Dance show must go on in spite of Arts Council cut
Youth Ballet West has decided the show must go on, despite a decision by the Arts Council to totally cut its funding.
Company director and founder, Judith Sibley says the only way to save the company is to sell out their next show, Coppelia, coming to the Town Hall Theatre on April 2 and 3. Otherwise, they will close immediately.
“It breaks my heart,” she says, “especially as we have been invited to perform for the Babaró Children’s Arts Festival in October. But without funding, that can’t go ahead.”
The cut means that no dance company in the West of Ireland receives State funding, with all the money going to Dublin-based dance groups
This is a sad reflection of commitment to dance artists in the region as Galway bids to become European Capital of Culture 2020, Judith says.
Youth Ballet West has operated for eight years with Arts Council funding. Its students have staged regular ballets in the Town Hall Theatre as well as taking part in Macnas parades and fundraisers for Crumlin Hospital and Children’s cancer charities.
The company offers professional training to 26 youth dancers from counties in the west of Ireland. Dancers come to Galway for training and rehearsal every Sunday from Clifden, Ballinasloe, and Athlone in Galway and also from Clare, Mayo, Roscommon and Tipperary.
Eighteen former students have gone on to careers in dance, both as performers and teachers, here and abroad. Several have attended prestigious schools in the UK, Germany and in Holland. A past pupil, Aidan Walsh, recently made the cover of Italian Vogue!
But, says Judith, without funding, this cannot continue. At present fees for the company represent very good value for money compared to ballet companies in Dublin, she says. She could charge more, but it’s against her ethos. Youth Ballet West just need to make up a shortfall of €12,000.
For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.