STRUT Dance had even more reason to celebrate at Christmas when the Perth-based national centre for choreographic development received the news before the holidays it had been granted $100,000 of funding from the Australia Council.
STRUT Dance director Paul Selwyn Norton said the annual application was a nationally competitive process where a diverse range of artists and organisations could apply for up to $100,000 per round (three rounds per year) to support project and career development.
“It is a demand-driven system, so the more applications received, means more available cash in the kitty,” he said.
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READ NOW“It is critical that the Australia Council receives as many applications as possible to enable opportunity. Only 10-15 per cent of applications are successful and STRUT has been fortunate to be successful every year since 2007.”
Norton said the funding allowed artists and organisations to develop new work and respond to exciting opportunities that resonated nationally.
“In the case of STRUT, this funding is allocated to our Master Workshop Series, that provides the Australian independent sector unique opportunities to develop their practice with national and international leaders in their field,” he said.
“Through this program, training and repertoire that is usually quarantined to major dance organisations is now available to independent sector, exclusively through STRUT. Development and retention of Australian talent, especially here in Perth, is our key goal and this funding is vital to that strategy.”
The 2018 Master Workshop program will feature international guest choreographers Hofesh Shechter, Punchdrunk’s Maxine Doyle and Crystal Pite, three names who Norton said WA artist would normally have to leave the state or country to work with but “eyes are now turning to WA”.
“We all have to be both adaptive and resilient in the face of an ever-shrinking and competitive funding environment at city, state and federal levels,” he said.
“However, STRUT is strutting strong.”
Norton also congratulated other WA funding recipients including The Last Great Hunt and WA independent artist Kynan Hughes.