Soaring popularity of dance to boost Bournemouth's economy

The economic timing for a world-class dance centre in Dorset couldn’t be better according to industry experts.

TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance have helped make dance more popular than ever, with ticket sales for dance performances amounting to over £20 million in the UK.

When Pavilion Dance, the 1,249 square metre dance centre in Bournemouth Pavilion, opens this autumn, it’s expected to generate up to 60,000 attendances in the first year. And the economic impacts will reach much further than ticket sales alone, with many attendees likely to be visitors from outside the county…. boosting income for local travel providers, hotels, restaurants and shops.

Peter Gunn, Chief Executive of BH Live, the organisation that manages and operates the Pavilion, said: “We’re confident that, in addition to the huge health and social benefits Pavilion Dance will bring, it will generate millions of pounds of revenue for local businesses, helping to sustain employment.

“As well as being a venue for dance lessons, rehearsals and performances, we anticipate Pavilion Dance will be at the centre of conferences and festivals of dance in the region – evidence from other parts of the UK shows similar events are big business.”

The Brighton Festival – a three week event of dance, culture and theatre – generates around £20million for the economy each year. The British Dance Edition Conference, which took place in Liverpool in 2008, had 460 delegates and generated an estimated total spend of £138,000.

According to a recent survey by the Society of London Theatre 29% of tickets bought in the last year were for dance performances rather than theatre, opera or musicals – that’s up four per cent since 2003. In the same period audiences for plays have gone down by seven per cent.

Cllr Bob Chapman, the Council’s portfolio holder for special projects, said: “As the only dance centre of its kind for the whole of the South West, Pavilion Dance will be a huge magnet for dancers within a wide catchment area - taking in Devon and Cornwall, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset.”

Kate Castle, Director of Dance South West, added: “The centre has already created new employment opportunities in the town both in-house here and at the visiting dance companies.

“We’ve designed a first rate centre with high-spec digital equipment and this, together with a strong and varied events programme will be a huge pull. Our main motivation is to make dance accessible to everyone, whatever their age or ability. Pavilion Dance will undoubtedly increase well-being and social cohesion in the South West and we’re delighted it is also expected to be so beneficial to the local economy.”

The UK dance economy employs an estimated 30,000 people; dancers, teachers, choreographers, technicians and managers. In addition, dance brings revenue to promoters, producers, designers, publicists, technicians, physiotherapists, medical and alternative practitioners, therapists, writers and academics.

Pavilion Dance is among the first projects to be delivered through the Town Centre Vision

Soaring popularity of dance to boost Bournemouth's economy

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