by Arts organisations waiting to find out whether they have lost funding have threatened to use the medium of interpretive dance to express their anger at the Arts Council’s budget being cut by £100m.
News that 200 previously-funded organisations will miss out on grants has led to warnings that dancers won’t hesitate to adopt an ‘anything goes’ approach to get their message across.
“The government will be forced to sit up and take notice after I’ve mixed percussive footwork with intricate hand, arm and body movements to highlight my dissatisfaction,” said one angry modern Jazz-fusion dancer.
“We’ve been working on a routine which clearly articulates our argument that they should be focusing on punishing the bankers, not us, but every time we try to choreograph it our jazz hands turn into massive ‘wanker’ signs.”
Arts Council funding cut
Leeds-based company Northern Ballet, which has been told its grant has been cut by a quarter – or £800,000 – said it would “protest by adopting a style that rejects many of the strict rules of classical ballet, but will express how pissed off we are by emphasizing creativity in choreography and performance!”
“They have no idea what they have unleashed. Hell hath no fury like a contemporary dancer scorned.”
A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson hit back at criticism of the cuts by miming being trapped in a box.
