Dance 493

From our guest editor

An introduction to this 'ISTD people' issue of Dance magazine from Society Trustee Tom Hobden

Tom Hobden, ISTD Trustee

For me, dance is about people, who they are, how they move and how they can move others. Dance is the car journeys to class and competitions, the day after day of practice and perfecting, the lasting friendships made in the studio, the excitement of families at performance, the journeys from student to nurturing teacher and being part of a community that creates conversations worldwide.

Dance is about local venues, different people and an endless mix of movement styles coming together. It’s the chance to learn who you are and how you like to move, and the perfect opportunity to meet others and share in your passion. It’s the humanity that surrounds dance that makes it a perfect social art form.

Dance’s implicit links to community as well as healthy bodies and minds makes it ideal for recovery in a post pandemic world. Quite simply, dance brings joy in the darkest of times. It seems to me that the dances we so carefully learn are the glue between people and every rich, diverse and passionate person makes up the ‘wholeness’ of dance.

Without the careful guidance and encouragement of the teacher, it’s just another complicated movement. Acknowledge the person and their unique delivery and life experiences, and it becomes a wonderful dance moment the memory of which lasts a lifetime. The ISTD is an embodiment of this idea, a living, breathing ecology of students, teachers, performers and their loyal supporters, and also the starting point for our current edition.

When I joined the Society in my role as trustee I had been steadily meeting person after person, carefully listening to members, the 360-degree review feedback, and leaders within the organisation to build a complete picture of the ISTD’s identity.

I repeatedly heard the values of passion, diversity and energy, and was encouraged by the regular call to use dance as a tool to educate, inspire and lead us to a positive and stronger future. As an acknowledgement of the individual, this edition celebrates some of those people, highlights the ISTD’s growing diversity, shines a spotlight on new voices and hears from pioneers who paved the way.

We have pulled together powerful life stories and experiences at every stage and drawn out the differences and commonalities that make up our rich and diverse membership. The cyclical nature of a dancer first sees a curious student turn into a successful examinee, followed by challenging career, years of practice, the desire to give back and finally the development of dance, which inspires that next curious student. Happy reading!

Tom Hobden in his role as Mentor with the Royal Opera House's Chance to Dance project to improve access to dance

About Tom Hobden

Tom has a reputation as an energised, smiley dance motivator who has worked with a host of leading dance organisations including Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells, Royal Ballet School, New Adventures, Studio Wayne MacGregor, Ballet Boyz, Trinity Laban and Dance East. He is a choreographer, dancer, qualified educator, mentor, and awardwinning national leader in community dance practice. He holds a BA in performing arts, an MA in choreography, is a Clore graduate and Guildhall creative entrepreneur. He is known for his enthusiasm, breadth of knowledge and infectious ability to communicate dance to everyone.

For me, dance is about people, who they are, how they move and how they can move others.