Artistic vibrancy among Australia's five major dance companies

This article is an expanded version of a paper commissioned by the Australia Council for the Arts in 2009 and published online in 2010. For several years, the Council devoted considerable resources to implementing the recommendations of the contentious Nugent Enquiry, the Howard Government's initiative to examine the financial operations and viability of thirty-one Council-funded Major Performing Arts organisations. With a new government in place, the Council chose to explore the business of the arts themselves, principally their artistic viability. It commissioned four provocation papers: 'Australian Orchestras: The State of Play' by Marshall McGuire, then executive manager of artistic planning at the West Australian Symphony Orchestra; 'Shake It Up' by Chris Mead, artistic director of PlayWriting Australia; 'Some Thoughts on Heritage' by Dr Richard Mills AM, artistic director of the West Australian Opera; and 'Artistic Vibrancy in the MPA Dance Companies'. The Council outlines artistic vibrancy in a cluster of desirable factors: 'artistic quality or excellence', 'audience engagement and stimulation', 'a fresh approach to the preservation or development of the art form', 'artist development' and 'community relevance'. This article considers the first cluster of factors addressed in my original paper for reflection on Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Dance Company, the Queensland Ballet, the West Australian Ballet and The Australian Ballet.