The Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, has presented the new Dance Dissemination Office (ODD) at the National Auditorium of Music. The initiative seeks to correct what he describes as a historical injustice that has relegated dance to the role of the poor relation of the arts. The office, defined as a milestone, aims to respond to the sector's demands and foster interdisciplinary creation.
A technical platform for digital choreography 🖥️
The ODD will integrate digital management tools to centralize calls for proposals, residencies, and exhibition circuits. The development of a portal with a database of choreographers and performance spaces is planned, as well as a metrics system to evaluate the impact of dance. The plan includes creating an audiovisual archive with digital preservation standards, facilitating access to materials from emerging companies. The technical structure aims to eliminate the fragmented bureaucracy that has hindered professional mobility.
From poor relation to distant cousin with wifi 🤞
Dance has been the relative no one invited to the cultural dinner. Now, with the ODD, they are given a seat at the table, but we'll have to see if they are served the same menu as opera or will continue to make do with budget crumbs. While the minister talks about a milestone, dancers keep their fingers crossed that the office doesn't end up being another catch-all drawer with more meetings than resources.