Why the dance sector needs its own union

While many companies act with integrity, working conditions for freelance dancers can still be fraught. Could a dancers’ union change that?

22 Jun 2022 8:00

Christine Long

Dance

Almost one in four dancers reported that hirers, promoters, or venue managers had hired them and then refused to pay at the end of the gig. Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash.

As Dancenorth premieres its latest major work Wayfinder this week at the North Australian Festival of Arts, its ensemble of seven dancers can be confident of earning a living wage.

‘This company currently is not in receipt of enough core funding to operate at the capacity we operate,’ he said.

Not all dancers are so fortunate. In 2020 the AFL and Cochrane Entertainment came under fire when they advertised for dancers to volunteer to perform at the Grand Final in Brisbane.

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Christine Long is a freelance journalist based in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. She has contributed to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Travel + Leisure Australia, Galah magazine, and Australian Educator magazine.