 So my watch switched to 15.18. Welcome back to the second part of Perform Europe of our launch event. Welcome all those here with me in the Zoom space on little pictures that have become so familiar with all of us. Welcome also those on the live stream that are following us until we break out in little groups in about 45 minutes. Please feel invited to follow our session and keep using the Q&A part for big parts of this meeting. Just some technical information for those in our Zoom space. Please, as you all know, don't forget to mute and unmute yourself, mute yourself for now. Could you also, if you can, even if you drink your coffee and have your cookie in your hand and have some crumbles on your cheek, prefer a piece switch on your camera so that we can see each other, we know each other, we are family, aren't we? Use the chat in the Zoom space for comments, for questions, for thoughts, and last but not least, we record this meeting for research purposes in cleanery but also later on in the different little breakout groups. Without further ado, let's start with me in this cleanery space and I would love to have her right to me or left to me on this fantastic Zoom space. It's Elena from ITM, you know her all. I couldn't feel safer to have Elena next to me. So Elena, can you help me to introduce further this part of our lounge event? Thank you, Catherine. I hope I can meet your expectations about safety. I will do my best. Hello, everyone. Indeed, you have seen my face already today. So this part of the event, we are going to have a series of conversations in order to map and understand better some of the key issues, factors and elements which come to our mind when we are thinking about future schemes for distribution and touring in Europe. And I'm very happy to start straight away with our five speakers. Each of them is an expert in a specific topic which is relevant for our thematic of sustainable and inclusive touring. And I would like to start our conversation with Anita Dobare. Anita is Director of Pearl, Performing Arts Employers Association League Europe, European Federation of Music and Life Performance Organizations. Hello, Anita. Welcome. Hello. Hello, Elena. How are you? Left mind. Hello, everyone. Very nice to see your face here. So, Anita, let's jump to the content straight away. Could you please help us to depict and understand what are the current economic and social legal conditions in which touring is happening today in Europe? Before I start answering that question, first of all, congratulations with the launch. I mean, it was a beautiful launch. Unfortunately, I had a breakdown of the internet in the middle of the speech of Eleanor Bauer and I was a bit panicking for now. So, let's hope everything works well. But that's what you get with digital. So, hopefully, with digital performances that doesn't happen. So, thanks for the question. I know we don't have much time to cover a complex set of topics and questions. The current socioeconomic and legal conditions, well, we know in what status we are. To first start with the pandemic that is happening. We have limitations to traveling. We have limitations to performing. If at all performing on stage is possible. If we have opportunities, we are put often in a quarantine. We need to do tests. But I think that is not particularly what you were looking for as an answer. But nevertheless, I mean, we are living in this current set of time and one way or the other, we have to deal with it. And it's also impacting a lot of people who work with third country nationals. Where it is very difficult to find nowadays flights, just that already physically and to deal with visa if they are coming. So, that on a practical note in the current context. Now, if we talk about current economic or in general on the socioeconomic and legal conditions in which touring happens in the European Union, well, we have the principles on which the European Union is based. It's the free movement of people, of goods and services. And we have what is called a European internal market in which we can move around. So, that already said means that we are somewhat in a position where there are in one way, you could say there are no obstacles. And we have also a Europe which has and the current commission has a very strong aims on further developing the social Europe. It develops lots of rules and conditions to make sure that everybody, well, the governments first of all, but then of course everybody who is working and touring, not particularly for us, but for everybody that it applies that you obey by those rules. And the number of rules are growing. So, the goods they protect, they're there to ensure that workers, people who are working in different countries that they are protected rightfully. But with that also comes quite a lot of administrative burdens. Everybody who has organized a tour knows that it is complex. There are many things to take into consideration, whether it is obtaining a portable document, the so-called A1 document for Social Security or whether it is you have to deal with tax being able to reclaim taxes, other things. So, we have to deal with many, many aspects, but all for the good. I mean, that's what Europe stands behind. So, at the same time, when you think of digital touring, you would think it's easy, but at the same time, we know one of the big laws that was discussed two years ago, the copyright law, is also about how you deal with the protection of the rights of the artists, the performers, the creators. So, there are many things you need to take into consideration once you are getting into an environment which is international and that we have to adhere to. I mean, it's only normal that when we set up such a wonderful project, not... Thank you, Anita, with this nice word, wonderful. I think I have to jump in and cut you a little bit. So, you were mentioning this a lot of these issues and conditions, and I really like this administrative burdens reference, but also positive side of the whole spectrum. Could you maybe answer my last question for now, which is a little bit kind of a hybrid. How do all these conditions, and maybe especially the challenging ones, but if you want, you can focus on the positive ones, actually affect the sustainable practices in touring? And also, how do they undermine or maybe stimulate inclusivity of the touring landscape in Europe? To start with the last, I think, well, in principle, Europe is very much for inclusivity. I mean, there are also anti-discrimination laws, so you buy law, have to be inclusive or people can take you to court. But as it was said much better than I can explain, in the opening part, it's the challenge, in the practice of what we do. Now, for sustainability, I think that's even more a challenge. How are we going to deal with it in a touring perspective? There, you can get confronting discussions. On the one hand, wanting to be sustainable. On the other hand, you have people who, for example, would like to be with their family. So how do you deal, for example, with the concept of slow touring? When people think of, oh, I have a family at home, I want to see my kids. And on the other hand, you're trying to develop another notion of touring. So I think that there will come interesting discussions of in what you will do and how you're going to balance. And I liked the word very much in the use of the word balance. How can you balance to come to an environment where everybody feels, yeah, respected? Because it's not because you say, for me, it's a priority to be back in one day because I want to see my kids. They shouldn't be punished versus the people who say, well, we should have another model of touring. We should not take the plane, but take the train. And it takes your tour three days longer, for example. I had a look before joining here. And I thought, yeah, when you were in the remote area, coming whatever from say Romania or so, it's quite different to get here by train than if you have the luxury talking about, I'm in Brussels based and it only takes me three, four hours to get to a horizon of capital cities. So also that is, and that was also discussed in the IPORTUNUS project very much. So it is a challenge to deal with questions on how to reach those goals. And I think the first thing is about setting those goals, how to perceive that, but also to talk with audiences. Because on the one hand, you have, of course, people who are traveling, but you also have the audiences that you're talking to and there are many aspects there. So I think in that remit, there are many kind of factors and elements that will have to be unraveled. And the ones size fits all will not exist. It will be always tailor made. Absolutely, absolutely. And yeah, thank you for this reference to balance because indeed, inclusivity and sustainability are such a great values, but they are not necessarily feeding each other as well. So sometimes we need to find a balance between them as well. So Anita, thank you very much. And I just would like to say to everyone that we are watched live on Facebook by 189 people. And here were 75 participants. So let's continue this concept solidation of Perform Europe and see into gaps which I exist in cultural mobility. And I would like to welcome our next speaker, Marie Foll, who is the president of On the Move Cultural Mobility Network. Hello, Marie, very nice to see you. Hi, Lina. How are you? Very well, thank you. Thank you for having me. And I want to join also Anita on congratulating all of you and the consortium but also the performing arts sector to pull this off and move forward with developing cultural mobility in practice being in a digital form or in a physical form in the coming 18 months. This is really exciting. But tell us, please, Marie, as On the Move has a lot of expertise in mobility, based on your expertise, could you please share with us your insights about the current imbalances and gaps which exist in cultural mobility in Europe? Yes. So if I look back at the eye-partner study, the operational study that was done in March 2019 in the framework of another mobility funding pilot project from the European Commission. And at the time, this was commissioned by the consortium of Goethe Institute, Institut Francais, Isoliatia, and that art colony to On the Move. So we made this study to see what mobility funding existed in Europe at that time. And given last year, this hasn't changed drastically, I would say, the observation of 2019. So we can see three form of imbalances as far as the mobility of persons is concerned, which is very relevant when we come to the mobility within the performing arts. So the first inequality I want to mention is inequality in terms of access to funding. In the 2000 regular calls that we studied, there are, those calls are in the hands of about five to eight countries, mostly in Western Europe, including France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Spain, and the UK, for instance. Those grants cover, the grants that are provided cover travel, but often only partially, and all the related costs are often only partially covered. So a lot of performing arts professionals still have to put in money, and if they come from certain region of Europe, they will not be able to access this funding. And additionally to that, it's very irregular open calls and a lot of project-based calls that make the very short-term timeframe to apply very difficult for the sustainability of the sector itself when it comes to accessing those funds. So that's the first issue, the access to funding. The second one is an inequality between what the funders are providing and what the need of the sector are. So in this study, we also analyzed what the sector wanted in every discipline. So we covered visual arts, architecture, and so on, but we also covered performing arts. And it was clear that the performing arts sector wanted more, had more needs for research, for exploration, for networking. And I was very glad to hear Pia mention that those were a priority for Perform Europe because that was a need. And that's not often seen as what is being funded. Also, as was mentioned also by Anita in this issue of sustainability and durability, this question that a lot of the Performing Arts Practitioner were saying that they have the need for a very short mobility, a three to 15 days mobility because of the reality of the sector. And that was very difficult to match with the offer of funders. Finally, and this is linking to what Anita was saying also very quickly before me on the inequality of access to information. There are a lot of burdens which are very positive, obviously, as Anita said, but it's very difficult for independent artists, for independent companies to really be able to have the capacity to answer and fully benefit of the existing opportunities. Thank you, Marie. And my next question to you was, how did COVID-19 impact those imbalances? But I think you already said that nothing really changed since 2019 and probably is too early to say, but I assume that everything became, all these disbalances became even bigger. What's your opinion? It did become bigger. So of course, there was a negative impact in the sense that mobility wasn't possible. The funding opportunity have also shifted more to a national base, national focus because of the limitations to mobility, because of the health requirement and the sanitary requirements. So there is this potential shift that we see already happening that a lot of funding is more nationally focused, more less for the cross-border touring. And this is quite important to note because on the MoVe website has been extremely viewed during the pending make time and there is a huge competition towards existing calls. So it's important to be reminded that for many artists and cultural professionals, the need for mobility and the need for cross-border touring comes from an economical reality and an economic necessity. So it is a way to make a living and it is important to see how artists and cultural professionals will be able to sustain themselves after the pandemic has ended. That being said, of course, it also boosted the digital practices. A lot of funding for digital practices has been made available. So a lot of international funding moved to digital, which created somehow online as a new country in the calls that were presented. So that was quite interesting, but the imbalances I mentioned before were still there in the sense that the paid opportunity were coming from the same countries. So there is a replication of the same inequality and I think it's important to know about it, to be conscious of it, to make sure that opportunities continue to be as widely accessible as possible, especially if we consider it as a territory of creative Europe countries. A point also I wanna mention on online practices is that it cannot be a solution that fits everything. We are all longing for physical contact, for physical expression for cross-border touring and practice and we often have this question when it comes to sustainability and durability is online the green alternative that we were all looking for. And I think a lot of what has been tried out over the last year and also before because online is not a new practice that just appeared last year is that we need to avoid polarization and really consider all the options that are in front of us. And finally to add on a brighter side of we had a pandemic indeed, but when talking with mobility funders and this is what we do also with the members of On The Move, there is not only an attitude to answer the crisis with support to hybrid formats, with support to accompanies the practitioner through the digital shift, but also readiness to rethink and to revamp mobility funding schemes to the needs of artists and professionals to enhance the dialogue with those professionals. So I think there is really a momentum with Perfom Europe that we see right now definitely but also to continue thinking and this links to the topic we will talk about in a minute to rethink on what are the needs for access, what are the needs for parents, how can we really make cross-border mobility inclusive and sustainable. And this is really what I want to leave the Perfom Europe team with that this is really the challenges that are there and the opportunity that you're creating to really look into this. Thank you, Manny. That was quite inspiring actually. I expected to hear more dry information but we also got inspired from you. Thank you so much. And now in the second part of our conversations panel we are going to hear about three topics which we find very relevant for Perfom Europe and the topics are access of disabled artists to touring, digitalization of distribution and rural touring. And just it has to be said where there are many more other topics which are very important for sustainable and inclusive touring such as ecological sustainability, gender balance, ethnic diversity and so on. And all these topics will be definitely tackled within Perfom Europe. But we wanted now to hear about issues which we found are perhaps a bit under discussed in the current setting. So let's jump to the topic of access for disabled artists to touring opportunities and I'm very happy to welcome Ben Evans here. Ben Evans is head of arts and disability at British Council and also project director for the U-funded project, Europe Beyond Access. And Ben is really an expert in this issue and I would like to hear straight away from you Ben. So one of the ambitions of the project, Europe Beyond Access was to help disabled artists to internationalize their careers. From your experience and observations how do you think disabled artists experience the current European touring markets? And how did your project try to approach touring in a new way? And welcome. Thank you. And thanks for Perfom Europe Consortium for inviting our contribution. I think firstly I just wanted to say it's really important to know that there is a remarkable generation of disabled theatre and dance artists across Europe and I would encourage everyone to go and explore. And another thing to say is this work is not niche. It's being commissioned and presented by leading arts organizations. Organizations that understand and respect the innovative practices and the new approaches to the art forms. So disabled artists are not only making work for disability arts festivals. That's an old and outdated way of thinking. But touring in particular is hugely problematic. Accessible buildings, accommodation, transport for artists are not standard. And I think cultural managers assume that disabled artists and arts professionals simply will not be part of their touring programs unless they develop a special or dedicated program. So we've already heard of compared with international contracts and carnets and transport and language barriers and especially compared with COVID contingency plans. Accessible touring is not complicated for our professional arts managers in Europe. It just needs to be on the agenda and it needs to be on the agenda from the start and it needs to be planned and budgeted in from project design. So I think that's a key takeaway for us. It's not difficult, it just needs thinking about. But I think I'm just gonna move on to the next part of what I wanted to say, which is that there is a huge opportunity here, I think that perform Europe offers with a new touring program. It can no longer be assumed that disabled artists and arts professionals will not be hoping to benefit from European touring opportunities. And I think funding that touring not only needs to follow the direction of the cultural sector, but also at times it needs to lead the way. So I think some things in the perfect world are not negotiable. So we need to include budget lines for access costs. The things that others take for granted, personal assistance, sign language and additional transport costs, we need to see those budget lines in the application so that everyone applying has thought about it. And we need to understand that some artists work best in slightly different time scales. And we need to create protected budgets to cover access costs and not include this in the budget ceiling for artistic work, because currently disabled artists appeal lies because they're taking access seriously. So some huge opportunity, but also some challenges which we'd like to share with you. Yeah, that's very interesting. I cannot agree more. And how has the digitalization of the lockdown period taught us to maybe offer new ways for disabled artists or were there anything to learn from? Lots to learn from, I think. I think the sad irony of COVID is that for many, many years, cultural institutions have insisted on a specific way of working, one which has to be face to face, eight to 10 hour rehearsal days, a particular touring schedule, not taking work online. And this is despite years of disabled cultural professionals and audiences asking for online access to conferences, to digital exchange and hybrid events or online learning. And then suddenly in the space of a few weeks or months, our sector found the creativity to respond to a new situation. Of course we did, but what we learned was change as possible. And as we just heard, the reality that we all are desperate to meet and work together again, despite that we can never go back to the ways that we were before. So we've got to acknowledge the people that you want to reach. Some of them may have challenges traveling to a conference or a production. And along with our environmental responsibility, we have to take responsibility for not re-marginalizing those people. And I just one last thing and I promise I'll end here, but just to say, as we develop those digital tools, we must reflect on how those tools are accessed by professionals and audiences with access needs. So this is a practical consideration, but in my view, a political challenge to us all. How to make our digital offer accessible to visually impaired or deaf artists or audiences. How do we develop those tools without creating more barriers at a time we should be tearing them down in the arts? Thank you, Ben. I think what you're saying is super important and continuing our discussion about the digital. And before I invite our next panelist, Karin Toftegard, who is an expert in the digitalization of distribution, I would like to bring up another digital aspect. We're watched by 225 people on Facebook. And while here, you can see that we're at 76. So they're just, you know. Hello, Karin. Welcome and very nice to see you. Karin Toftegard is the CEO of Valtopia, which produces the Digital First Life Performing Arts Festival Relocation. And Karin is also a cultural entrepreneur and producer of Copenhagen Stage. Hello, Karin. Hello. Thank you, Elina. I just have to add, I'm not on the International Producer Copenhagen State. There are several producers at this festival. So not to take all the credit. Thank you very much for this invitation to share my perspective. I would say that when the COVID-19 started, I mean, it was kind of gave me the opportunity to combine two of my professional interests, like the festivals. I really like festivals been contributing to a ton of them or a lot of them at least. And then also I've been working a lot in the digital communication. So in some way that kind of just, whoa, did this combination and I decided also very much to look at the opportunities. And I think that what I hear when people are talking about digital versus in person, it's very much also about is the digital compromise or is it a creative opportunity? And what's important here is that the response to this very much depends on the eyes who's looking at it. And so we all have a choice to make there. Do we want to see it as a compromise or do we want to see it as a digital or as a creative opportunity? And I definitely want to embrace the latter one. And I think that when we look at the landscape, I think it's a pleasure to see that the festivals, they are embracing the hybrid formats. And I mean, also, I mean, this is actually a very important for a touring aspect because when the ones who are presenting the works, they are embracing the hybrid aspects, then we should also, and there is also, and it makes a lot of sense because theater is very much there. It's all, in all time, it has been there where the people are, where the audiences are. It's so connected with the audiences. And at some point, people have been talking about, okay, we have the digital state or is it real theater when it happens digitally? And I mean, this is just another stage. It's just another stage with an audience and it's our job to find out what are the opportunities in this? And I think that I would like to ask, instead of giving, talking a lot of things, I'm just gonna raise some questions regarding what I've been seeing and recognizing in the works, the digital works that I've been seeing and collaborating with. So what does digital intimacy look like? Please try and reflect that. What does digital intimacy look like? Because it's actually, there are works working on that. And there is also how do you enhance this in-person work with the digital presence? There was this a Dutch company who made Swan Lake where they did hybrid work there and they combined the digital audiences selections with what happened in the physical space. And that's where the two different, both the digital audiences and in-person audiences, they were kind of intertwined there. So you can work with that. And there's also participatory theater in-person that is going to be very much affected by the COVID-19 because personal distance, that is a thing in our mindset that has been a challenge a lot. And so participatory theater in person might change a lot, but maybe we could then make the participatory theater digitally because then you're not afraid of the body fluids or whatever which you are afraid of in the in-person aspect. And then also there's something about this immersive theater. That's another thing. How can you actually interact with people when you want to create safe environments in-person? So that's also something that you can actually develop in the digital sphere. So it's very much about looking at what, like in every aspect of doing creation, what kind of creative opportunities do we have here digitally and like diving into that? I think that's incredibly interesting. Yeah, thank you. One thing also, this thing about the audiences, there's actually a possibility online to have a co-experience with somebody who is on the other side of the world or is in another side of the country and so on. This co-experience for audiences without traveling, I think that's also a very important aspect, especially for like the participatory and immersive theater aspects. Thank you for that. Karen, yeah, you and your, in your answer, you kind of brought up what unique values digital actually can bring to the performing arts because we are used and you hear it all over again that digital brings, like takes away the main assets of performing arts at East Sliveness. So thank you for bringing up this kind of inspiring aspect. But maybe if we go back to the values of performing Europe briefly, how do you think the digital world can enhance inclusivity and sustainability of touring or distribution? You're mute. Sorry, I would like to begin to address a myth because there has, I've been hearing that several times, this thing about the two hours of Netflix streamed every single day in a year that pollutes as much as or affects the environmental situations just as much as flying 385 in 84 kilometers. And if you know that the flying distance between Copenhagen and Amsterdam, that is almost that. I mean, that's just one way. Then I think there is something about, yes, that working digitally is not solving all the sustainable issues. And it's not like you're like totally 100% sustainable when you're working digitally. However, I mean, you can show a lot of life-performing arts a lot of times during the year and not at all coming anyway close to the flight or the amount of flying around the world for doing the same thing in person. Because yes, these two hours each day of streaming, that's only a flight between Copenhagen and Amsterdam. So I'm just thinking that is something that we should also think about. So there is actually an actual fact in this thing that you can work internationally using the digital aspects. And you can also, the audiences don't have to travel as much. So there's definitely a thing about not traveling as much as earlier on. And then I think there's also something about the resources. You can reframe, you can reuse, you can reimagine the works that you're doing and you can actually bring it to more audiences but you could also make it more sustainable in the production wise. So you can present it in Denmark, in Brussels, in South Africa and at the same time, but you don't have to send your sonography across over the ocean or anything. You don't have to send away all your sonography. You can actually navigate in another way and be more careful of all the traveling and transportation, all that around which we are normally dealing with when it comes to touring. And I just think I also want to appreciate the fact there are several digital festivals also arising. I'm working on one who's called Relocation and I just put a link there in the chat. It's supported by the Danish Arts Foundation. Thank you so much. But then we have for example, Schellingburg. Schellingburg was a thing that arose because of Edinburgh Festival Fringe not happening last year. And then the Schellingburg actually appeared as a smaller digital festival. I think that was very interesting to see. And that's also a thing about digital touring. I think just like the festivals and venues are starting to think in in-person events and in digital events, then the touring agents and the touring and the companies, they should also just start thinking in digital and in-person. It's two different things. It's two different programs, but it's just like bringing different kinds of performing artworks to the audiences and to the venues. Thank you. I really sense your positive energy and I hope that every participant does. It was really great, your positive approach to the digital. And now let's jump to some completely different worlds. Maybe not, but another topic, the rural touring. And I'm happy to welcome here Ralph Lister, our fifth speaker. Welcome, Ralph. And thank you for being with us. Ralph Lister is the Chief Executive of Take Art, the UK-based organization. And this organization is also leading the EU funded project sparse, supporting and promoting arts and rural settlements of Europe. Hello, Ralph. And my first question to you would be, please share with us some of your insights and experiences and knowledge on how does rural touring and specifically the touring models developed in your project inspire environmentally sustainable practices? Yeah, thanks, Eleanor. And also, as with the others, congratulations on the project. I think it's going to be a very interesting experiment. Rural touring, for those that don't know, brings professional performing arts companies into rural areas. And it's achieved by working with rural communities. And importantly, there is no compromise over the artistic quality of the experience. Sparse is a three-year creative Europe funded project and it uses existing rural touring models in the UK and also in Sweden as the basis for creating new networks in Estonia, Italy, Lithuania and Romania. We recently increased the network and it also has partners now in Sweden, Norway, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain and Poland. So to answer your question, the beauty of rural touring is that it brings the artists to the audience rather than asking the audience to travel in their cars, their vehicles to the nearest theater in a town or city in their own region. In the UK, Julius Byskel, an organisation who advises the Arts Council of England on the environmental matters, they undertook a rural touring carbon assessment analysis. It showed that the rural touring model reduces emissions by a third. In relation to artists and audience travel, when compared with a single show at a town-based theatre. In addition, our sparse evaluation has showed that nearly 50% of our audience lives less than five kilometres from the village hall. People often walk to the performance and I've experienced one winter in the UK where because of the snow, the roads were completely blocked and the whole audience walked to the village hall. I saw them coming down the road. It was a really, really beautiful experience. In addition, linking rural touring agencies together can optimise touring opportunities. Collaboration between seven agencies in the south-west of England enabled a tour by a Spanish circus company in the spring of 2019. And that resulted in 11 performances, several workshops in 11 rural venues over two and a half weeks. The company drove to England, they brought all their equipment and they stayed in local accommodation and they were also able to enjoy the beautiful countryside in which they were touring. Yes, I had to unmute myself. Yeah, thank you for that. And what about social aspects? What could you say about rural touring and the social sustainability? Yeah, well, it was also very interesting hearing some of the speakers talk at the plenary session because the social and community aspects of our work is integral and central to the work that we do. So there are two key aspects of rural touring. One is the role of a local volunteer village promoter. And secondly, the fact that it's the village that chooses the show that they're going to present rather than be told what the show is going to be. The local promoter is not a professional programmer and they live in their local community and they know their local audience and they'll often work with a group in the village to make the necessary arrangements to sell tickets and to host a company. As I say, the village has a range of shows that they can choose from and this element of choice results in a sense of local ownership around the staging of the performance and the desire for its success. The performance itself is a social event for the community as much as it is a cultural event. There's a lack of stigma for those who are less confident or intimidated by the thought of going to a theater. They're more comfortable in the surrounds of a familiar village space. And the show is an opportunity to meet friends and neighbors and enjoy a convivial atmosphere. In the SPARS evaluation, we also found that audience feedback was very strong in the fact that they felt very connected to each other and it's very common for food and drink to play a part in the event. The intimacy created by the artist performing so close to the audience creates a real sense of cultural exchange and artists experiencing this love for this connection. And I can't overestimate how unique and how important this is. Quite often the performer will maybe be only two or three meters from the first round of the audience. Rural promoter feedback conveys a great sense of pride in organizing a successful event. They're memorable and they provide a talking point long after the show's over. Feedback also shows a sense of validation experienced by the village community. An appreciation that professional artists are willing and enthusiastic to travel and perform in their village hall. This all helps to bring, to build stronger social connections in village communities and also across a region where several rural promoters can meet and support each other. Although 40% of the European population lives in rural areas, something like 10% of available cultural investment is directed into rural areas. This imbalance in the distribution of resources for the arts impacts on the ongoing sustainability, visibility and accessibility of the arts in rural areas. I want to finish with two quotes, one from a Lithuanian promoter and one from a dance company. The quote from the Lithuanian promoter, they said, my main task is to arrange the venue and to invite the audience. I always feel infinite responsibility and anxiety, but after all goes well, the stone rolls from my heart and I feel immense satisfaction. When Soko dance theater performed, people were so touched they even cried. It's a real joy to be able to show it, to orderly people and to see the viewer and the whole community grow together and to be united. And from the dance company, from an artist's perspective, rural touring is a wonderful way to tour dance to new audiences who appreciate the work in a genuine and an unreserved way. What is the point in touring dance only for dance people? Rural touring opens up a new world of audiences and we're incredibly grateful and overwhelmed to have been offered this experience. So I'll put a couple of links to a couple of websites in the chat box as well. Thank you. Thank you very much, Alfie. And thanks to all speakers, I hope it was dynamic and everyone got quite some inspiration about various topics relevant to perform Europe and I believe to all of us and Catherine, here you are. Yeah. Thanks, Elena, wow, everyone. I think it's so clear that there are so many considerations, reflections. Oh, don't put away Elena next to me. Keep her with me. I need to talk to her. Studies that were mentioned, thinking, knowledge, questions that were put on the table. And I guess it's really high time now to put our heads together in this little group, our breakout groups that we are going to have now and start discussing. But before that, it's time to say goodbye to those ones that are following us on the live stream. It's not just a goodbye, but let me tell you that it was an impossible exercise, an impossible exercise we had to do to bring the number of these now little breakout groups to down to 80 participants. And we tried, of course, in a hard exercise to consider the balance in terms of sectors, presenters, producers, artists, countries, male, female. I mean, live up to our own values, backgrounds, interests, motivations that you put down and live up to our own values that we want to live and experience with perform Europe. And since it was such an impossible exercise, we decided that we are going to repeat this workshop on the 18th of February, yet the time has yet to be defined, but we are not going to exclude, I hope anybody who would like to contribute to this very first part of our 18 months trajectory together. So having said that, we are now going to break out and we say goodbye to the live stream audiences. We are going to break out now and we have around 50 minutes time to assemble each of us in an exercise that was shared with you beforehand by email, three wishes that we want to formulate when it comes to our idea of how the performing arts touring fund should look like. So we really go now down to the ground, we bring in our own professional backgrounds, our proposals that we can bring from the field and come back in plenary just before the ending to conclude together.