The organisers of a new movement dubbed #FreeTheArts have called upon artists, arts workers, and lovers and patrons of the sector to engage in a mass protest against the federal government’s recently announced budget cuts to the Australia Council For The Arts.

As Tone Deaf previously reported, part of the federal government’s 2016 budget was a diversion of $104 million in funds from the Australia Council, who act as the government’s arts funding and advisory body, to the government’s own Ministry for the Arts.

The proposal has received much criticism from the arts industry in Australia and #FreeTheArts are hoping to engage artists in a nationwide “mass dance action” to stop the cuts from being enacted. They’ve launched an online petition, which has so far garnered over 6,000 responses.

As The Music reports, #FreeTheArts was organised by the same group behind Australians For Artistic Freedom. They’re hoping to draw people into public spaces from 1.30pm AEST on Saturday, 22nd May in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, and Lismore for the dance action.

If you’re looking to participate, simply familiarise yourself with the “Hoofer Dance”, the product of beloved dance troupe The Fondue Set. Readers can check out an instructional video on how to perform the dance by members Jane McKernan and Emma Saunders below.

“Come as you are, from the studio, rehearsal room, theatre, classroom, home, office etc,” organisers write on the event’s Facebook page. “Even if you don’t want to dance, come to show solidarity for the arts.”

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As Tone Deaf reported earlier this month, former chair for the Australia Council Rodney Hall has publicly criticised the diversion of funds, calling the budget “disastrous” and saying that creates a situation in which arts grants are not being overseen by an independent third party.

“From the artist’s point of view, and the public point of view, it’s a disaster,” he said. “The Australia Council was set up with great care by Nugget Coombs in 1968. Central to his concern was to bypass the possibility that the public money could get into the hands of a very few people dishing it out to their friends.”

Check out more info about #FreeTheArts via their official Facebook page here.

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