Mr. Davide Terlingo:

I thank the Chairman and members of the committee for the invitation.

I will make a number of points that reflect my work at the Arts Council and 30 years of professional experience in dance. I worked in a number of roles before joining the council. I shall start by defining dance. The meaning of dance extends beyond the genres that we support through the council. Usually, when we talk about dance in our policy, we refer to activities that are led by professional artists or companies, although these activities have a high level of involvement by audiences, such as in dance shows or participatory activities such as dance classes, local festivals or community projects. These are the activities that we usually refer to in policy papers. We talk about artistic productions, tourism, dance centres and services, youth practice and community projects. We also talk about dance genres such as classical ballet, modern dance, contemporary dance, dance theatre, traditional Irish dance, hip-hop, etc. There are many possible narratives. All of these terms represent a vast field of practice. However, when talking about dance, it is essential to consider an even deeper meaning - it is that represented by dance as a primordial manifestation of human emotions and the human spirit, it is that of embodied emotions and social interactions, and it is the way in which human beings have celebrated throughout history and across world cultures. In practical terms, I am referring to simple activities such as people dancing in a club or at a wedding. I am also referring to spontaneous street dance, someone dancing in his or her bedroom or a couple dancing a waltz. It is important to the many manifestations of dance. Once we consider this broad definition of dance, we can more comprehensively discuss its importance as an art form.

Dance is a vast and important topic. I propose a narrative based on two types of benefits. One is the importance of dance to the individual and the other is the importance of dance for society. In terms of the importance of dance to the individual, the narrative refers to forms of psychological or physiological benefits. I am not a medical expert but, as an former professional, dancer, I can testify to the value of body awareness. Many medical conditions are the result of skeletal misalignments, poor physical posture and general disregard for the signs that our bodies constantly send us. Besides the most obvious benefits associated with a physically active lifestyle, dance is a powerful tool for acquiring body awareness, and it is particularly true of contemporary dance and all dance genres. Over the years, contemporary dance has been associated with certified disciplines such as body-mind centering, the Feldenkrais method, the Alexander technique, somatic studies, Pilates and the more ancient disciplines of yoga and tai chi. The latter are not types of dances but they are some of the practices that have informed contemporary dance in recent times. I can provide some anecdotal evidence of the psychological benefits in building confidence, expressing personal emotions and mediating interaction with others. These elements are particularly important for youth practice but they are relevant for us all. In my professional career, I have come across specific studies on these topic and I have direct experience and heard stories of how people's lives have been transformed by dance.

In terms of the importance of dance to society, dance is a shared identity that unites specific communities. Each type of step is a symbol that carries meaning. It is a way to express a particular shared identity and world view. This can be said as much for the aesthetics of ballet as for the types of step dancing that are related to different communities in Ireland. As mentioned by Ms Catherine Foley in her book, Step Dancing in Ireland, dance can express, shape and embody different notions of cultural identity: self, affinity groups, regional, national, global or imagined.

The importance of dance can also be discussed in the context of critical discourse and international exchange. As dance is part of a worldwide heritage, its practice allows people to connect with people in other countries and be part of a global community - one that is founded on beauty and ideas rather than blind profit and division.

In conclusion, I will give an overview of how funding by the Arts Council is distributed as part of the dance budget and I am open to questions on same. In 2019, €3.3 million has been allocated to dance. With this fund, we support 11 strategically funded organisations that are of core strategic and national importance. Crucially, this year almost €500,000 has been allocated through the arts grant funding scheme, which will support an additional three production companies, three independent dance artists and one resource organisation. This is important to the investment in dance.

I wish to also stress the importance of independent dance practice pursued by artists working outside formal company structures. We support this practice throughout the country and across various genres by means of several projects and awards such as regional dance residencies, bursary awards, travel and training awards and a partnership for young emerging dance artists, entitled Step Up. It is important to note that we provide additional supports to dance through corporate programmes such as the touring and dissemination of work scheme and the festival events scheme. Further supports are provided from other teams' budgets such as traditional arts, young people, children and education, arts venues, arts participation and festivals.