To dance is a pure form of expression which overrides all barriers of communication. There is a light in the dancer’s eyes, no matter their age, which reflects the unadulterated joy and freedom that washes over them. Anyone who has had the privilege to experience this knows that a true understanding of ‘self’ comes into play. In that moment you know exactly who you are and where you are meant to be; there, dancing.
The Arts have always had this illusive, mystical quality which seems to transform a human into a humanitarian. So, it is strange and unnerving that our current Government and curriculum seem to devalue the Arts in their statements and policies. During lockdown, there was understandable outrage when it was suggested that artists should retrain in professions such as cyber technology.
A group of researchers has recently sought to highlight the importance of the Arts to Government to ensure that these are valued in the curriculum. This research acts as a sort of intervention, ‘narrowing the gap’ between government policy-makers and experienced practitioners at the front line of providing an education to young minds.
The Creative Writing through the Arts project is supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Teaching School Alliances in Essex and the Royal Opera House Bridge, with research led by Anglia Ruskin University. They ask the simple question, ‘Can more arts and creativity in primary schools improve children’s writing?’ For those of us working with children, the answer is simple.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I had the privilege of experiencing my first ballet in the front stalls as a three-year-old. In this particular production of Sleeping Beauty, Anthony Dowell played the part of the evil fairy, a male dancer who created a creature of the night. However, his entrance on a low-wheeled chariot, which appeared to be heading for the audience, terrified me and I ended up watching the remainder of the performance on a screen in the foyer with my poor mother.
While Sleeping Beauty may have been an ambitious choice for my first ballet, it was fortunately not my last. Productions of the Tales of Beatrix Potterand La Fille Mal Gardée, both simple stories without evil fairies, ensured that my mother and I could finish the story from the comfort of the stalls.
IN THE CLASSROOM
As an adult and a teacher, I have tried to share this experience of ballet with my pupils whenever possible. Their engagement is almost guaranteed if I choose a ballet with a plot line, reading the story to them first in order to develop their understanding and help them start to ‘read’ the dance. If they have the opportunity to learn or improvise particular characters’ choreography before watching, better still.
The Royal Opera House offers school matinées for £7.50 a ticket with the possibility of a travel grant, and most ballets can be found online, so it is an experience which all children can benefit from.
One of my favourite ballets to share with EYFS children is The Nutcracker. Once a day between 1 December and the end of autumn term, we open a story advent calendar, read that day’s entry and then watch that part of the ballet online.
La Fille Mal Gardéeballet is great for spring time or a farm topic due to its setting; the story is easy to follow and the ‘chicken dance’ is always well received and easily mimicked. Tales of Beatrix Potter I have found is great for the summer term and, due to the modernised Peter Rabbit stories that have come out on film, is very popular with EYFS children. The fact that each character has their own ‘section’ in the ballet means it is easy to pause, if watching it in the classroom, and helps children develop a strong understanding of portraying different animals/characters through movement.
Once the magic is captured, a large area is marked out in the classroom (either with chalk or masking tape) and music is left on with several props close by. In this way, dance becomes part of the children’s continuous provision.
What the children create in this time and how they express themselves is truly beautiful. Some mimic the moves they have seen, twirling and jumping to the music. Others act out the story, which they perform with surprising accuracy. Some even design their own motions, demonstrating a musicality and an awareness of their own bodies that outshines their developmental stage.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
As practitioners we always strive to have high expectations of our children. Despite having had the objective drilled into us since our initial training, we still have those breath-taking moments where at least one child exceeds our expectations. Dance has an uncanny way of letting this happen.
I write this with a particular memory of a young boy in my class whose main goal was often to get through the day without hitting someone with a wooden block! He was not yet interested in mark-making, nor did he interact with storytelling. But as soon as the ballet started on the screen, he sat still and focused, utterly absorbed. Afterwards, he was able to retell the story in detail, explaining to the others the emotions of each dancer.
During continuous provision, he danced the entire time; re-enacting the ballet, performing brilliant leaps and bounds across his stage and keeping in time to the music. When he was not dancing, he was now mark-making; drawing the ballet and copying parts of the story from the advent calendar. It was a lesson that I will not soon forget.
INSPIRATION DAY
The importance of the project, which works to enhance children’s creative writing through the integration of writing in art, dance, drama, film and music, is poignantly illustrated by that child.
The project, which has been running for a few years now, facilitates continuing professional development for staff by providing an ‘inspiration day’; this is held at the beginning of each term so that creative practitioners are afforded time to implement what they have learned in their settings with support from visiting mentors.
Each year has produced positive reports which promote the mutual benefits for students, teachers and school (Davis G et al 2017, Luff P et al 2018).
Paulette Luff’s findings seem to mirror those found in my EYFS setting: ‘Students gain ideas and meaningful reasons for writing, write more and produce work of higher quality. With arts input that fires their imagination, children display originality in their work and incorporate an expanded range of all tiers of vocabulary…The children’s enthusiasm for the arts activities results in high motivation to write, including for boys. They engage with arts and writing processes, showing involvement and sustained attention.’
The research is conducted in primary schools from Reception to Year 6. However, one can also see a similar concept of dance supporting writing through the EYFS pre-writing scheme Write Dance by Ragnhild Oussoren.
INTEGRAL PART
As practitioners, we know the benefits of dance in the curriculum, the importance of giving the children time to find ways to express themselves through the Arts. We know it, we see it, and we feel it. And yet, somehow, there are still some who require further evidence that it should be an integral part of a child’s education.
Dance should not be a privilege or only for the privileged. Whether seeing professional performances live or pre-recorded, being given the time and space to dance should be part of the centre of any curriculum. We are not only creating dancers but a future society which has a highly empathetic nature, which I would argue can only truly be enhanced through the Arts.
By helping these little humans develop into reflective humanitarians, it in turn gives us, as practitioners, the motivation to continue in a job which, like the dancer, can take up your whole being.
To quote the inimitable William Shakespeare, ‘the world is but a stage’… so let’s play our part and dance!
MORE INFORMATION
Creative Writing through the Arts, https://creativewritingarts.org.uk
Write Dance, https://writedancetraining.com