Bristol. “We’ll definitely keep trying; we’re quite glad it’s only a three-year grant, it’s not that long until the next one. “
Impermanence will be staging its next event, Late Last Minute featuring film from Berlin Based Layton Lachlan, dance and live music from Bristol's own MANONMARS at The Mount Without on November 25 and 26. The event runs from 7pm until midnight, and tickets are pay-what-you-can.
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