Funding cut is ‘catastrophic’ for dance company

Organisers of a Londonderry dance company fear they will have no other option but to close after 100% of their funding was cut.

Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company said their funding application for more than £112,000 was rejected by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI).

“If this decision stands, it will be terminal for the company,” Echo Echo artistic director Steve Batts said.

In a statement, ACNI said it is their policy not to provide details of the reasons for an applicant’s rejection from any scheme to a third party, unless the rejected applicant granted permission for such disclosure.

The spokesperson confirmed that Echo Echo’s application to the 2025/26 Annual Funding Programme (AFP) was unsuccessful.

They said that following this decision, the organisation was offered an award of more than £28,000 to assist with its transition out of the AFP portfolio.

Organisers from Echo Echo said they met ACNI officials earlier this week, but were disappointed with the outcome of the meeting.

The Derry dance company said the funding would have covered the wages of three staff members as well as some overheads.

“This is a terrible decision with no basis in fact or reason,” Mr Batts told BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today programme.

“Full-time jobs will be lost, artists will lose employment opportunities, confirmed projects with funding in place are now at risk, and a bespoke arts centre will close.

“We have read the detailed feedback provided on the Arts Council application, and we will contest this in the strongest possible manner.

“We will not take this decision lying down and will do everything in our power to keep the doors of Echo Echo open for our amazing artists.”

Kelly Quigley is a freelance dance artist, but the majority of the dance classes she teaches are contracted through Echo Echo and take place in the studio on Magazine Street in the city.

“I am in utter shock. I just cannot believe that a company of this magnitude and reach could have its funding cut so unceremoniously,” she said.

“It is really disheartening to see the work of local artists being placed in jeopardy.

“We should be celebrating the fantastic talent in the city, not doing things that could potentially harm it.

“I don’t think people realise the ripple effect these cuts could have — particularly if this building has to be sacrificed.

She said it would “impact people not just here in Derry, but in Belfast, across Ireland, and even in Europe”.

Majella Bernard said that, for her, the dance classes she attends are incredibly important for her mental health.

“Taking part in Echo Echo classes for the past 12 years has been my salvation and has opened a door to the creative arts in my life that was never there before,” she said.

“The sense of community and family here makes it one of Derry’s most welcoming and inclusive places.

“I’m devastated that we will be losing a large chunk of our funding — it is a brutal blow,” she said.

“Cutting a vital lifeline for an arts group in the current financial climate makes no sense,” she added.

A spokesperson for the Arts Council said representatives met Echo Echo on Tuesday.

“At that meeting, we provided information on the funding review process, which the group may choose to access,” the spokesperson said.

“This information is also linked in the group’s rejection letter, and Echo Echo indicated their intention to request a formal funding review in due course.”