Written evidence submitted by One Dance UK

 

Executive Summary

 

  1. One Dance UK welcomes the opportunity to inform the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s inquiry on the social impact of participation in culture and sport.

 

  1. The main points made in this written submission address participation in culture (specifically dance) only, and are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction – One Dance UK and the UK Dance Sector

 

  1. One Dance UK is the main industry body, and the only Sector Support Organisation for dance. It has over 2,000 members, including dance teachers, youth dance leaders, students, professional dancers and choreographers, producers, managers, dance marketing professionals and publicists and other people working in and with dance. Our member organisations include schools, university dance departments, private dance schools, dance companies, vocational dance schools, dance organisations and theatres. We provide a “one-stop-shop” for advice and guidance, training and support for anyone working in or interested in dance.

 

  1. We represent our members’ interests across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and collaborate with European partners and artists.

 

  1. One Dance UK was formed on 1 April 2016 from an innovative merger between four specialist dance charities: Association of Dance of the African Diaspora (ADAD), Dance UK, National Dance Teachers Association (NDTA) and Youth Dance England (YDE), with support from Arts Council England, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. There is interest internationally from other arts organisations who want to learn from the One Dance UK merger and consider similar business models.

 

  1. Together the merger partners that formed One Dance UK have over 100 years history championing youth dance, dance teachers in education, dancers’ health, professional artists and company support, and developing dance artists and profile for Dance of the African diaspora.

 

  1. One Dance UK is funded by Arts Council England, as well as income from members and membership services and through generous donations and sponsorships by individuals, corporations, trusts and foundations.

 

  1. One Dance UK is the main advocacy body for dance, provides the Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Dance Group and is also the Subject Association for Dance in Schools.

 

  1. One Dance UK’s achievements include key securing dance in the national curriculum; delivering U.Dance the annual festival celebrating youth dance companies from across the nation; training 40 exceptional future leaders working in dance of the African diaspora to help increase diversity in dance leadership; and opening free NHS dancers injury clinics in London, Birmingham and Bath which have helped over 500 dancers since 2012.

 

  1. Dance has never been so popular in the UK. The Government’s ‘Taking Part’ survey[1] found that 76.1 per cent of adults had engaged in the arts in the last year, 8.4 per cent of which took part in dance. Big Dance 2012, was the largest UK-wide dance programme ever, involving 5 million people[2]. Over 10 million people[3] watched the launch night of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing 2016, said to be the biggest audience yet for a series debut.

 

  1. Dance has the power to unite and transform lives. One Dance UK works tirelessly to champion dance as a great UK art form at home and abroad, increasing awareness of its reach, power and importance, and promoting and celebrating the unique role that dance fulfils in education, health and wellbeing, community cohesion and diversity.

 

  1. One Dance UK in partnership with People Dancing have established a Dance in Health and Wellbeing programme that aims to strengthen the role that dance plays in improving health and wellbeing in the UK. It aims to better support dance artists, teachers and organisations to make dance and its health, social and creative benefits more accessible and inclusive, including reducing health inequalities and tackling physical inactivity. To do this the partnership will build stronger strategic relationships with the health and wellbeing sector, advocating the diverse benefits of dance, and strengthening the evidence and knowledge base through research and resources.

 

  1. Our vision for this programme of work is to address health inequalities and support the dance sector to get more people active through dance, and in particular improve the health and wellbeing of disadvantaged communities.

 

Inquiry Themes

 

1.     social mobility, 

2.     health, 

3.     crime reduction, 

4.     education, 

5.     community engagement and diversity

 

Inquiry Terms of Reference

 

A.     Which programmes best demonstrate the positive social impact that participating in sport and culture can have on the five central themes of this inquiry?

B.    How can access to cultural and sporting professions be improved to enable greater diversity? How can the Government build a pipeline of talent?

C.     Why has the Government not co-ordinated its efforts more effectively? 

D.     Where are the examples of departmental best practice and how could it be shared?

E.     Has the sport sector been better for social mobility than the arts? If so, why?

F.      How can museums, galleries and other cultural venues boost access and social impact? 

 

Evidence of social impact of Dance

 

  1. (A1/3) Cre8ting Change – a programme which combined dance and sporting activities to motivate and inspire young met at risk of offending to make positive decisions about their lives. More information here: http://www.onedanceuk.org/cre8ting-change-lives-young-men-dance-fitness/ (Thematic Link: Social Mobility/Crime Reduction)

 

  1. (A1/3) Dance United Yorkshire – an organisation that provides evidence-based intensive dance programmes for vulnerable people, those at-risk and excluded. They seek to help people pursue their goals whether that is to return to school or find employment. http://www.duy.org.uk/how-we-work  (Thematic Link: Social Mobility/Crime Reduction)

 

  1. (A2/5) Dancing in Time - a contemporary dance programme delivered by Yorkshire Dance for older adults from disadvantaged communities. Research shows evidence of dance preventing falls, improving balance and mobility, as well as reduced levels of depression and reduced social isolation in older women.

https://yorkshiredance.com/project/dancing-in-time/ (Thematic Link: Health/Community engagement and diversity)

 

  1. (A2) Dance for Parkinsons – a programme delivered by People Dancing to support people living with Parkinson’s through dance which builds confidence and strength and provides the opportunity for creativity, temporarily relieving some participants of symptoms in everyday life. https://www.communitydance.org.uk/developing-participation/dance-for-parkinsons

(Thematic Link: Health)

 

  1. (A2/5) Dance Well Project – Akademi delivers dance workshops based on South Asian dance forms to older adults and those living with dementia. Feedback collated from this project has demonstrated that social engagement and creativity enhance levels of adherence to the programme and improve components of physical fitness as well as mental health. Akademi also deliver performances and participatory work in hospital atriums and older peoples' and paediatric wards.

https://akademi.co.uk/learning-and-participation/dance-well

(Thematic Link: Health/Community engagement and diversity)

 

  1. (A1/2/3/4/5) Dance Action Zone Leeds (DAZL) – delivers dance activities to improve the health and wellbeing of young people and their families across Leeds. They target their activity in areas of deprivation and engage in excess of 4,000 young people a year. http://www.dazl.org.uk (Thematic Link: Social mobility, Health, Crime reduction, Education, Community engagement and diversity)

 

 

Recommendations for Action

 

  1. (B4) In order to improve access to cultural professions, we firmly believe that there needs to be much better provision of improved careers guidance and a wider acknowledgement of the breadth of professions within the arts and cultural sectors. We regularly hear of young people being steered anyway from creative subjects in school because the careers guidance is poor and uninformed. There is a perception that creative and artistic subjects are of lesser value and therefore fewer young people are encouraged to take them.

 

  1. (B5) Those who are not able to pay for extra-curricular cultural activities such as dance classes, drama clubs etc, are increasingly unable to access these areas of practice in school and therefore we are seeing a growing divide between those that can afford to pursue these activities and those that cannot. This poses a huge problem for a fair and diverse talent pipeline, and we urge the Government to ensure there is access to provision for all children and young people regardless of their socio-economic background.

 

  1. (B5) Those children who do not have parents who can afford to pay for access to extra-curricular activities, may only have the opportunity to find out if they are interested or talented in a particular activity if they are able to access it in school. It is therefore essential that all children have access to a broad curriculum including cultural and sporting opportunities.

 

  1. (B4) There has been a decline in GCSE entries for dance and other creative subjects⁴. We are keen to work with Government to address this, providing information, support and resources for both teachers and governors of schools.

 

  1. (B4) The Government’s new T-Levels may be a positive step forward in Post 16 education, but currently the Occupational Maps (which underpin the T-Level options) do not include the Performing Arts (or Dance). We have responded separately to a DfE Consultation on this. Post 16 Education, including BTECs, currently provides a useful pathway for young people to proceed into Higher Education, further vocational training and professional practice. Over 34,000 young people took BTEC Performing Arts in 2015, so these young people need to be provided with a strong Post-16 pathway when the reforms are fully rolled-out.

 

  1. (C4) We believe the fact that dance (and sports) sit across both DfE and DCMS further complicates the issues outlined above, with the added challenge for dance that DfE classify dance as part of the PE & Sport Curriculum and therefore there isn’t any joined up thinking between the ‘arts’ subjects and dance as an art form as well as a physical activity.

 

  1. (D4) We welcome the fact that DCMS and DfE are working together to research the Curriculum Fund which is due to go live in autumn 2018, as they acknowledge that this links cultural institutions (DCMS) with the Curriculum and Teacher Workload (DfE).

 

  1. (E2) Tackling inactivity is a major public health issue that Dance can effectively contribute to while also improving mental wellbeing and reducing social isolation. The Government Sporting Future strategy defines physical activity as sports, dance, walking and cycling and dance clearly has a major part to play. Sport England currently has responsibility for delivering on the physical activity agenda and this means that dance sits within their remit. Ensuring that dance is fully embedded in both the arts and sports/physical activity work is crucial given its ability to meet multiple health and social outcomes and engage women who are more at risk of inactivity. This will also help to address gender inequalities, as dance is proven to be more effective at engaging women and girls.

 

⁴ Stats for GCSE Dance Entries: http://www.onedanceuk.org/gcse-dance-statistics/

Stats for all arts subjects: https://culturallearningalliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Patterns-in-GCSE-entries-2010-to-2017-England-only.pdf See also: Dance Education: a Guide for Governors and Trustees

Conclusion

 

  1. One Dance UK looks forward to playing our part in working with Government to create the conditions to effectively evidence and champion the social impact of culture, safeguard and wherever possible increase public and private investment arts and culture, which delivers excellent value return on investment, and to ensure we continue to create and support excellent dance that delivers on multiple outcomes, and is some of the most highly respected artistic work in the world.

 

 

February 2018

[1] Taking Part focus on: art forms, Statistical Release. DCMS. October 2016

[2] Big Dance 2012 Legacy

[3] Broadcasters' Audience Research Board viewing figures