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Editorial

Creation

by Neil Nisbet If you follow politics anywhere in the world, especially around election time, there is one subject that dominates almost all others that politicians will speak about and that subject is job creation. Take a long hard look at the US political scene at the moment and all of the current chatter (aside […]

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Editorial

Cheerleading

by Neil Nisbet A comment we, here in TheLabâ„¢ and you, our dear readers, probably hear or read quite often is “we encourage healthy debate on (insert you’re own topic here)”. The comment is usually made by the individual/group/organisation that is being debated but more often than not they would, if it’s all right with […]

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Editorial

The League of Extraordinary Bullshit

by Neil Nisbet “It’s always impossible to legislate for talent. There are successful younger women out there – Maresa von Stockert, Cathy Marston, Jasmin Vardimon, Kate Prince – but they are not in the same league as McGregor, Bourne et al. Something has to change if the next great female choreographer, whoever she may be, […]

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Editorial

The Politics of Women

by Neil Nisbet “We did ask a lot of women to apply but there aren’t that many who want to take on that job and I think that because it is such a male dominated world. Women are insecure about doing it because we [women] have always been led by men. So there you go!” […]

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Editorial

Defending Subsidy

by Neil Nisbet It was suitably ironic that during the largest showcase of the strength and quality of UK based dance making at British Dance Edition in Liverpool, Arts Council England was finalising the funding decisions that would see some companies continue to develop and grow as others get left behind to fend for themselves. […]

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Editorial

End of Year Review 2007

The end of the year is always a jarring moment for us, here in TheLabâ„¢, because we realise that in spite of all the practical, financial and logistical data saying we shouldn’t still exist here we are, lurking around like a black hole looking for a galaxy to swallow. As we approach year nine of […]

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Editorial

Rage Against The Machine

This coming November the Government will announce their, so-called, comprehensive spending review. This review will determine just how much money goes where from the national budget of approximately £500Billion. Arts Council England has been fretting about this review to such an extent they have been slashing budgets and sounding the death throes of the arts […]

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Editorial

Yours for a Dollar

by Neil Nisbet If the press hacks are to be believed dance is, once again, undergoing a resurgence of popularity with the advent of numerous ‘reality’ television shows featuring dance as their premise that have appeared on a number of networks, worldwide over the last few years. We have dance shows featuring famous people, dance […]

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Editorial

Broken Toys

by Neil Nisbet “If a professional dancer makes just one wrong move in class, in rehearsal or on stage it could, literally, be the end of their career.” That was the opening line to a feature piece written back in April within this very tome. Just last week this became all too real as our […]

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Editorial

Begging For More

by Neil Nisbet “Through a wide reaching programme of research and consultation the Arts Council will explore how people value the arts and, by gaining a deeper understanding of what is important to them, become more accountable to the public it serves.” Thus begins Arts Council England’s latest attempt to get the public on board […]