Richard Alston Dance Company (RADC) will close in 2020. The company, which been resident at The Place in London since 1994, took the decision after changes in its Arts Council England (ACE) funding.
Until this year, RADC received most of its money through The Place. However, The Place is now being funded through ACE’s National Portfolio Organisation stream, which has meant shifting resources towards developing young artists.
“Change is very much in the air and inevitably it is the turn of others – I accept that,” commented Alston. “The Place must embrace change if it is to thrive and I wish these younger artists well.
“Now I have to try and find new opportunities to make dance because I am not ready to stop. I still have dances in me and I feel strongly that mature artists are an important part of the dance ecology.”
RADC is currently on tour until Spring 2019. In autumn 2019 it will host a celebration of its work at The Place, before its final dates at Sadler’s Wells in Spring 2020.
Added Clare Connor, chief executive of The Place, “Richard is part of the DNA of The Place and will remain a major influence for the next generation of artists who will undoubtedly follow his exemplary passion and workmanship.”