How Mindfulness Practices Can Empower and Protect Young Dancers
The book “Mindful Rigor”™ delves into the integration of mindfulness practices within the realm of dance training, emphasizing the holistic development of dancers of all ages. The fast-paced and highly competitive world of dance can be an arena of harm and hypersexualization of children. The integration of mindfulness practices offers a transformative approach to training. “Mindful […]
Dancing Toward Connection: Protecting the Joy of Movement
Dance is a beautiful and healthy form of self-expression for both children and adults. It helps us build coordination, confidence, and connection with others. It brings joy, encourages creativity, and can be a powerful outlet for emotion. However, in recent years, the art of dance has been increasingly impacted by the hypersexualization of children—especially through […]
J’Adore Dance Canada
One of the goals of the DA:NCE is to highlight organizations we feel embody healthy dance. J’Adore Dance is a YPAD certified studio located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They provide non-competitive dance education for all ages (babies through adults) and all abilities. They advocate dance for everyone to reap the benefits of physical, mental and […]
What’s Next? Addressing the Mental and Physical Consequences of Dance-Related Trauma
The hypersexualization of children’s dance is now a well-recognized issue. Yet as these issues are beginning to be addressed, the trauma incurred by victims often goes unnoticed. Adult costumes, hypersexual choreography, and music can all be sources of trauma for young dancers. This trauma is stored in the body and continues to affect these individuals […]
Effects of Hypersexualization on Mental Health
As the founder and executive director of Dance for Life Suicide Prevention & Mental Health nonprofit since 2018 and a retired dance studio owner for 30 years, I have a profound love for the beauty of the dance arts and the joy and fulfillment it can bring into the lives of children, adolescents and adults. […]
DA:NCE Newsletter – January 2025
View this email in your browser DA:NCE Newsletter – January 2025 ‘Healthy DA:NCE Showcase’: New Ideas Become 2 Ideas We’re thrilled to share our inaugural Healthy Dance Showcase, a celebration of dance studios and organizations across the nation showcasing the joy and wonder of creative, age-appropriate dance. Watch how these performances highlight the beauty […]
Australia’s Stance On Child Exploitation In Dance
The sexualisation of children in dance is an issue that has been growing exponentially in Western culture. The lack of regulation, combined with the influence of the media, has seen hypersexualisation of children’s dance spiral out of control in Australia in recent years. One of the last dance eisteddfods (competitive festivals) I attended pre-Covid in […]
J’Adore Dance
J’Adore Dance, located in Midlothian, Virginia, has been training children to dance since 2010. Their mission emphasizes creating unforgettable experiences for all to enjoy through professional quality shows. They promise to protect the innocence of the children in their dance studio with age-appropriate music, choreography and content even as they seek to remain relevant and […]
Promoting Healthy, Age-Appropriate Choreography and Costumes in Children’s Dance Competitions
As those who engage with the work of DA:NCE Awareness: No Child Exploited will know, there is a growing trend towards the hypersexualization of children’s dance in adult costumes and choreography. This article explores strategies that dance schools, competition organizations, and judges can employ to promote healthier, age-appropriate standards in choreography and costumes, ultimately creating […]
Safe and healthy dance practice: A fundamental approach
In being asked to write for the DA:NCE newsletter I thought long and hard about what the focus of this article should be. Of course, it should cover issues around the hypersexualisation of young people in dance, but the challenges of addressing this issue are vast, stretch across dance styles and contexts around the world. […]