Dance United

Project based in: UK

A dance based programme to engage disaffected, challenging teenagers

The issue

Some students find it very hard to engage with traditional education. For example, in 2010 almost 1,000 London teenagers left school without any qualifications at all. Many have truanted or been excluded from school and, without any prospect of employment, further education or training, face a difficult future.

The response

Dance United is an alternative educational programme for hard-to-reach and challenging 14-19 year olds, many of whom have multiple disadvantages and often display anti-social and criminal behaviour. It offers them a 12 week, full-time course of modern contemporary dance; once there, they also receive tuition in basic educational and personal skills – such as literacy, numeracy, health and nutrition – and work towards a recognised qualification.

Its alternative methods enable the teenagers to absorb important essential skills without realising that they are learning at all. Participants must attend the programme from 10am until 4pm every week day: the first challenge that many of them face. Dance requires them to learn to work within a group, to trust others and to communicate on a verbal as well as non-verbal level. For those who find spoken communication difficult, this can prove particularly beneficial.

The programme uses a proven methodology and is divided into three phases.

Phase 1: Participants learn dance from scratch, working full time on a three week performance project. They discover stillness and focus, begin to grow in stature and confidence, and discover that they enjoy learning.

Phase 2: During the central, six week block the teenagers study towards an OCN (Open College Network) qualification. The programme includes essential literacy and numeracy skills taught ‘by stealth’.

The students also learn how to teach others and then help to deliver dance workshops in local primary schools. This is essential to develop their self-esteem and self-image and, for many, is more challenging than performing themselves. The students are taught about the structure of dance and learn how to take more responsibility by choreographing their own short dance pieces, which become part of the graduation show.

Phase 3: In the final three weeks, students work together to create a final performance for their graduation – a ceremony in which each one also is also presented with a written and spoken testimonial.

From April 2011, graduates from the 12 week programme will have a mentor to help them sustain the progress they have made over the next 12 months.

The impact

Time and again, the programme successfully re-engages highly challenging teenagers and rekindles their desire to learn. It also helps them find a new inner confidence that helps them to overcome their disadvantaged backgrounds, move onto further education, training or employment and become healthy and responsible members of society.

An independent evaluation by the University of Manchester has found that, since the programme began:

85% of students complete the entire 12-week programme
98% of Academy graduates gain a national qualification
73% re-engage in formal education, training or employment
Fewer than 33% re-offend (compared to national recidivism rates of 73%).

Academy graduates go on to pursue a variety of careers, such as hairdressing, engineering, philosophy and motor mechanics. Some choose to continue studying dance at college or university.

"Of all the things that I've seen offenders participating in, contemporary dance, much to my surprise, has turned out to be the one thing where I've seen people make the most progress over the shortest period of time.”

Recruitment & Referrals Co-ordinator; Bradford Youth Offending Team

The organisation

Dance United was established in 2000; in 2006, the Academy programme was first piloted in Bradford for young offenders and those at risk of offending. The programme has now expanded into London and Wessex and the client group now includes other vulnerable young people including those excluded from school, those attending Pupil Referral Units and young people leaving care.

The funding

Sofronie has made a grant of £73,500 to support the Dance United London Academy Programme in 2010/11.

T: +44 (0) 207 431 6647
F: +44 (0) 207 794 9989
E: kyla@dance-united.com
W: www.dance-united.com