In 2010, the staff of the Canada Council and several other arts funders raised the idea of doing a comprehensive study of the full spectrum of dance in Canada to answer questions like: How many people in Canada are dancing – professionally, recreationally, socially, commercially and across all disciplines? How many public schools champion dance? How many performance venues are receptive to dance? Is there an urban/rural divide? What are the hot and cold dance spots in the country? Can we profile dance supporters – parents of dance students, volunteers, donors, audiences? Where does dance cross over from the arts to other sectors like education, health or justice?
Artists of the Ballet during a Dance About performance. Photo: Bruce Zinger / Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada
The idea took hold, gained momentum and resulted in a Dance Conversation hosted here at the Council last March. The Canada Dance Mapping Study was born, and will provide an evidence-based profile of the breadth and depth of dance activity in Canada, for a better understanding of the infrastructure of the discipline and its impact on society. As the study’s name suggests, it is meant to draw a picture. Like a map, it indicates what is where (and in our case adds the who). Maps don’t say that “a river would be nice here,” or “a small town is missing from this region.” Likewise, the study is not a needs analysis, an advocacy piece, or plan for the future of dance or dance funding (though the results of our research could be used towards those ends).
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