Your excellent coverage of the Olivier awards (Report, 6 April) was extensive, but it was a shame not to see more celebration of the dance awards. Christopher Wheeldon won best theatre choreographer, Assembly Hall won best new dance production, Eva Yerbabuena won outstanding achievement in dance and the acclaimed choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh spoke powerfully about the beauty of the human body in motion. The evening was full of dance performances from London’s West End. Moments like these highlight the art form’s importance to our creative economy.
However, despite this celebration of dance, recent research from the Cultural Learning Alliance reveals declining access to dance education for young people in poorer UK areas. As two small specialist conservatoires with a longstanding commitment to widening access to dance education, we are deeply concerned. Current funding structures put institutions like ours at risk. Decisions about funding settlements from 2026-27 could make vocational dance degree courses unaffordable for all but the most privileged students.
