SINCE hanging up her pointe shoes, Dame Darcey Bussell DBE has had one mission: to spread the joy of dance.
The 54 year old set up the charity Diverse Dance Mix (DDmix), with the primary goal of getting dance fitness classes on to the national PE curriculum.
Dame Darcey Bussell DBE has one mission: to spread the joy of dance
There are no pirouettes or pliés, though – the classes are about freedom and fun, involving music from Ireland to Bollywood.
“I wanted to create something entertaining, not competitive,” the former Strictly Come Dancing judge says. “Kids need a positive feeling about exercise to realise it’s not a chore.”
Parents know this all too well – stick some music on and kids will naturally move.
Darcey says that some headteachers told her the kids wouldn’t find it “cool”, especially the boys.
But the boys, Darcey says, are the first to go for it. “Kids come in, closed off, eyes on the ground. But when they leave the room after DDmix, they’ve got a different feeling about their bodies.”
It’s the same effect that Strictly has on the celebrities who take part.
“Strictly is the perfect example of people trying something new and having the most extraordinary feeling,” Darcey says. “They feel so accomplished, and we see that with kids, too.”
The NHS suggests there are five steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing: connecting with others, exercising, learning new skills, being kind to others and being in the present moment.
These are encompassed in a dance class, Darcey says, adding: “It’s a no-brainer.”
Here, she explains why dance could change your children’s lives…
It encourages kindness
As humans, we can’t help but get our groove on to music.
But Brits have lost the old traditions of dancing socially – other than the rare night on the town.
“The Tudors, Greeks and Romans used dance as part of socialising,” says Darcey.
“In other countries, dance and music is a normal part of the community. We think it’s not needed in our society any more, but it is.”
Research has shown that dance increases a sense of bonding and belonging.*
“The emotional connection you have with music, which is an important part for kids, creates interpersonal trust,” says Darcey.
“The science shows it makes them behave better together, and encourages kindness because they’re reading body language, too.”
Nick Obank – The SunDarcey is leading a 30-minute live-streamed DDmix class that schools can sign up to for free at Ddmixforschools.com[/caption]
It’s inclusive
You might be haunted by the memory of PE classes at school, featuring overly competitive team games that only a few kids really enjoyed.
Darcey was inspired to set up DDmix when her daughters, now in their early 20s, became bored of PE.
“I just thought it was wrong,” she says. “They would have to high jump when they’d never done it before, or run around a track for 30 minutes.”
These days, PE lessons make up around two hours of the school timetable, but swap some of that time spent on competitive sports for a dance fitness class with DDmix and it could have wide-ranging benefits.
And tomorrow, Darcey is leading a 30-minute live-streamed DDmix class that schools can sign up to for free at Ddmixforschools.com.
Previous events have seen 900 schools take part, and Darcey is urging more headteachers to get in on the action.
“It’s so difficult to keep a whole class active at once when 30 kids are lining up to hit a ball,” Darcey points out. “And for a lot of kids, it can be humiliating not being in the A team.”
Darcey knows there is still a misconception that dance has to involve technicality that makes people tense up. That’s where DDmix aims to be different.
“It’s not just about the kids who are into dance. What we noticed with dancing is that the kids don’t even realise they’re exercising, and suddenly they’re out of breath on the floor.”
It can be stimulating
The statistics around kids’ activity levels are disheartening.
Less than half of children aged between five and 16 hit the chief medical officers’ guidelines of being physically active for an hour or more every day.**
“We are in a very bad place,” Darcey says. “We live in a very sedentary world. People are in front of a screen 12 hours a day. We have got to change or we are going to be on a downward spiral.”
Kids’ screen use has increased drastically over the years, with 79% of parents feeling that children have used screens even more since the pandemic.***
“If physical education doesn’t match the stimulation they get online, of course, they’re going to switch off,” Darcey warns.
Darcey knows all about discipline and resilience having been the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever principal dancer at just 20 years oldRex
It boosts brain power
Studies have shown that dance can boost brain health and self-esteem, prevent brain shrinkage in older people and potentially stop dementia in its tracks.
It’s also been found to halt the progression of Parkinson’s.
“It stimulates your mind, because not every move is the same,” Darcey says.
“It’s not like going to the gym, where the mind switches off because you’re doing the same move repetitively. With dance, you’re constantly having to think, so all the senses are alert.
If kids have a long day in the classroom, you can break it up with activity and get them focused again.”
It raises self-esteem
The effects of dancing on the mind are profound. “Dance is an instant mood-booster,” Darcey says.
“You want to feel the high of getting out of breath. Group sports are brilliant at that – but only if you’re good at them. You don’t have to be an expert dancer to achieve it.”
A study of 100 teenage girls who had reported symptoms of anxiety found that those who did dance twice a week for eight months had improved health and self-esteem.†
It teaches resilience
Known for being the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever principal dancer at just 20 years old, Darcey knows all about discipline and resilience.
“Focus and tenacity – they’re great tools for life, aren’t they?” she says.
And sports have a lifelong effect on people’s character and drive, research suggests.
A 2022 study of 4,000 adults found that, of those who played sports as a child, 34% scored high for grit – defined as passion and perseverance – compared to only 23% of those who didn’t play sports or who quit.††
How do you prevent kids from quitting? Give them something they enjoy. “If you get them dancing from a young age, they’ll always recognise how different they feel when they move.”
For info, visit Ddmixforschools.com.
Source: *Biology Letters **Sport England ***BBC Children’s And Education †JAMA Pediatrics ††Ohio State University
PA:Press AssociationThe Queen awards Darcey with the order of Dame Commander of the British Empire[/caption]