In Tuesday’s (7/17) Sydney Morning Herald, Wendy Few writes, “In one of the most exhilarating projects to mark its 50th anniversary, the Australian Ballet last month transported 74 dancers, eight shipping containers, 52 staff and 650 costumes to New York to strut their stuff on the world’s biggest stage. It was an expensive project made possible thanks only to the support from private donors and a couple of corporate sponsors, said the Australian Ballet’s executive director, Valerie Wilder. … The Australian Ballet is one of many performing arts groups increasingly relying on philanthropy to bridge the gap between revenue and rising costs, figures released yesterday by the Australian Major Performing Arts Group showed. In 2011, for the first time, private donations to Australia’s 28 major performing arts companies outstripped corporate sponsorship, making up 53 per cent of the $65 million of non-government funding attracted to the sector. While philanthropy has risen over the past decade corporate sponsorship and government funding has stalled.”
Posted July 18, 2012
