JANE MAGAN,
Madam, - Once again dance in Ireland has not been given the recognition it deserves. A dancer needs determination to succeed; an Irish dancer needs it in abundance. As a member of Ballet Ireland, the Arts Council cuts affect me greatly as our spring tour has now been cancelled.
During my three tours with the company, I was amazed at the response to our performances, the packed theatres around the country and the letters of appreciation. It has taken five years and a lot of struggle and dedication to reach this level. Not only does the company perform, but it runs a very successful educational programme whereby the dancers work with children, our present and future audience, introducing them to dance. It seemed as though progress was being made, but suddenly we are back to square one.
Despite the interest of Gaye Tanham and Mary Brady in the dance sector, I feel that the Arts Council as a whole is not dedicated to developing dance and in particular ballet.
In a country with no professional ballet school and no proper dance facilities, we are already at a disadvantage. And now, those of us who are trying to succeed in this area are being denied the opportunity given to us by Ballet Ireland and Cork City Ballet to work in our own county.
In Michael Seaver's article of January 28th, Gaye Tanham refers to "artistic issues" with regard to Ballet Ireland. I don't consider the company to be without fault but I don't think this is the manner in which to deal with it. If there are internal issues, they should be resolved in a manner that helps, not hinders, the progression of the company and dance in general.
In the same article there is a lot of talk about plans for laying foundations, reflecting on the dance issue, drawing up reports and organising future work, but I think the problem lies with all this talk and very little action. Between reports on Irish National Ballet 1989, Arts Plan 1995-97, more Arts plans 2002-2006, one would imagine there is little left to research, reflect or report on.
The question is whether our Government is really interested in developing dance. If so, it should be approached with a serious and more determined attitude. - Yours, etc.,
JANE MAGAN, Whitecliffe, Dublin 16.