The Stage

Rambert chief “thrilled” over contemporary dance visa concession

Published Wednesday 20 May 2009 at 15:05 by Lalayn Baluch

Rambert Dance Company chief executive Nadia Stern has welcomed the government’s decision to give contemporary dancers the same exemption to the new, controversial points-based visa system as classical ballet dancers.

Last week, the Home Office announced that it had accepted the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendation that contemporary dance be re-classified as a shortage occupation, thereby enabling performers to bypass many of the stringent requirements expected of foreign artists when applying to work in the UK.

Stern told The Stage that she was “absolutely relieved and thrilled” by the change, which will come into effect at the end of June. She commented: “The impact on the contemporary dance sector is going to be transformational. It is one of those tiny little adjustments that has an exponentially enormous impact.

“It will effect only those companies that employ dancers on contracts of 12 months or more, because anybody who is employed for less than a year can come in under another scheme. For Rambert in any one year it is a maximum of five people, but it means that we can retain our place as a world class company, and without that we wouldn’t be able to.”

Stern paid tribute to the joint effort of the Theatrical Management Association, Independent Theatre Council, Dance UK, National Campaign for the Arts, Arts Council England and Equity, in helping to secure the amendment.

“This means that if we want to employ a dancer from anywhere outside the European economic area, they can get their 70 points [to be eligible to work in the UK] regardless of lack of formal qualifications, and level of pay, and that’s what makes a difference,” she added.

According to Stern, the industry and foreign artists are still facing problems with the time it takes to process visas under the new system, which is particularly effecting opera companies. She also described the points-based system as “administratively burdensome and expensive”.