The Sydney Dance Company and the Australia Council have an agreement in principle that will allow the company to trade out of its current operating shortfall.

Through the provision of cash flow assistance from the Major Performing Arts Board (MPAB), the arrangement involves bringing forward grant payments and is designed to assist the company to secure its artistic and financial future. The details of the arrangement are being finalised in discussions between the company and the MPAB.

Mr Mel Ward AO, chair of the Council’s MPAB, said: ‘The Australia Council’s ongoing support will ensure that the Sydney Dance Company has a strong platform to support the innovative contemporary dance the company is known for.’

‘The Sydney Dance Company, under the creative leadership of Graeme Murphy, has produced many innovative productions for Australian and international audiences, and I am confident that it will continue to do so for many more years,’ said Mr Ward.

Graeme Murphy, artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company, said today: ‘We look forward to creating the work that [associate director] Janet Vernon and I live for.’

The major performing arts board of the Australia Council aims to ensure that Australia has an artistically vibrant, financially viable and broadly accessible major performing arts sector. It is responsible for implementing the decisions of the Cultural Ministers Council on the recommendations of the Major Performing Arts Inquiry, working jointly with relevant state funding agencies to support 29 major performing arts companies.