Meg ‘steps up’ dance teaching regulation

The popularity of dance and the huge demand for dance lessons across the UK was recognised in Parliament today when Meg Hillier proposed a Ten Minute Rule Bill addressing dance teachers qualifications and regulation.

Every week hundreds of thousands of people enjoy dance classes in private dance schools, leisure centres, church halls, clubs and bars. Numbers of pupils taking dance at GCSE has also shot up by 125% between 2001 and 2005 and research shows 4.8 million people are involved in community dance. With the success of programmes like Strictly Come Dancing the demand for dance classes is set to continue growing rapidly, so moves to provide high quality, safe dance teaching available to all is more important than ever.

Meg Hillier’s bill proposes a set of teaching standards and models of good practice are established, appropriate to the wide variety of dance forms available in the UK. She puts forward that Government should work with the dance sector to ensure all teachers are appropriately trained and regulated, especially when teaching young people.

Meg said, “Many hundreds of people enjoy dance in Hackney. I am sure there are talented youngsters who could reach top levels of dance. Better qualified teachers can better recognise that talent.”

“It’s also important that all those who teach dance are aware of current child protection issues.”

The dance sector has welcomed Meg Hillier’s bill.

This bill relates to one of the four the key ambition of the Dance Manifesto which calls on Government to make ‘Dance an integral part of every young person’s education’. The Dance Manifesto was launched in July 2006 and was presented to David Lammy MP, Minister for Culture by dance stars Darcey Bussell, Arlene Phillips, Jonzi D.

For more information on dance, this bill and the Dance Manifesto go to Dance UK