Mayor adds Dance Unit to the London Curriculum, with backing of internationally renowned choreographer and leading dance organisations
Schools in all 33 London boroughs to benefit from access to 27,000 dance opportunities including theatre visits, dance classes and meeting top choreographers
Produced by leading dance organisation Sadler's Wells with the Pan-London Dance Partnership of 30 leading organisations
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson today announced a major new initiative that will see thousands of London schoolchildren being given the chance to participate in and learn about dance. Backed by award-winning choreographer Wayne McGregor and leading dance organisations, the Mayor is introducing a brand new module that focuses on dance as part of the London Curriculum, which will give schools in all 33 boroughs unprecedented access to 27,000 opportunities to experience one of the capital's most exciting and creative sectors. Developed in partnership with leading dance organisation Sadler's Wells, the ground-breaking Dance Unit is aimed at Key Stage 3 pupils aged 11-14. Schools signed up to the London Curriculum will be able to work with the Pan-London Dance Partnership, representing and connecting them with 30 organisations, including Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, English National Ballet, East London Dance, Greenwich Dance, Rambert, Royal Ballet, Siobhan Davies Dance, The Place, Trinity Laban and Youth Dance England. These world-leading dance organisations and companies will be offering performances and dance workshops with talented artists and choreographers, as well as welcoming pupils to a variety of theatres and venues, including the Royal Opera House, Sadler's Wells, Stratford Circus, artsdepot and Rich Mix. A range of free resources and workshops are also available to support dance education in the classroom. This includes teachers being given practical guidance to teach pupils five dance styles as well as giving them tips on how to engage pupils in other parts of the curriculum. The aim is to inspire pupils to explore London's culture and heritage through street, African, ballet, contemporary and South-Asian dance traditions. In addition, 'TeachMeet' networking events offer teachers the opportunity to share ideas and best practice. The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'London is the dance capital of the world, with a thriving and extremely diverse dance scene and more higher education institutes for performing arts than any other city in the world. Our hugely successful Big Dance festival is testament to Londoners' enthusiasm for this popular art form, getting millions involved for the best part of the last decade. As well as helping young people to become more active and confident, the new dance unit provides a wonderful platform for students to learn about the people, places and events that have not only shaped our city, but also had an impact on the world stage and that is what The London Curriculum is all about.' Wayne McGregor CBE said: 'Opening up opportunities for children to learn about dance is incredibly important in education as it nurtures creativity, helps with self-expression and boosts confidence and self-esteem. Dance inspires young people to work in the creative industries. People who study dance become more focused, motivated and disciplined and it's fantastic to see London leading the way in making sure that opportunities to take part in dance are open to everybody from all backgrounds, especially schoolchildren.' Alistair Spalding CBE, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Sadler's Wells said: ‘Among today’s children and young people is the next generation of performers, choreographers, teachers and audiences for dance. Nurturing as wide a pool of talent as possible must be a key priority and is an aim that is very close to our heart at Sadler’s Wells. We welcome 6,600 school pupils each year to our performances at our main house and at The Peacock. It's vital that, collectively, we connect more young Londoners to the fantastic range of performances, workshops and training opportunities in the capital. The new dance unit as part of the London Curriculum is a great way to inspire pupils and help them explore a wealth of dance opportunities.’ Joyce Wilson, Area Director, London, Arts Council England, said: “The arts are an integral part of a truly balanced curriculum and the creation of the new London Curriculum Dance Unit is a welcome step. It is a significant development for both dance and more broadly, education, demonstrating the commitment of the 33 London boroughs to embrace the arts, in this instance dance, in education. The development of the London Curriculum will support our own plans around cultural provision for every child and young person in England, which is designed to grow and retain the talent that fuels our creative industries, and to unlock the creative potential in every young person in England.” Headteacher, Jamie Brownhill from Central Foundation Boys' School said: ‘Through working with professional artists from Sadler's Wells and Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, dance has had a huge impact on our schools, helping our pupils to become more focused and confident. This new dance unit will really help teachers to open the world of dance to young people and I would encourage as many schools as possible to take part.’ The Mayor introduced the London Curriculum in 2013 as part of his commitment to driving up standards in education and raising attainment for London's schoolchildren, regardless of their background and where they live. The London Curriculum, which already includes English, art, music, geography and history, helps pupils to experience and learn from the capital's rich variety of cultural assets and historical treasures. In addition to dance, another module is being launched, which focuses on science. ENDS Notes to editors 1. The Mayor is committed to driving up standards in education and raising attainment for London's schoolchildren, regardless of background and where they live. The London Curriculum is one of several initiatives that have been introduced following recommendations that came out of his education inquiry last year. Now comprising 15 modules, covering dance, English, art, music, geography and history, the London Curriculum uses the city to bring to life the new key stage 3 National Curriculum in an exciting and innovative way. More units will be brought to schools across London next year including languages, Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), citizenship and Religious Education. 2. Multiple award winning choreographer Wayne McGregor has over 20 years' experience in developing dance for young people with a track record of helping over 95,000 participants to take part in dance education across the UK and internationally. Wayne has created ground breaking educational materials like Mind and Movement which builds on over a decade of collaborative research with cognitive scientists and encourages schools to use dance across the national curriculum. 3. Sadler's Wells is a world leader in contemporary dance, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its international award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour the world. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 appointed world class Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company, including Sylvie Guillem, Akram Khan, Hofesh Shechter, Crystal Pite, Jasmin Vardimon, Russell Maliphant, Wayne McGregor, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures and ZooNation, and nurtures the next generation of talent through hosting the National Youth Dance Company, its Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates. Located in Islington in north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 9% of its revenue from Arts Council England. 4. Big Dance – largest dance festival in the world led by the Mayor of London in partnership with People Dancing and a network of Big Dance Hubs. The next Big Dance takes place from 2-10 July 2016. www.bigdance.org.uk
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