Dancers in wellies and BMX bikers to share £3m arts grant

Published on Wednesday 25 February 2009 22:15

A SEASON of dance in the Highlands, staged on water in spectacular loch landscapes, yesterday won a £475,000 grant from arts funders.

The project, one of 11 that shared 3 million of Scottish Arts Council (SAC) funding, aims to mix dancers wading on submerged stages on beaches in Wellington boots with choreographed canoes and jet skis, according to organisers.

The SAC announced grants under its "Inspire" programme yesterday that, rather than embracing traditional theatre or art, have opted to incorporate extreme sports such as climbing or skateboarding.

One Shetland Islands scheme will produce winter light shows mixing lighting laboratories with the traditional craft of lace knitting, and another explores urban "free-running" and parkour work with the South Asian community in Glasgow.

One Scottish arts leader privately questioned the hand-outs yesterday, saying it was "capricious decision-making … an extraordinary way to spend money" that would have been better spent on more established arts.

But Iain Munro, co-director of arts at the SAC, said: "We are thrilled to support such wide-ranging, far-reaching and high-quality projects. The imagination involved in them is testament to the fertile arts sector that exists in Scotland today."

Mike Russell, the culture minister, said: "Widening access is vital. These innovative projects will open the doors to the arts for many people."

The SAC says its Inspire fund is meant to increase the range and number of people in the arts, particularly children and young people. More than 700,000 has been awarded to teenagers to run their own music and film festival in Stirling.

The Highland water project is being run by the Eden Court Theatre in Inverness across four Highland communities, with the SAC contributing 475,000 to the total cost of 631,750.

The aim is to send professional dance teachers into communities from Skye to Loch Morlich to involve local people and produce a "community dance spectacular". One will be staged at Neptune's Staircase on the Caledonian Canal at Fort William.

Judith Aitken, arts education manager at Eden Court, said: "Choreography in boats is like choreography in cars. There might be yachts, there might be water-skiers. It's a creative approach to dancing on water."

Many of the details are still being worked on, but she said: ''What we are aiming to do over the whole project is engage 11,000 people in dance.''

Arts Extreme in Aberdeen will bring artists-in-residence into the city's Transition Extreme centre to work with skateboarders, climbers and BMX bikers to create a "site-specific spectacle".

"We are using the act of taking part in extreme sport as the starting point for the creation of art," said Annette Murray, arts education co-ordinator for Aberdeen City Council. The project has won 225,000 in funding.

The Highlands and Islands MSP, Jamie McGrigor, said the projects included some good ideas.

Inspire awards

STIRLING: Young people will work with top artists in film and music to plan their own festival: 712,500.

INVERNESS: A project for Highland communities to experience dance in a season staged on, and inspired by, water: 475,000.

Big Man Walking, a 25ft puppet, will stride through Scotland with a camera and produce an online journal: 450,000.

Starcatchers will introduce children up to four years old to work that inspires them: 442,541.

ABERDEEN: Arts Extreme, turning climbing and skateboarding into a huge spectacle: 225,000.

Central Station, an online project blending social networking with debate on creativity, artists and their work: 200,000.

SHETLAND: Fusing light work with the traditional craft of lace knitting in a winter festival: 165,000.

GLASGOW: Ankur Arts, mixing free-running with drama, film and animation to develop a performance and installation: 158,828.

DUNDEE: Nine Trades will commission nine artists to work with tradespeople in their workplace: 112,500.

SKYE/EDINBURGH: A Gaelic language project: 96,000.

Drake Music Scotland, using a revolutionary notation system developed in Finland to help children read and compose music: 62,757.