‘Irish dance and the national question’

A chara, – In his article “Irish dance confronts the national question” (Culture, June 24th), Michael Seaver asks very important questions about the Arts Council’s recent decision to invest €5 million toward the establishment of a “world class” all-island dance company. The injection of this amount of money into the development of dance in this country is very welcome. But the speed at which the Arts Council has moved to implement its decision has also left me with many questions. Why so fast?

Currently one of distinguishing features of the dance community in Ireland is its artistic diversity and geographic spread. This is evidenced by the excellent choreographic works created by companies and individual dance artists and by the innovative hubs and models of practice that have been set up throughout the country.

It could be said that the Arts Council’s increased support for dance throughout the years has been a direct response to the quality and ingenuity of these “ground-up” initiatives. This vibrant infrastructure is a powerful manifestation of our national dance identity. It is world class. Can the €5 million be used to strengthen it rather than adopting company models from other countries whose foundational dance ideologies and infrastructures are entirely different to ours? Can we, as a dance community, be given time to engage in some expansive thinking with the Arts Council toward finding an Irish solution to this Irish opportunity? – Is mise,

MARY NUNAN,