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Brief description
A meeting place for dance presenters, producers and creators, La Danse Sur Les Routes du Québec supports the improvement and expansion of dance presentations. What makes La Danse Sur Les Routes (DSR) stand out, is the support provided to presenters and companies to help them achieve their role in this project — support that is firmly grounded in the reality of regional presenters.
Initial situation and projected outcomes
Starting in the early 1990s, the number of dance performances given in the Québec regions was in a drastic decline and, with few exceptions, dance barely toured outside Montréal and Québec City. In 1994, during the first “États généraux de la danse”, a conference organized by Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD), representatives from the dance community discussed this problem and identified the principles upon which to base a solution.
The RQD then formed a committee comprising presenters and dance companies, with the purpose of defining the objectives and means to enable greater circulation of dance performances in venues across Québec. Using the important lessons culled from previous experiences, committee members established a series of conditions and requirements for developing dance programmes, as well as a development strategy for this artistic discipline with regional audiences.
In 1997, the RQD launched a pilot project — Pour que la danse reprenne les routes du Québec — with the following objectives:
• Increase the number of dance shows performed every year.
• Put an annual plan into action that can accommodate escalating challenges and that presents an overview of current trends in dance.
• Boost the public’s attendance at dance performances.
• Promote dance through a series of audience development activities.
• Work to increase the envelopes paid to dance companies.
• Implement measures to facilitate collaboration between companies and presenters.
• Hire someone to coordinate the project.
Detailed description
The project initially received support from the Québec Ministère de la Culture, and then from the Canada Council for the Arts. Following incorporation of DSR in 2000, Canadian Heritage and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec also lent their support.
From the beginning, it was determined that presenters should be given full and complete autonomy when it came to choosing shows, but that they should nonetheless commit to:
• Programming a series of at least three dance shows every year.
• Hiring a resource person dedicated to audience development activities (about 120h per show).
• Offering local and regional audiences a series of activities to raise their awareness of dance.
These goals were immediately supported with the payment of compensatory funds to present dance companies and help hire someone to take care of audience development activities. On their behalf, the companies chosen for the tour were required to provide detailed costs for running audience development activities.
In 1997-98, eight pluridisciplinary presenters participated in the first season and offered 26 performances by 14 companies, alongside more than 110 awareness activities attended by 4,723 people. The activities targeted both the general public and a more specific client base, and thanks to the impressive efforts of development officers and the dance companies, regional populations met artists through amazing interactions:
• Workshops and presentations about the creative process or a choreographic body of work.
• Technique or master classes, as well as workshops on movement, improvisation, creativity and stage presence.
• Discussions and cocktails with choreographers.
• Guided tours of the stage and dressing rooms.
• Meet-and-greets with dancers after the show.
AFTER TWO YEARS OF OPERATION
The results obtained greatly exceeded expectations and the targeted audience development activities became powerful development tools. Allowing audience members to have direct contact with the artists enabled them to have a deeper understanding of the performances that followed. For the companies, in addition to the positive aspects of having a wider audience for their performances, there was also the revelation of how powerfully inspiring meeting audiences could be. This new contact thus had a direct influence on the creative process. In brief, after two years of operation, the results led to the definition of two decisive truths:
1. Audience development is the cornerstone of this project.
2. The series of three shows enables greater consistency in disciplinary development.
In terms of audiences, ticket sales were not—and still are not—sufficient to help presenters balance their budget for promoting dance. Also, in addition to the funds received from the pilot project, presenters also had to invest between $1,500-4,500 for each show, or up to $12,000 for the three shows. Due to this, some presenters found it difficult to convince board of director members how important it is to continue to offer dance performances to their audiences. Some presenters chose to step down, while others decided to continue to accept the responsibilities and risks associated with presenting dance.
The importance of collaboration
The collaborative work that contributed to the launch of this pilot project also highlights the importance of developing this aspect further. In fact, we noticed that the synergy between partners enabled discussions to evolve in a more positive way and a deeper understanding of the realities lived by dance presenters, creators and producers to naturally occur. Lastly, these exchanges also allowed us to identify other needs to help anchor this project, which in turn led to the following tools:
• Creation of an audience development guide that keeps a record of and shares accumulated expertise.
• Publication of a magazine introducing youth between the ages of 12-16 to the world of dance.
• Organization of meet-ups between presenters, development officers and companies, including Parcours Dance, which has since become an annual event.
AFTER NEARLY 15 YEARS OF EXISTENCE
The DSR’s holistic and structured intervention stands out among the “peripheral projects” that have been put in place since 1999. Our programmes and actions share common characteristics—innovation, pertinence, longevity—and are part of a culture of dialogue and openness embraced by every partners. All of these activities enable DSR to offer continued support and to encourage more involvement from everyone. Here is an overview of the DSR’s main driving forces:
1. Assistance funding
2. Parcours Danse as a highlight event
3. Programming meetings and artistic missions for presenters
4. Annual training programme for development officers
5. Information tools
6. Special projects
7. Promoting dance on a national scale
* Read more on these projects and on DSR's impact in the full case study (below).
Client evaluation
"[DSR] has successfully fostered collaboration between dance companies, multidisciplinary, specialized presenters, and outreach officers, all united in a common goal of promoting dance in their region."
-Judy Harquail
"[La DSR a] réussi à instaurer un dialogue continu à l’intérieur de la chaîne de création/diffusion de la danse au Québec."
-Daniel Bastien, Le fils d'Adrien danse
Lessons learned
Numerous elements have contributed to the success of DSR, notably the launch of Politique culturelle du Québec in 1992, followed by Politique de diffusion des arts de la scène in 1996. These two events created the political context necessary to start DSR. The commitment of pluridisciplinary presenters— which was originally a condition for membership eligibility—has helped to guarantee success, as has the generosity of dance companies in helping to raise the public’s awareness. The stability of the pluridisciplinary presenters who joined the project also played a decisive role, as these presenters agreed to assume a huge risk and to defend the importance of promoting dance in their milieus. Finally, thanks to DSR’s organizational culture, based on collaboration, dialogue and long-term vision, this project was also able to achieve sustainable development.
* Read more about the unexpected outcomes and the other lessons learned of DSR in the full case study (below).
References
La danse sur les routes du Québec has been awarded the 2010 National Arts Centre Award for distinguished contribution to touring in the performing arts.
Full case study of La danse sur les routes du Québec
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