On the road
Now, let me set the scene for the 3 days of Juno. It is definitely not all fun and games … schmoozing is super hard work … and boy, did we have that work cut out for us! The fever started even before leaving Ottawa! I happened to share my flight with the members of Souljazz Orchestra, one of those Council-supported groups. And talk about very few degrees of separation, these guys were also nominated for Best World Music Album, and that award just so happens to be sponsored by, wait for it, the Canada Council. Souljazz didn’t end up winning the award, but massive kudos for being nominated!

Alex Cuba and his son

Off stage celebrations
As soon as we touched down in Regina, it was clear that we had entered Juno country. The airport authority staged special musical performances and the place was packed with Juno volunteers and fans enthusiastically greeting visitors. We had just enough time for a quick costume change, before shuttling to the RCMP Heritage Centre for the first launch event. The guest list included a healthy contingent of Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences representatives, mingling with government dignitaries, including Saskatchewan Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport Kevin Doherty, Regina Mayor Michael Fougere and Winnipeg Film & Special Events Manager Kenny Boyce. Also spotted in the crowd was Chris Stamper, representing Juno sponsor TD Bank Group and another one of our World Music Award nominees, Alex Cuba. Council got shown the love with lots of gratitude for the sponsorship of that award. We even received an unexpected plug from main stage when event host, CTV Regina’s Jonathan Glasgow, announced that someone had recovered my lost mobile phone – not exactly the accolades we were expecting but hey, we’ll take it!

A broadcast lunch served by a Juno contender
The following day, we prepped for more awards mayhem with the televised ceremony looming on the horizon. Quick sidebar, a funny thing happened on my way to said Junos! So, I was trying to catch up on Council work over a late lunch at Flip Eatery, when someone approached me with what seemed like a simple request: would I mind being recorded for TV while sampling a plate of Prairie Oysters, served to me by Juno contender Amelia Curran? Being the amiable type, I happily consented. Post culinary safari, I joined a few thousand live spectators and 1.9 million television viewers for an extravaganza that included the likes of Michael Bublé, Carly Rae Jepsen, Marianas Trench, Metric, Billy Talent, Serena Ryder and Hannah Georgas. Other noteworthy highlights included a crowd-rocking performance by Saskatchewan natives The Sheepdogs and the touching induction of k.d. lang into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Juno, no shortage of diverse musical talent
As the show came to a close, I stayed to observe a little more cheering, singing along and autograph-getting, but was preoccupied with beating the crowds to the Brandt Centre’s taxi stand. And I’m really glad that I did! As serendipity would have it I shared a ride with Lorraine Klassen, who earlier was declared winner of the Canada Council’s Best World Music Album of the Year Award. I had the opportunity to convey well deserved congratulations and got up-to-speed on her exciting future projects. Not only was it a perfect finale to my first Juno experience, it was an important reminder that Canada has no shortage of diverse musical talent to celebrate. You gotta love this place!

Tiphaine Girault, O-porte-nité (Doors of Opportunity),2013. Commissioned by the Inter-Arts Office as visual commentary for its 2013 consultation.

“We consult because the information gathered is vital to our work as a public funding agency and because we value the input of artists in our work.”

I’ve had the pleasure of leading the Canada Council’s Inter-Arts Office (IAO) since its inception in 1999 (with a 20 month hiatus in 2011-12 when my colleague Gerri Trimble was at the helm). In a nutshell, the IAO funds various forms of “hybrid activity” that complement support to existing artistic disciplines. It includes support to integrated arts, contemporary circus arts, and artist and collaborative practices related to these art forms.  

The IAO recently launched a crowd engagement online consultation that will run through July 30, 2013, as part of the Council’s Review of Operating Grant Programs.

You can participate here: Inter-Arts Office Consultation.

This online consultation is an extension of the regular ongoing conversations we have with the inter-arts communities on how to improve our program design and share knowledge about current and emerging artistic practices.

Why consult?

A culture of consultation is at the heart of the Canada Council’s values and operations. We receive input in a number of ways from coast to coast to coast. This input guides our work to support a diverse and vital arts sector that benefits Canadians.

For example, every time an artist and arts professional participates in a peer assessment committee we ask them for advice on the program they assessed but also about issues and trends in their home region. We also receive feedback from advisory committees, site visits, meetings with service organizations, commissioned research, corporate strategic planning surveys, etc. We consult because the information gathered is vital to our work as a public funding agency and because we value the input of artists in our work.

Consultation is particularly important to the Inter-Arts Office because of the unique and ever-evolving nature of inter-arts practices and organizational structures.

This being said, everyone who shares their opinion in a consultation may not be fully satisfied with the outcome, especially in a sector as complex and diverse as inter-arts. However my experience with effective consultation is that participants can “see themselves” in the mix and feel like their point of view has been heard and that it will have impact.

This consultation will address 2 questions:

• The 1^st is focused on our programs: How to make the Inter-Arts Office suite of programs more flexible, responsive, meaningful, impactful and measurable, especially its Grants to Organizations program?
• The 2^nd is open ended: What are some of the key issues and opportunities facing the inter-arts sector in the context of the changing environment?

In parallel with the online consultation, we will also hold in-person meetings with stakeholder groups. The outcomes from these meetings will feed into the online consultation.

I have 2 goals for this consultation:

• To better understand where organizations working in inter-arts best fit in a spectrum of funding options;
• To better understand the shifting realities of artists and arts organizations in the inter-arts sector.

 Please join us in the conversation as a reader and/or contributor and stay tuned for a summary of the consultation to be published this fall, at which point we’ll be asking for further input.

To date, the operating grant review has been internal and multi-disciplinary in nature. Information and experience have been pooled together and analyzed over many months in one- and two-day retreats involving all staff engaged in operating grant programs. It is now time to expand the discussion and introduce staged consultations with individual disciplines.

To support these consultations the Council has prepared a summary of the major themes and findings that surfaced in the internal phase of the review. It is brief – six pages – and intended as a backgrounder, not a policy statement. The document is available on the Council’s web-site here.

As noted in the backgrounder, the Council’s review of operating grant programs is a multi-year iterative process, and we know that both the review and any program changes that result will take several years for full implementation. Change, however, is a certainty, and I encourage anyone interested in contributing to the process to start by reading the backgrounder.

The Canada Council is known for its grants to artists and arts organizations – for nurturing and sustaining our national arts ecology. Less well known is its work to expand markets and build audiences for Canadian art – domestically and internationally.

The Audience and Market Development Office, a small, dedicated and agile team, works closely with its Canada Council colleagues across all disciplines. Armed with an intimate understanding of changing markets both at home and abroad, the Office organizes special initiatives such as familiarization visits, networking events, workshops, information sessions, online tool kits, and delegations to cultural trade fairs. Its perspective is both large-scale and grassroots. In the last few months, Office staff has been to Paris, New York and Yellowknife.

Talking nouveau cinéma in the City of Light

A healthy Canuck presence was in Paris in early December to promote a distinctly Canadian perspective on new cinema and contemporary art at Les Rencontres Internationales, an annual conference that alternates between Paris, Berlin and Madrid. The 2012 Parisian installment presented more than 150 works in film, video and multimedia by emerging and senior creators from 40 countries. Canadian artists Patrick Bernatchez, Karoline George, Caroline Monnet, Paul Wong and Miriam Yates comprised the bulk of the Maple Leaf contingent.

The Canada Council took part in a round-table on current challenges relating to professional networking, modes of production and dissemination in the contemporary art milieu. I was thrilled to represent Council alongside international colleagues Mélanie Bouteloup from Béton Salon (Paris), Steinar Sekkindstad from Bergen Kunsthall (Norway) and Selma Toprak from TRAM – Réseau art contemporain Paris. During a lively discussion, we explored the changing role of cultural institutions and examined new strategies aimed at audience development. I introduced the Council’s Public Engagement in the Arts: Discussion Paper and gave a preview of the Council’s new marketing initiatives; both were extremely well received by the European audience. The Canadian Embassy and Le Centre culturel canadien were crucial in making Canada shine during Les Rencontres.

Northern exposure in the Big Apple

An army of Canucks took Manhattan by storm in January, at the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP)conference. More than 3,500 international delegates met for four days of workshops, lectures and symposia aimed at sharing experiences and best practices. This annual shindig in the heart of New York is the largest global performing arts market of its kind.

Leading the charge, the Canada Council pulled together a contingent of agents and managers from across the Great White North to form Canadian Alley – a stretch of display booths occupying prime real estate in the Hilton New York’s EXPO Hall. Our Team Canada of 30-plus included luminaries like CAPACOA, CINARS, Danielle Lefebvre Artist and Concert Agency, Eponymous, Folquébec, Lunched Management & Booking, Menno Plukker Theatre Agent Inc. and Strategic Arts Management. Canadian Alley wowed visiting artists, managers, agents, producers and vendors – all there to develop new international partnerships and collaborations.

In addition to vigorously working the convention floor, the Canada Council also headlined a panel discussion alongside a handful of distinguished speakers. Playing to a full house, this open forum brought together international and US leaders to candidly discuss the changing landscape of performing arts globally. Others on the panel were Alicia Adams (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), Adam Bernstein (Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation), Olga Garay-English (Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles), Salette Gressett (British Council), Alejandro Jimenez de la Cuesta (eje 7), Anja Krans (Theatre Instituut Nederland), Pennie Ojeda (National Endowment for the Arts) and Kyoko Yoshido (U.S./Japan Cultural Trade Network). The Council contributed to a robust and dynamic discussion and even managed to slip in a brief preview of its Arts Marketplace discussion paper.

Our APAP adventure wrapped up in true maple-leaf style at a networking event hosted by the Consulate General of Canada in New York. A diverse international group gathered at the residence of Consul General John F. Prato to talk shop and take in a very special performance by expat Canadian Laila Biali, now living in Brooklyn. Her three-song set was a hit with the crowd and the perfect complement to our Canadian love-in. (Click here for a short excerpt from that performance.)

Real northern exposure in the NWT

Located a mere 400 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle, Yellowknife is capital of the Northwest Territories and a remarkably dynamic commercial, political and cultural hub. Home to 19,234 residents and boasting eleven official languages, Yellowknife is as diverse as it is creative. As a first-timer to the subarctic, I was equal parts Canada Council rep and bold adventurer!

Our northern sojourn was action-packed. We spent workdays at something called a tri-level – which is techno-speak for a kind of big government meeting. During a handful of days, arts representatives from federal, territorial and municipal agencies got together to talk culture. Colleague Kelly Wilhelm (Head, Policy, Planning and Partnership) and I were kept busy with lots of round-table and plenary discussions. These gatherings are integral to maintaining a healthy relationship between the various levels of government that provide support to arts and culture in the NWT and the community. It was a real privilege to discuss trends and challenges faced by artists and arts organizations and to learn more about how the Canada Council can support the region’s cultural activity. Our extensive agenda was skillfully stickhandled by Boris Atamanenko and Eli Purchase, respectively Manager of Community Programs and Heritage Programs Assistant at the host-venue Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre.

We did have some free time to connect with many of the city’s arts leaders. Being an avid walker, I chose to discover my surroundings on foot, managing to cover a good portion of the downtown and most of Old Town. While checking in on cultural hot spots like Aurora Arts Society, Western Arctic Moving Pictures, Yellowknife Artist Run Community Centre and Northern Arts Cultural Centre, I also found plenty of foodie havens and took in some amazing music acts at local hangouts like Lefrolic Bistro Bar and Twist, both lively performance venues.

All in all, a very productive visit to a vital part of the Canadian cultural landscape!

*              *              *

Sure, it’s a lot of juggling, creative problem-solving and just plain hard work! But it’s such a privilege to help build a dynamic and constantly-evolving menu of market development opportunities. From activating our resources in-house to building stronger partnerships world-wide, the Audience and Market Development Office is a key mechanism through which the Council can underscore its strategic priorities, whether market access or public engagement in the arts. Without being totally immodest, our unique little office is kind of the perfect storm – a multidisciplinary outfit moving from the local to the global stage. Furthermore, our work brings together people who create Canadian art, people who present Canadian art and those very important people who experience that Canadian art. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that we’re all things to everyone, but we are an important resource for an extremely diverse community – which is something we work to be! So, whether here at home or on the road, look for us. And let us know how we’re doing!

Picture from the video on Chantal Pontbriand, directed by Lysanne Thibodeau.

What’s in a prize? I’ve been asking myself this question while looking at the videos of the 2013 laureates of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts. I know from my own experience that it’s humbling to receive such an honour. Being recognized by one’s peers and by Canada’s Head of State is a double acknowledgment: a personal one, of course, but also an acknowledgment of the importance of the visual and media arts to this country and to our shared identity, whatever our politics.

This theme has recurred in the acceptance speeches I’ve had the privilege to listen to since the first awards were conferred at Rideau Hall in 2000. It was woven through the words that Doris Shadbolt spoke that year, for instance, while accepting her award for outstanding contribution. She told of how miraculous it felt to receive an award that, in her words, “could only be earned or conferred here.” I think that anyone who has stood in her place has felt the same swell of pride and gratitude.

But the awards might not have been created had it not been for the vision and tenacity of two people. The first was British Columbia artist Tak Tanabe, who petitioned, and met with, representatives of Rideau Hall and the Canada Council, arguing tirelessly for an award similar to those already in existence for literature and the performing arts that would recognize the achievements of Canadian artists.

The other person was Shirley Thompson. I remember getting a phone call from my former boss at the National Gallery in early 1999, about a year into her ten-year tenure as Director of the Canada Council. The stumbling block was money, she explained. After talk of cross-Canada fundraising for the new awards, there was still no new money to fund them. “I think we should just go ahead,” she said to me. “We’ll find the money. What do you think?” I agreed, but there was no need to ask my opinion. Her determination to see the visual arts accorded the same respect as the other arts meant she would find a way.

The Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts are now in their fourteenth year. They are a tangible acknowledgment that the stories our artists tell, and the truths they tell us about the world and ourselves, matter. And the words of this year’s laureates reveal their delight in the discoveries they make as they pursue their vision, as well as the sheer hard work involved. Above all, the awards recognize and solidify a community of creativity and commitment that we can all be proud of. When I nominated Chantal Pontbriand for her outstanding contribution to the visual arts, I was conscious not only of standing in witness to her remarkable achievements, but also of adding a link to the chain of nominations that carry the awards forward and make our community stronger for the future.

The Canada Council for the Arts announced in January 2013 that it will contribute $360,000 over 3 years to support the National Reading Campaign.

The National Reading Campaign is an essential way of reaching out to Canadians, reminding them that reading is important to a good life, not for the immediately tangible results of better jobs, but because it makes us better citizens Reading is vital for a democracy. It’s a lifelong source of pleasure. It empowers people to think for themselves.

Reading leads to greater empathy for others – and other ways of understanding the world.

Hundreds of educators, librarians, parents and readers from every part of the country have worked together to develop a National Reading Plan to ensure that each of us has access to reading of all kinds and on all platforms.

Some groups in our society have little or no access to reading: Aboriginal people, new Canadians, people living in poverty. The Reading Plan is working on ways to ensure they, too, have equal benefits from the program. The Canada Council will support the public awareness component of the National Reading Campaign, called “What did you read today?” Among other projects the NRC will undertake are: championing reading and reading policies for Aboriginal children; promotion of children’s love of reading; and introducing CanLit to new Canadians.

The National Reading Campaign is a natural partner for the Canada Council, because connecting the public to the arts is at the core of what the Council does. Every Canadian should have access to the pleasures of reading and the expanded horizons that come from books and reading.

I cannot imagine my life without reading,

As a Canada Council board member, as a reader, as an advocate of lifelong learning, I was pleased to be at the launch of this exciting national initiative.

Picture from the video on Rebecca Belmore, directed by Danielle Sturk.

We met for a coffee, two artists in Winnipeg in January: one a nationally recognized laureate of a 2013 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, the other an independent filmmaker; one new to the city, the other born and bred here; one an Aboriginal performance, visual and media artist, the other a francophone filmmaker and former dance artist; both women and multi-disciplinary artists where the loss of, struggle for, or re-creation of one’s language is potential common ground.

Our formal understanding: I would make a video portrait of her for the award that honours her and her work, and she would participate in it. How would we work together? Well that’s the art part.

Our own treaty of artists: Rebecca entrusts me with the filming of a new work created for the camera, for this moment in her career, for this moment in Winnipeg, for this time inspired by the Idle No More movement, and Chief Spence’s hunger strike in Ottawa; and I trust her in all of her artistic wisdom to create a powerful work of art that will collaborate with the camera.

The result: A film unfolding images of her in the process of making a garment out of white paper, washing it with water before draping the long pieces over a living model. Paper cloth blanketed with a quote spoken in 1873 by Mawe-do-pe-nais during the treaty negotiations on Belmore’s ancestral land, a few hours’ drive from Winnipeg. Rebecca’s brush paints Mawe-do-pe-nais’s phrase over 120 times (how many years has it been? even more than 120) alternating between black and red ink. “You must remember that our hearts and our brains are like paper; we never forget.” She washes the words that do not fade or smudge. She crushes them. She opens them. She makes something new with them. She makes something remarkably beautiful with these words spoken and recorded during the negotiation of a mutual understanding between two cultures, words translated into the non-Aboriginal language, set on white paper, and folded into a book by Alexander Morris 150 years ago.

We work for the entire day and it is now night. The garment appears to be completed, and Rebecca stands back to contemplate the work before putting her brush to one last virgin paper draped across the model’s chest. She decides only then what she will do. She marks her X across the young woman’s heart. The heart of a next generation.

With her act, I too am marked. I too bear the X. Treaty Number 3.

Watch Danielle Sturk’s video and those of the other videographers.

Picture from the video on Marcel Barbeau, directed by Luc Bourdon.

Our first impressions of a film subject are generally influenced by our prejudices, clichéd ideas or our own ignorance regarding the subject. This was certainly the case for the film portrait that I was commissioned to make of Marcel Barbeau.

And so it was that just before my first meeting with the famous painter, I’d imagined a severe man who would only reluctantly allow himself to be filmed by our intrusive cameras – a unique individual, to be sure, but one who would be protective of his privacy (and really, who isn’t when faced with a stranger’s prying eye?).

In my preconceived idea of what would happen, I was also convinced that his partner would be there to protect him and prevent us from taking certain directions … for filmmakers are no different from the rest, we set out in our inquisitive and blundering way to reveal the Other. Luckily, our initial fears always prove unfounded … and our meeting with Marcel Barbeau and Ninon Gauthier was proof positive of that.

This painter – who famously signed the Refus global – is a man of the present. A warm and welcoming man, who loves his profession as artist – but who also loves to share, exchange, live, eat and drink. Ninon Gauthier greeted us with open arms and offered her complete collaboration. Both were totally accommodating, very much in the present, and incredibly vibrant. We talked about nothing and everything – sports, politics, current events and trivia. We looked at some of the work (not all, for that would be impossible), and agreed on a time to meet for the film shoot.

A week later, our concept for the shoot was set: we would be in tune with the painter, espousing his simplicity and his rhythm – not forcing anything, not trying to do too much, just simply being there and trusting that whatever happened (or didn’t) would be right.  And embracing this unique opportunity with a man who plays out his everyday life on a canvas, living his art.

There was no need to disrupt the everyday routine or shake things up to achieve our goals – the man and his partner were incredibly open and creative. They are what they are – without artifice or affectation. Starting from this premise, all we had to do was be attentive, and capture the precious time spent in their company. And witness the gestures that transform a canvas.

And since this man has lived a long time and has a long history, since he has known stormy periods and periods of calm, since he has experienced successes and failures … well then, inevitably, if we listened well, we would learn lessons about life itself.

“I don’t see it as work. It’s never work – it’s a need. What interests me in what I do is to always make sure there is that magical aspect where the work takes me by surprise. It’s like a gift. One’s will disappears completely, making way for joy.”  [Marcel Barbeau, excerpt from the video]

The meeting with Marcel Barbeau and Ninon Gauthier was a wonderful life lesson.

A thousand thanks.

Watch Luc Bourdon’s video and those of the other videographers.

Danis Goulet’s Barefoot, 2012

From February 7-17, several contemporary film and video works by some of Canada’s most talented Aboriginal filmmakers were screened at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), as part of the festival’s first in a three-year series on Indigenous film and video. The Canada Council funded Canada’s representation, working in partnership with the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the Embassy of Canada was a key supporter Canada’s representation at the festival.

Louise Profeit-LeBlanc, Coordinator of the Aboriginal Arts Office at the Canada Council discussed the growing international interest in Aboriginal film and the impact of participating in events like Berlinale. 

It seems like there’s a growing demand internationally for Aboriginal art. Would you agree? And if so, why do you think this is the case?

I do see a growing appetite for Indigenous art globally. The fact that the Berlinale has committed to a 3-year focus on Indigenous film is a good example. In the case of filmmakers specifically, these artists have drawn on their rich tradition of storytelling adapting it to film with great success. They are the modern-day storytellers.

Globalization and the Internet also play a role. Now even an artist working in a remote Northern community can have a virtual platform to share and create work world-wide.

Also, I think that as people around the world become more aware of environmental impacts and climate change, they are looking more and more to the traditional caretakers of the land – the Indigenous people. And one of the most powerful forms of expression for these challenges for Indigenous people is the arts.

How has the Canada Council played a role in the success of Aboriginal artists internationally?

We’ve helped to bring the work of Aboriginal artists to some to the world’s leading art events. For example in 2005, Canada Council funding helped to bring Rebecca Belmore to the Venice Biennale to represent Canada at the Canadian Pavilion. We also just wrapped up a 3-year commitment to bring a delegation of Aboriginal curators to the Venice and Sydney Biennales, including such leaders as Steven Loft, Patricia Deadman and Leanne L’Hirondelle. In turn each of these curators, shared information with delegates  about artists such as Kent Monkman, Nadia Myer and Annie Pootoogook to name a few.  All of this activity leads to new markets and possibilities for international exhibitions and collaborations.

The Council recently brought Aboriginal musicians, including the hip-hop electronica band A Tribe Called Red, to two of the world’s biggest music events – the WOMEX World Music Expo in Thessaloniki, Greece (Oct. 2012), and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters in New York City (Jan. 2013). The musicians were a great hit at both events and will no doubt be re-invited to both of these events in the next coming years.

The Berlinale is another  global opportunity to showcase the exciting work being done by Independent Aboriginal Film artists both emerging and established, dispelling the stereotype that the only work being done by Aboriginal filmmakers is about their past.

I also believe that all of our investments, big and small, at every stage of artists’ careers, contribute to building community by supporting the overall success of Aboriginal artists. And for many First Nations artists, it’s all about Nation building!

 How do events like Berlinale help raise the profile of Aboriginal artists? What is the expected impact?

 These events are an excellent opportunity for artists to reach large numbers of people who are connected to industry, providing valuable access to markets around the world.

 Aside from this most obvious impact, and maybe just as important, these events give Aboriginal artists from Canada the opportunity to connect with their peers  from around the world to see & share  how their work is similar, different and complementary. This can lead to exciting collaborative creations!

 In the case of Berlinale – we’re especially excited to introduce emerging Aboriginal filmmakers to this audience. These young artists acknowledge and reference their Aboriginal heritage but within a contemporary reality.

Bharatanatyam dancer. Photo: Jim Bachalo

It’s been almost a year since I first blogged about the Canada Dance Mapping Study.  And what do we have to show for it? Most significantly, we have a better understanding of the scope of knowledge missing for our map of the dance field. In other words, there are many, many gaps. But we do have solid data in some areas, largely professional dance practices and infrastructure, dance that is of European origin, and the professional landscape in specific parts of the country (particularly Quebec).
What does “professional” look like?

For example, there are an estimated 7,330 professional dancers across Canada. Visible minority dancers make up 12% of them and Aboriginal dancers represent 1.2%. It’s estimated that between one-half and three-quarters of dancers are self-employed. The vast majority of all dancers are women.  We suspect this 7,330 is the tiniest tip of the iceberg in terms of the actual number of individuals actively participating in a dance practice. The whole realm beyond the one traditionally defined as ‘professional’ is uncharted territory that we aim to explore.

On average, dancers have eight years of professional training before starting their careers. Over 60% attended a professional dance training school. One-third has a dance-related university education. Again, there is a void in recent statistics related to dance education or training beyond what is considered professional.

How do earnings relate to dance practice?

For the purposes of the Canada Dance Mapping Study we have had many discussions around the definition of “professional.” Certainly the Canada Council and other arts funders who support professionals have definitions to determine eligibility for funding. The most common concept of a professional dancer is one who is paid for his/her work. But for the purposes of this research we prefer to use a more elastic definition: rather using a professional or not dichotomy, our future work will ask whether dance practitioners typically seek to earn money from their dance work, and if so how often they are paid (seldom, often, regularly, etc.).  In this way we aim to be as inclusive as possible and more accurately understand the relation of earnings to dance practice.

Impact of dance

Under our theme of economics, there is evidence of the importance of the arts to our national economy, but there are no specific studies analyzing the contribution of the dance field to the creative and general economy. This is an area that the study will therefore delve into.

Related to our theme of dance’s social impact, one estimate puts Canadian audiences for dance at 1.8 million. However, with Canada’s ongoing and deep demographic changes, it is very likely that audiences for diverse or culturally-specific dance are not adequately captured. Deeper understanding of dance audiences and participation is an important aim of the research.

The goal for the Canada Dance Mapping Study remains to create an evidence-based profile of the breadth and depth of dance activity across the nation, for a better understanding of the infrastructure of the discipline and its impact on society. Prioritizing the multitude of knowledge gaps and tackling them in feasible, complementary projects will continue to be our challenge. The reports from several projects nearing completion are soon to be available on the Dance Mapping pages of the Canada Council web site where you can  read about the latest progress in the Study and share your thoughts about it with us.