Scottish Dance Theatre, Shanghai International Dance Center Theater and Beijing 9 Contemporary Dance Theater: Travelling Ideas  

Travelling Ideas is supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture grant programme.

As part of the Connections Through Culture project Travelling Ideas: Researching Sustainable Avenues for International Collaboration, Scottish Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director Joan Clevillé conducted a 10-day visit to China in July 2024 to scope on the ground the potential for licencing the company’s Intellectual Property (IP). In this interview, he reflects on his experience and key learnings from the trip. 

Project Story: Q&A with Joan Clevillé 

Q: China is a vast country with a rich cultural and arts scene, where did you go and how did you prioritise your visit? 

This was only the second time in my life that I visited China. It is such a fascinating country! The first time was in 2009 when I was a dancer with Scottish Dance Theatre. I anticipated the country would have changed a lot in these 15 years, but I wasn’t prepared for the level and speed of change that I encountered!  

Indeed, the country has a thriving cultural life and arts scene and working in collaboration with local partners was key to understand how to navigate it. Sabrina Chen, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai International Dance Center Theater, was absolutely key in connecting me to the right organisations, presenters and artists. She has an extensive knowledge of the contemporary dance sector in China and is deeply invested in artist and audience development. Through her, I was introduced to Beijing 9 Contemporary Dance Theater, who are an independent dance company creating fantastic work in Beijing. During my visit, I was able to workshop in the studio with them and have many conversations, not only about IP but also about the local dance ecology and the opportunities for future collaborations. It is rare to see work by Chinese choreographers in Europe, and I was struck by how little I knew about what is going in the local scene! 

As part of my visit, I also met with 20+ promoters, curators, dance schools, companies and choreographers. Mainly in Beijing and Shanghai but also in Hangzhou and Wuzhen. This was incredibly useful to get a picture of the dance sector in China. 

Q: What was your impression of the contemporary dance scene?  

Contemporary dance is thriving across the country, but there doesn’t seem to be an overall strategy for the development of the art form. Public funding prioritises other forms of dance, so artists need to have a real entrepreneurial spirit, and navigate the challenges of a commercial market. 

Audiences favour local productions of narrative “dance dramas” or stagings of well-known Western titles. More “abstract” works are much harder to sell, and often require audience “hooks”, such as the participation of TV celebrities, or companies with a long established international reputation, such as Nederlands Dans Theater. 

Q: How was the notion of Licencing of Intellectual Property received? 

There was a strong contrast between the response of festival programmers on one hand, and producing organisations and artists on the other. According to presenters, festival audiences actively seek exposure to international companies, which are a marker of prestige. In this context, the re-staging of an international production by a local company would be seen as “less original” and therefore lose one of its main selling points. 

Organisations who have the capacity to both present and produce work, however, where much more receptive to the idea of licencing. This would enable them to fulfil their own strategic goals, whilst supporting the local ecology and opening opportunities for exploitation in the national touring circuit. Artists and companies were also positive, highlighting the opportunity for professional development and artistic exchange. 

Q: Is this something that the company has done before? Why does it matter to you? 

We are only at the beginning of the journey with IP licencing, but myself and the Scottish Dance Theatre team think there is a huge potential for everyone involved. As part of this project, we commissioned producer Joanna Dong to write a report exploring the opportunities and challenges of IP licensing. In the report, she analyses several successful case studies and concludes that “Licensing existing works not only reduces the environmental impact by minimizing the need for travel but also supports cultural exchange, economic efficiency, and artistic innovation”.  

As a company, we are deeply invested in the journey towards net zero, and we see this model as one of the tools that will help us sustain our outward looking profile whilst reducing our current carbon footprint. Undoubtedly, there is huge value in face-to-face interaction, and we will certainly continue to tour internationally in the future, but developing a broader spectrum of international collaboration models feels key.