Wages for professional dancers must be improved, the review says

Dance has become too reliant on public funding, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee argued, and must do more to raise sponsorship and box office cash.

It should be promoted as a physical activity to access new funding and bring in more people, the review said.

A "low pay culture" affecting many talented dancers must also be tackled.

What we had for a number of years was a little bit of boom and a little bit of bust and that does not do anybody any good Jeanette Siddall, Arts Council England

The committee called on Estelle Morris, minister for the arts, to draw up a clear government strategy on dance over the next three months.

She has said the government's approach to dance will concentrate on "excellence, access and contribution to healthy living".

Ms Morris suggested the dance sector should try to access grants from other departments focusing on the health and social benefits of dance.

According to the Arts Development: Dance report, the industry currently relies on the public sector for 43% of all its funding.

Fluctuating funding

The industry should increase income from commercial sponsorship and box office takings rather than relying on fluctuating public funding, the review said.

Jeanette Siddall, director of dance for the Arts Council England (ACE), told the committee: "What we had for a number of years was a little bit of boom and a little bit of bust and that does not do anybody any good.

"It means that you raise expectation and then disappoint, and people lose confidence - people being the public, the participants, the audiences as well as the artists."

Dance of all kinds is reaching a wider audience in the UK

Audiences for dance are currently growing in size and diversity, the report said.

About 12% of the population went to a live dance event in 2003, with overall attendance at ballet and contemporary dance events reaching 5.1m.

More than a quarter of all adults in 2001 took part in some form of dance, ranging from tap dancing to nights out 'clubbing'.

Moreover, the industry - described as "vibrant and diverse" by the government - reaches different sections of society better than many other art forms.

Crime rates

But dance could be better promoted to socially excluded groups including disabled people and young offenders, the report argued.

"We recommend that more research is carried out into the possible benefits of dance in reducing crime rates and increasing social inclusiveness."

The government should also help talented individuals who cannot afford to pay for private lessons, the report says.

It stresses the need for action to address a "low pay culture" widespread in the dance industry.

More money must be ploughed into basic wages and extra funding devoted to professional dancers' continued training, it says.