Dance Links launches

After a year of consultation and development Dance Links is poised to give an exciting opportunity for anyone working in dance to establish long term partnerships with schools in their geographic area.

In case you haven’t heard Dance Links - A guide to delivering high quality dance for children and young people, was published in November 2005. This document comes out of the PE, School Sport Club Links (PESSCL) strategy published in 2003 jointly by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, (DCMS) in Learning through PE and Sport. It focuses on how dance can contribute to meeting the challenge set by the Government of improving

… the take up of sporting opportunities by 5–16 year olds by increasing the percentage of school children in England who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum from 25% in 2002 to 75% by 2006 and to 85% by 2008…

The Dance Links document addresses this target by helping schools identify high quality dance provision and supporting effective access to such provision for children and young people within and beyond the school curriculum. The document also seeks to establish a shared language between professionals working in schools (particularly, specialist sports colleges) and the out-of-school dance providers involved with developing and delivering activities in those schools. Two different ways of achieving this have been identified:

A. Schools work through formal partnerships with out-of-school dance providers to enhance opportunities in dance for children and young people within the curriculum. Examples of this type of link include, dance clubs before school, during lunchtimes or after school, short-term dance projects leading to performances in school or for a wider public.

B. Schools signpost and support individual or groups of children and young people to access dance opportunities provided in the wider community. Examples of this type of link include performance groups, or weekly classes offered by out-of-school dance providers.

The next stage of this exciting initiative will take place over a two year period (until 2008). The aim is to significantly increase the number of children and young people participating in dance beyond the curriculum, and to enhance the choice and quality of their experience in order to increase the likelihood of their maintaining life-long participation in dance. Youth Dance England, in consultation with the NDTA, will deliver this next stage through nine youth dance co-ordinators, each based in one of the nine arts council regions of England. Their role will include responsibility to support and document the development of school-club links in dance.

Lucy Underwood, Dance School owner and ISRM member commented as follows:

"As a dance organization who has worked hard to forge strong links with local schools it is warming to read about the Dance Links initiative.
We have seen, first hand, the results that can be achieved if dance organisations and providers can work closely with schools in their area.

We applaud any initiative that openly promotes such relationships to provide children with a greater and more diverse choice of dance provision. We see this as a major step forward towards encouraging more youngsters to become involved in regular physical recreational activities beyond the school curriculum. The Dance Links initiative has our full support and we will be doing everything we can in the coming months to ensure we become actively involved with what we believe to be a fantastic opportunity to promote our sport for the long-term good of the nation's health"

If you want to know more about this exciting opportunity then contact info@yde.org.uk and they will put you in touch with the nearest regional youth dance co-ordinator. Copies of Dance Links - A guide to delivering high quality dance for children and young people, can be accessed through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) website: www.culture.gov.uk/global/publications/archive 2005/dance links.htm or by ordering copies from DfES Publications dfes@prolog.uk.com

eNews issue 58