Dance Ireland is dedicated to lobbying and liaising with Government departments and the Arts Council on various issues of importance to the dance community.

From the mid 1990s APDI began lobbying for a dance centre. APDI was instrumental in leading the campaign for the creation of a dedicated centre for dance in Dublin, following the allocation in 1997 of an award of £1,000,000 (€1,127,000) to the idea by the Arts Council. This initial award is the single largest capital award made by the Arts Council, and led to the eventual construction of DanceHouse, as part of the Liberty Corner complex, a joint venture between the Arts Council, Dublin City Council, McCabe Builders and APDI. DanceHouse opened in December 2006, with Dance Ireland as the anchor tenant, having successfully tendered for the management of the venue.

Other notable successful campaigns, arising from APDI lobbying include the establishment of an international dance festival. In 1997 APDI hosted a forum, calling for an annual dance festival, and consistently promoted the idea. The first International Dance Festival Ireland was inaugurated on a bi-annual basis in 2000, and from 2008 IDFI becomes an annual event.

Recent campaigns have included the development of a national centre for dance, the establishment of an International Dance Festival and choreographers’ eligibility for Aosdána, all with successful outcomes.

Current areas of focus include vocational dance education provision, and the extension of the Artists Tax Exemption scheme to include choreographic work.