PURPLE - International Dance Festival for Young Audiences
Results Audience survey
Evaluation and outlook
On behalf of the Offensive Tanz für junges Audience, the PURPLE Tanzfestival conducted several surveys throughout 2020 to gain in-depth insights into how the art form of dance can reach and inspire even more young people in the future. To this end, two different questionnaires have been prepared. One was aimed specifically at children and adolescents, the other at teachers inside, educators inside and parents. Both surveys were, of course, treated anonymously.
The following sub-projects were carried out in 2020:
A Survey of children and adolescents (individual interviews and online survey)
B Multipliers: Parents, teachers, educators (online survey)
C Visitors to the PURPLE Dance Festival (Foyer survey)
1. Survey of children and adolescents (interviews and online survey)
Target groups: Children and adolescents
Duration: 19 January 2020 to 31 December 2020
Number of participants: 7 + 45 = 52
Objectives of the survey
● Identification of cultural preferences and culture usage behaviour
● Cultural consumption in social and digital media
● Aesthetic and content preferences as well as viewing habits with
regard to the art form dance
● Perception and classification of the art form Contemporary Dance
● Locating the art form of contemporary dance in the areas of school & leisure
Key findings
● All respondents who were already at a dance performance (83 %) stated that they wanted to or would revisit a performance of this art form.
● 85% of respondents, including those who had not yet attended a performance, would like to see a professional performance at or in their school.
● Contemporary dance performances are equal to museums in terms of cultural consumption in a total of seven listed cultural sectors. Most often, however, cinemas and concerts/musicals are indicated.
Many young people cannot classify contemporary dance as an art form or have misleading associations that hinder an argument.
● The art form of dance is often equated with self-dancing or classical forms such as ballet, which is not considered ‘cool’ in certain social contexts. The associations usually change after more intensive employment/dispute.
● Streetdance and its subforms are very popular. Contemporary dance occupies the second place of five dance styles offered in this evaluation.
● With regard to the content of the ideas, narrative and humorous as well as topics related to the areas of life are preferred. Artistic and abstract themes are also desired.
● Recommendations from one's own environment are considered the main criterion for attending cultural events.
● Social media does not reach the target audience effectively when promoting offers. However, the young people often consume short dance videos on channels such as Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok.
Derived recommendations for action
● Direct communication and a continuous exchange at eye level with young people is needed in order to create access, arouse interest and break down the above-mentioned barriers. Here, forms of peer-to-peer communication seem to be the most successful. New formats need to be developed.
● A built or strengthened bond with the institutions or the art form of contemporary dance is necessary so that the young people follow the activities independently (also in social media).
● There is a strong interest in artistic and dance elements on social media. The familiar formats of these platforms among young people, such as short (15 to 60 seconds) teaser videos, challenges or calls for their own artistic production, could be used to introduce aesthetics and themes.
2. Survey of multipliers (online survey)
Target groups: Parents, educators inside & teachers inside Duration: 19.01.2020 to 31.12.2020 Number of participants: 148
Objectives of the survey
● Identification of cultural preferences and culture usage behaviour (with children / pupils)
● Factors & Decision-making processes for the selection of cultural offers
● Range and use of different communication channels
● Perception & Classification of the Art Form Contemporary Dance
● Determination of content and aesthetic preferences in dance consumption
● Locating the art form of contemporary dance in the areas of school & leisure
Identification of relevance of cultural education in the areas of school & leisure
Key findings
● Visiting contemporary dance performances with children is in the upper midfield when it comes to cultural use. Museums/exhibitions, theatre performances and concerts are most frequently visited.
● The most important decision criteria for cultural events are the interest of the children, the topics of the performances, previous experiences and the ticket prices.
● Recommendations from the private and professional spheres are the main communication channels for cultural events. Classic channels such as newsletters and flyers/posters are also frequently used. Event magazines and portals, as well as advertisements on social media, seem less relevant.
● Almost all respondents felt the attendance of dance performances as an enrichment for themselves and the children, would recommend them and visit again.
● A wider offer for children and young people nearby, more information on the events as well as more educational formats and information on preparation and follow-up would encourage more frequent visits to contemporary dance performances.
● Topics relating to the areas of life of young people, narrative elements and content relating to diversity as well as teaching-related topics with teachers are desired.
● Almost all respondents want dance performances at school and consider this possible.
● Cultural education and dance-supported development of children and young people are highly relevant.
Derived recommendations for action
● The frequency of visits to dance performances does not correlate with the very positive evaluation of the art form. This has yet to be (better) established as part of the school repertoire in the field of cultural education. For this purpose, more information and exchange processes with actors from the education sector and parent representatives can be offered continuously for the purpose of building relationships, in order to promote a culture of recommendation and to constitute contemporary dance in schools as an integral part of cultural education.
● The multipliers usually have little experience in dealing (with children and) with the art form. Regular training and workshops should be offered to provide access, placement to children and integration into the curriculum.
Similar to ‘classroom plays’ in theatre, dance should also be able to offer performances in schools, which requires new cooperation with schools.
