Edmonton Arts Council – Closure of Dance Program at GrantMacEwanCollege

Recommendation:
That the June28, 2005, Edmonton Arts Council report 2005EAC008 be received for information.

Report Summary

This is an information report regarding the closure of the Dance Program at GrantMacEwanCollege.

Previous Council/Committee Action

  • At the April 19, 2005, City Council meeting, the following motion was passed:

That the Arts Council review the implication of the closure of the GrantMacEwanCommunity College dance program on the dance sector in the city of Edmonton, and that a report return to Community Services Committee.

Report

  • Effective May 2005, Grant MacEwan College (GMC) has cancelled its Dance Program. The program was founded in 1973 by CharleneTarver and, over its 30+ years of existence, has graduated individuals who have developed national and international careers as well continued with further post-secondary education. In recent years, the average graduation class has been 18 to 24 students.
  • The program has been led since 1993 by BrianWebb and, in 2004-05, employed one full-time instructor, one part-time instructor plus an instructional assistant. The downsizing began in 2003 and, at one time, the program had three full-time instructors plus six part-time. In addition to the dance program, the Brian Webb Dance Company (BWDC) has been officially resident at the GMC Jasper Place campus since 1979. The college has given the BWDC free office space and use of the John L. Haar Theatre at a reduced rental rate. This arrangement will continue until June 30, 2006.
  • The recommendation to close the program was based upon the College’s concern of a $3.2 million deficit for this year (2004-05) which was analyzed as a structural shortfall. The Board of Governors Chair of GMC stated that "it would be unfair to take a little from programs here and there - that it was more rational to take it out of one program instead of dipping into all college programs, weakening the overall educational stability."
  • The College appointed anExternal Dance Program Review Committee made upof faculty from YorkUniversity, the University of Calgary and SimonFraserUniversity. The report from that Committee supported the program’s high quality of teaching and strong reputation in Canada. The final report recommended that the College invest further in the program – particularly in advertising and promotion.
  • In addition, the Board of Governors heard presentations from organizations and individuals, including the Alberta Dance Alliance and the Edmonton Arts Council, urging them to retain the Dance Program.
  • According to the Alberta Dance Alliance, GrantMacEwan's Dance program has provided a critical link for high school students who wish to continue their dance studies at a post-secondary level. It has been the only post-secondary dance program available in Edmonton, one of only two in Alberta, and the only Canadian program whose primary focus is on contemporary dance.
  • A notable impact of the closing of this program will be on Edmonton and region high school students who are planning further training in dance. JoanneLowry, Head of the Dance Program at VictoriaSchool for the Performing and Visual Arts stated "the (number of) contemporary dance students at VictoriaSchool increases every year. With the addition of the International Baccalaureate dance program at VictoriaSchool, more and more dancers intend to pursue dance as a career and, therefore, are planning post-secondary education in dance. This movement is primarily attributed to graduates of the GrantMacEwan dance program who are sharing their knowledge and expertise with Edmonton dancers. To lose such a strong program will seriously impede the progress that public education has made in contemporary dance. Several VictoriaSchool graduates who were originally hoping to attend the GrantMacEwan program have just started dance programs at SimonFraserUniversity and ConcordiaUniversity. Only one of the Victoria graduates was accepted at the University of Calgary. All of these graduates had planned on attending GrantMacEwan. Several students will not be attending any school due to the financial costs associated with attending a school in another city or province.”
  • According to the Alberta Dance Alliance, in Edmonton and region there are:
  • 98 commercial privately-run dance studios
  • 113 non-profit dance schools including many ethnic dance schools
  • 5 Public and Catholic schools with dance curriculum
  • 2 non-profit dance organizations that present contemporary dance
  • approximately 20 independent professional artists/educators specific to contemporary dance including Heidi Bunting who was on the faculty with the GMC Dance Program
  • In addition, GrantMacEwanCollege and the University of Alberta (some courses in Bachelor of Physical Education) teach various forms of dance on a recreation/amateur basis to their students and to the general public.
  • In Canada, the following institutions offer post-secondary degrees in dance:
  • George Brown College, Ontario
  • SimonFraserUniversity, British Columbia
  • University of Calgary, Alberta
  • York University, Ontario
  • Concordia, Quebec
  • University of Quebec-Quebec
  • McMaster Centre of Dance, Ontario (Kinesiology)
  • Ryerson Polytechnic University, Ontario
  • Others with transfer availability:
  • Les Ateliers de Danse Moderne de Montreal, Quebec
  • Toronto Dance Theatre, Ontario
  • Winnipeg Contemporary Dance, Manitoba
  • Halifax Dance, Nova Scotia
  • Main Dance, British Columbia

(Page 1 of 3)