Rural Retreats
In 2003, DanceEast conceived the now internationally recognised Rural Retreats - international think tanks looking at the future of ballet and dance. These facilitated sessions have brought guest speakers from the world of business, sport and the arts to interface with the dance leaders and to share experiences and allow opportunities to think 'out of the box' about the place of dance in today's society. Guest speakers have included Charles Handy, Gail Rebuck, David Lan, Nicholas Hytner, to name but a few.
The first Retreat: Ballet into the 21st Century was the largest ever gathering of Ballet Directors from around the globe and a second retreat took place in January 2005.
A third Retreat: The 21st Century Dancer: Nurturing Talent, a partnership with the Prix de Lausanne, brought together the Directors of professional schools and companies from around the globe.
DanceEast's 4th Retreat took place in January 2008 when, from a list of 75 applicants, 26 aspiring leaders from around the globe were selected to participate in an intensive four-days of inspirational and provocative talks and discussions about the realities and challenges of the Artistic Director's job in the 21st century, with guest speakers that included ex-England football manager Graham Taylor, Stuttgart Ballet's Reid Anderson and Scottish Leadership CEO, Zoe van Zwanenberg. With funding support from the Cultural Leadership Programme, 7 of these individuals have gone on to take part in placements shadowing artistic leaders in dance organisations around the globe.
In January 2010, DanceEast will host a mini Rural Retreat for these 7 individuals and their host artistic directors at the new Jerwood DanceHouse in Ipswich. These individuals are Tamara Rojo (The Royal Ballet), Marc Brew (freelance choreographer), Andre Gingras (freelance choreographer/Holland), Ernst Meisner (The Royal Ballet, UK), Karol Urbanski (Contemporary Dance Foundation, Poland), Michael Trent (Dancemakers/Centre for Creation, Canada), Jeff Edwards (Wheeldon Co/Morphoses, USA).
The Outcome
Westminster, London 14 January 2008
The participants, speakers and organisers of DanceEast's fourth Rural Retreat gathered in the Terrace Pavilion at the House of Commons to share the results of the weekend's intensive think tank, with guests, press and various luminaries from the world of dance. They were welcomed by the Hon Chris Mole, MP for Ipswich and addressed by Peter Hewitt, Chief Executive of Arts Council England and The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Minister of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Within the dance profession it has been acknowledged that no-one is ever really prepared for what artistic leadership entails.
With this Rural Retreat, DanceEast has produced the first intensive programme for future dance leaders. Never before in the art form have future artistic leaders been brought together to discuss and be given insight into the realities of the top job. Hence the 2008 Retreat has been structured for those currently in the dance profession who aspire to be future leaders. From a list of 75 applicants, 27 participants representing 12 countries and many nationalities, were chosen to reflect a wide cross-section of men and women of varying cultures, ages, backgrounds and experience in order to facilitate lively debate and maximum input. They included dancers, choreographers and producers, plus recently appointed artistic directors from as far afield as Australia, China, North America and across Europe. As well as hearing the inside story from highly experienced artistic directors Frank Andersen (Royal Danish Ballet) and Reid Anderson (Stuttgart Ballet), the Retreat participants were addressed by Alistair Spalding, Artistic Director and CEO of Sadler's Wells, Zöe van Zwanenberg, Chief Executive of the Scottish Leadership Foundation and Graham Taylor OBE, former England football manager. The intensive four-day think tank also included inspirational and provocative talks in break-out groups and with Rural Retreat facilitators Sue Hoyle and Christopher Bannerman.
Royal Ballet Principal Dancer Tamara Rojo summed up the weekend by saying, 'The art form of dance is not lost and is not adrift. There is vision, there are the people to take it forward, and there are the minds to challenge it, and make it relevant to society and to the audiences of this new century. During these four days I had the privilege to share a common passion and see into the future and rejoice in what is coming and the artists that are going to take us there.' Oregon Ballet Theatre's Christopher Stowell added, 'Not only has the Retreat made clear the importance of community and connection within our world, it has also provided us all with access to our generation's most exciting voices.' DanceEast's Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Assis Carreiro confirmed, 'If this Rural Retreat is anything to go by the future of dance is in good hands. These last few days have been very inspiring.'
A new generation of individuals has emerged, who are passionate, curious and ready to grasp challenges. They are determined to question and challenge old models not just for themselves but for the people they lead. The next generation is not only inwardly resourceful but outward facing with a focus on the future. There is no doubt that we do the arts - in particular dance - a disservice by not ensuring that aspiring and existing leaders are given the tools to reach their full potential as visionary leaders. The Retreat was in many ways a reality check on the top job. The participants grasped the opportunity with great humility, honesty and curiosity. The global dance community must find a way to ensure that such gatherings are not one offs; continuing professional development is integral to the directorial plans of all dance organisations. We cannot expect our dance organisations around the world to find their right leaders without support systems at all levels in their careers. Feng Ying, Deputy Director at the National Ballet of China noted, 'As a future leader you have to be a defender of the integrity of this art form, to push a company forward, dig for potential, paint the picture for artistic directions, be a wise manager and a patient listener. You should support your staff, be a brave problem solver, and an inspiration for others to do their job better. To be this person is a tremendous challenge and the pressure is daunting. However by building faith and non-stop learning, I believe one can climb up this mountain with growing confidence, courage and a decisive mind.'
The Retreat was not only an opportunity for debate and theorising. DanceEast has secured international placements for seven aspiring leaders of dance. Read the press release here.
The fourth DanceEast Rural Retreat was held at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire from 10-14 January 2008, and was supported by Arts Council England, East; The Jerwood Foundation; the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation UK; Harlequin Floors; East of England Development Agency; Freed of London and the Czech Centre (www.czechcentre.org.uk); the Canada Council/Conseil des arts du Canada; The Royal Netherlands Embassy; the Australian Arts Council and the Polish Cultural Institute. Further Press information: Debra Boraston DBPR Associates Tel. +44 (0)20 7483 1950 or +44 (0)7989 434 388 Email. debra@henrymoorestudio.co.uk. For group pictures of the Rural Retreat 2008 or pictures of the individual participants please contact Susannah Burke on 01473 295239 susannah@danceeast.co.uk or Debra Boraston as above.
If you would like to view a report from a previous Rural Retreat, please select a link below: