Understanding the value of dance in nurturing young people’s creativity
Nicola Dominy, Head of Dance at Hurst College, tells Fine Sussex how dance also helps to promote physical wellbeing and provide insight into the wider world “Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music,” Frederick Nietzsche
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n modern Western culture it is perhaps true that for the majority of people the art of dance does not necessarily form a fundamental part of their daily experience. For those who are more estranged from this most ancient of human practices it is easy to believe how the role and importance of dance in our society is often regarded as irrelevant, elitist or frivolous. However, in the words of Sir Ken Robinson, British author, speaker and international advisor on education in the arts to government: “dance is not some esoteric, purely professional activity, it is deep in the
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heart of human culture. Dance is a feature of every culture everywhere throughout history; it covers multiple genres, multiple styles, it’s constantly evolving, it’s constantly digging deep into its roots and traditions, it’s professional, it’s recreational, it’s sacred, it covers every form of social purpose,” (Robinson, The Cohan Lecture, 2016). To dismiss the importance of dance therefore is to dismiss what it means to be human. Understanding its value in nurturing young people’s creativity, promoting mental and physical wellbeing and providing insight into the wider world, Hurst College offers
dance as a compulsory subject in Year 9. Both boys and girls, regardless of previous experience, participate in one lesson per fortnight throughout the academic year with the option of furthering their experience by undertaking GCSE or A-level, the former of which has a majority cohort of boys. Initially, some Year 9s arrive already familiar with the studio environment whilst others may never have danced before. Some already possess a love and passion for dance whilst others may harbour prejudices and anxieties about feeling vulnerable and exposed. By the end of the year however, regardless
