More
people than ever before are watching and learning dance. Shows like Strictly
Come Dancing, The X Factor and Gotta Dance have helped TV audiences see a range
of different styles and possibilities and GCSE Dance has experienced a huge
increase in popularity in recent years.
Yet stereotypes still persist - many parents happily
send their little girls to ballet classes, but their sons to football, without
even considering dance. It could be the pink uniforms that put them off, but
there are lots of different kinds of dance out there and ballet or street dance
are not the only options! Many children love the competitive aspect of sports,
but not all are good at it and it may only take one negative experience for a
child to decide they are useless at sport and spend the rest of their school
days trying to opt out. For these children especially, dance is a useful
alternative.
We all know that dance is a great way of keeping fit and
that’s something the nation really needs to work at, but dance is also an
excellent way to develop the mind. Spatial awareness, memory and teamwork are
all essential parts of a dance class and the good news is that any weaknesses
in these areas can be improved through dance! Starting early may seem
ludicrous, but even children as young as eighteen months can benefit. Toddlers
often love to copy movement and will readily respond physically to music. Aside
from the dance moves, at a dance class they learn to listen and respond to instructions,
to share with other children and take turns, to observe closely and copy - all
skills they will need as they start school and go through life.
Sir Ken Robinson, writer and lecturer in arts in
education believes that schools can stifle children’s natural creativity. "All
children start their school careers with sparkling imaginations, fertile minds,
and a willingness to take risks," he says. But he believes most
of them never get to use their full range of abilities and interests, as the
school system is so strongly focused on learning to pass exams.
Dance classes that allow for creativity are surprisingly
hard to find. Many children love to make up their own dances and classes that
let them explore their own style of moving help to develop their confidence and
creative thinking abilities. Perhaps because of the school system, as parents
we are often product led, pushing our children to achieve results in everything
they do, whether it’s maths, swimming, karate or music. So taking time out for a
child to explore a creative process without a particular end goal may seem
counter productive.
Ballet is a beautiful art form and a highly effective
way of toning the body. However, techniques like ballet or gymnastics are often
self-selecting - the children who stick at them tend to be those whose bodies
are naturally suited to the style and who are good at following instructions,
consequently they do best in exams or assessments. Those who don’t ‘fit the
mould’ tend to give up by the age of seven or eight and may even decide they
are no good at dance, yet they have probably only experienced one style.
Styles like contemporary dance are anti-competitive,
allowing kids to be kids, rather than mini adults before they are ready. The
style is inclusive too - contemporary uses dance technique in a healthy way,
not pushing bodies into unnatural positions and allows anyone to take part and
gradually develop their ability. Contemporary is a relatively new dance style
(only a hundred years old!) and is constantly evolving. Because of this, there
are as yet no contemporary dance examinations and many teachers use a mix of
contemporary styles, rather than one specific technique.
Contemporary dance evolved from ballet, when dancers
like Isadora Duncan kicked their shoes off and started to bend the rules! The
style was developed by many dancers over the last century, famously Martha
Graham and Merce Cunningham who devised their own techniques, still used today
and modern choreographers continue to push the boundaries, demanding ever more
from the professional dancer’s body.
As contemporary technique has evolved, a creative
methodology of teaching dance to children has also developed, in which there is
no absolute ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, but instead infinite possibilities to explore
the body’s natural movement through a creative approach to a theme or stimulus.
Most children who attend dance, music or drama classes
probably won’t grow up to be professional performing artists, any more than the
majority of the school football team will end up as celebrity footballers.
Often children are more open-minded than their parents, who need to readjust
their expectations in order for their children to try something less
‘traditional’. Surely the experience of being part of a team and learning to
think creatively, without the pressure of yet more exams, whilst having fun,
keeping fit and learning to workout healthily are outcomes most parents would
wish for their children? The world is changing rapidly and our children need to
be ready to cope with it! As Sir Ken Robinson says, "in times of economic
crisis, we need to think more creatively than ever."
Kidsdance’s creative contemporary
dance classes now take place
in Brighton and Hove
For further details please call
Lucy Nelson, RAD RTS
07817 398 215 or
email lucynelson.dance@hotmail.co.uk
www.kidsdancegroup.co.uk 
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