3 minute read
From our guest editor
An introduction to this 'looking to the future' issue of Dance magazine from Society Chief Executive, Ginny Brown
Ginny Brown ISTD Chief Executive
As we grapple with the new Omicron Covid variant, I imagine that we are all wondering what the future holds. Will theatres and dance companies survive? Will students want to return to their dance classes, or have we lost them to an online existence? And how will we all recover from the very many challenges and urgent priorities of the past two years? This edition answers some of these questions with brilliant examples of student and teacher adaptability, including European dancers moving outside their usual theatre spaces (page 30) and student teachers sharing their experiences of equity, diversity and inclusion in the ballet studio (page 48).
These questions have naturally also occupied us at the ISTD and you can read how we used learning from the strategic review to plan a bright future for us all on page 10. Whilst the outlook remains uncertain, I have no doubt that dance will continue to play an important part. The commitment and passion of our members again shines through this edition and the importance of dance was clearly articulated in our symposium on the Future of Cultural Education, which you can read about on page 6.
The last two years have amply demonstrated the importance of being connected to the wider dance and education ecology. In our interview on page 16 Patrick McGeough describes his own personal motivation to lead Para Dance UK in working tirelessly to broaden access to dance. And the UK’s first Professor of Dance Education, Dr Angela Pickard, looks to the future of cultural education on page 14. One of the unexpected upsides of the pandemic has been the way geographic barriers have been swept away by online interaction, as Jess Walker reports on page 32. And it is inspiring to read about how restrictions have been turned to advantage, enabling African dance to be shared with English primary school children 13,500 miles away (page 60). These are just a couple of examples of how the world in 2021 changed in ways we could never have imagined back in 2019. It has been a pleasure to showcase so many different perspectives and future views from our faculties, members, students and professional connections.
Students of DDE student Annalisa Pastorino, using open spaces to dance in Cumiana, near Turin, Italy
As we evolve to meet the challenges, and the opportunities, of the post-pandemic world we look forward to this new year and beyond – celebrating the centenary of the Cecchetti Society (page 36), returning to ‘live’ events and competitions such as our new Medallist Tournament (page 52) and the prospect of breakdancing becoming an Olympic sport in 2024 (page 28). To help guide us towards the future, I am delighted to welcome our new Chair, Michael Elliott, on page 8.
Para Dance UK dancers
