The Australia
Council has committed itself to the task of shaping a "vision
for the future of Australia which sees the arts playing a role
that Australians see is relevant and meaningful to their lives
- personally and nationally - and distinctively Australian".
Among their key objectives, therefore, is to "make the arts
more welcoming" and "to help Australians to find suitable
entry-points to the arts."1
Also in 2001 and similarly aware of the need to connect with audiences,
Made to Move - an association of presenters committed to "developing
audiences for all kinds of contemporary dance, with particular
emphasis on Australian companies and Australian dance artists"2
- collated results from 2000 questionnaires, distributed at 50
performances by 12 different companies.3 In conjunction
with Playing Australia and the Australia Council's Audience and
Market Development section, Made to Move appointed Judith James
Consultancy and Positive Solutions "to develop strategies
to assist in the development of new audiences".
Their report emphasizes audience hunger for information and access.
"The research reveals the audiences' deeply felt need for
more information, and this need must be addressed now"4 What is clear is that large opportunities exist for encouraging
audiences to try the work of companies they do not know ("84%
of participants in focus groups said they were interested in seeing
work they had not previously heard about"5).
For Made to Move the investigations concentrated on tracking frequency
of attendance, demographics, and superficial preference judgments.
There is little analysis of cognitive and emotional impact, or
of the depth of audiences' understanding.
At summits held by the Australian Dance Council (Ausdance) in
each state and territory early in 2001 the clear message was:
audience development is essential for the future of the art-form.6 The question is how such development is to be fostered. Conceiving
Connections is addressing the necessary psychological issues by
investigating the pattern of participant responses, and is appling
this knowledge to refining information sessions and enhancement
techniques.
In assessing the application for funding ARC assessors wrote
Research of this depth, as opposed to 'market analysis' is desperately
needed in the arts and particularly in dance. Audience development
and understanding of dance is crucial to its survival and relevance
in the 21st century. Research findings from this proposal will
have significant impact on the knowledge base of how and why we
watch dance, and the connection between the experience of watching
and doing.
Most impressive are the results and experience of the key investigators
and how this project builds upon the seminal and ground-breaking
research undertaken in their previous research project Unspoken
Knowledges.
There is no doubt as to the national (and probably, in a globalised
world, international) benefit of this research for the arts and
their ongoing relevance. It is the first in-depth survey of connections
between audience and performance from other than a superficial
marketing type survey, or via conservative reception analysis
studies.
1 Australians and the Arts, Australia Council,
2001 p.33
2 Made to Move mission statement, "Overview
of Strategic Planning", p.1
3 Ibid. p.8
4 Judith James Consultancy and Positive Solutions:
Marketing Strategy Report. p.21.
5 Made to Move mission statement p.5
6"Ausdance announces dance summits around
Australia", February 2001 message to industry, p.2.
