Arts Council of Wales: Street dance and opera vie for funding

Ballet Nimba - one of the new applicants for funding Photo: Anita Hummel

A street dance collective and a Welsh language opera company are among organisations hoping to secure funding from the Arts Council of Wales (ACW).

A total of 94 companies have applied for more than £32m from ACW's revenue-funded pot from 2016.

They include 26 companies who do not currently receive annual funding.

A review is under way to establish which organisations will receive regular funding from ACW in future.

The last investment review took place in 2010.

The total request for funding for 2016/17 is £32.8m, an increase of £5.6m (+17%) on the current year's figure of £27.2m.

Of the £5.6m, £3.1m has been requested by the new applicants.

ACW will meet in September to decide which organisations will be included in its revenue funded portfolio from 2016.

As well as distributing annual funding, ACW is also responsible for funding specific projects and distributing some lottery grants.

Some of the arts bodies funded currently in Wales

Dance Blast, based in Monmouthshire, is one of the 26 new applicants

In a letter to applicants, ACW said it was beginning the process of assessing each application, and will consider any overall issues and themes when it meets in July.

ACW currently distributes annual grants to 69 organisations including Welsh National Opera, National Theatre Wales and Ballet Cymru.

The new funding hopefuls include Cardiff-based street dance and hip hop culture organisation Jukebox Collective and Blaenau Ffestiniog-based Opra Cymru, which tours opera in the Welsh language.