Everyone must be aware of the BBC’s present problems and embarrassments but for our world of dance the most disquieting news is that Ross McGibbon is giving up his role as executive producer dance in September and there is, as we write, no news of an appointment to replace him. Should this be so, and we appreciate that he will be a hard act to follow and the authorities will not wish to rush decisions, it could mean that for the first time in the history of BBC Television, ever since the early days before World War II, from 1936, and those programmes made at Alexandra Palace, there may be no producer/director with specialist knowledge of dance. Once again, it would seem the art form may be sidelined. Dance UK is taking up the matter strongly and the more vociferous protests that can be made the better. Dance as an art form has had a raw deal from the BBC for a number of years, yet at Christmas and quite recently enthusiasm for Ross McGibbon’s productions, on Darcey Bussell and of the final triple bill of The Royal Ballet’s season, have confirmed there is a demand for good quality productions. Missing too are the brief but enticing appearances of star dancers, such as Alicia Markova, on variety and music programmes, which could catch the interest of viewers who had no special awareness of dance. And there were educational programmes about ballet, directed by such people as Felicity Gray and Philip Bate, to say nothing of special adaptations of the classics in the time of Margaret Dale, with willing collaboration by Nadia Nerina among others. The record on documentaries has been better, with John Drummond’s programmes about Diaghilev and his dancers an outstanding example. If no new executive producer dance is appointed it will but reflect the decline of concern for dance as an art form that has marked the BBC’s attitude for years. In The Encyclopedia of Dance and Ballet published by Pitman in 1977, some figures from the World Radio and TV Handbook 1976 are quoted: “out of 8,000 hours’ transmission on [then] two channels, 1,101 were devoted to sport, 482 to drama, 137 to music. Dance, as dance, is not listed.” It would be alarming if this state of imbalance should arise again. It is concern for classical and contemporary dance that is important. Strictly Come Dancing has done wonders for social dance; theatre and performance dance deserves similar recognition.