Over the last forty years, the arts have been subject to a changing context that shifted from the welfare state in which the government played a large role in ensuring societal welfare, towards a neo-liberal society in which the market has largely taken over this role of the government. As a consequence, many goods and services that were previously valorised in the sphere of Governance are being introduced to the sphere of the Market. Within the arts, this shift has also been noted and is described as the economization or instrumentalization of the arts. Nevertheless, there seems to be a problem in this respect, because the literature also suggests that the arts and the market are at odds, that there is a tension between them. This raises the question how arts organizations cope with this shift towards the Market sphere. This research revolves around that question and studies to what extent Dutch dance organizations have internalized the market logic into their organizational practices, and what kind of strategies they employ to do so. This is further substantiated by exploring whether and how arts organizations struggle with the reconciliation of artistic and market values when it comes to the valorisation of their art. By doing so this research responds to an urgency which is expressed by the sector itself. The Dutch dance sector recently published an alarming report in which they indicate that too much attention is paid to instrumental values by their external resource providers, at the expense of the intrinsic value they generate. Because of the scarce body of literature on the dance sector, as well as because there is no consensus on the criteria that constitute a market and artistic logic, this research chose to conduct an explorative study in which five cases are examined and compared. By doing so this research aims to make a contribution to the theoretical literature about the dance sector, as well to support the further development of the conceptualisation of market- and artistic logic. The findings show that almost all dance organizations in the sample have adopted a market logic to a certain extent, although some more than others. Even within the organization that explicitly distances itself form the market and its logic, a degree of market thinking seems to be present. Despite the introduction of market principles, the organizations do seem to find ways through which they can safeguard the artistic logic as well. This happens for example by implementing dual-leadership structures, the separation of the marketization process from the artistic process, or by dividing the creation process into three dimensions. Surprisingly, the findings show that the organizations experience greater struggles with their valorisation through the sphere of Governance than with the adoption of market principles. This suggests that we should re-evaluate the valorisation process of dance.

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hdl.handle.net/2105/49338
Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship , Master Arts, Culture & Society
Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication

V. Broersma. (2019, June 11). The Impossible Balance?. Master Arts, Culture & Society. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2105/49338