Hypersexualized: The Scary Trend in Children’s Dance
In children’s dance classes around the nation, young children are learning to dance with choreography that hypersexualizes them and their bodies. These children have become covert victims of sexual exploitation in what used to be a safe place – the dance studio. Children’s dance is being distorted and the art form of dance is being hijacked.
As awareness grows, more and more dance educators, parents and concerned citizens are speaking out against this cultural shift toward normalizing the hypersexualization of children in dance.
Video Resources
Intro to DA:NCE (NRB Convention 2019)
4-minute trailer
Sexualized Children’s Dance: What the Experts Say – Anne Blythe
Sexualized Children’s Dance: What the Experts Say – Clay Olsen
Recent Articles & Events
*Expert research shows that dance is a wonderful activity for children when:
1. Children are enrolled in a healthy dance studio (see danceawareness.com) in age-appropriate costumes, choreography and music;
2. Parents supervise the online digital activities of their children to ensure communications are safe and appropriate.
Press Materials
Mary Bawden received a BA in modern dance from UCRiverside, a MA from Hope University in Fullerton CA, and a California secondary teaching credential. In 2016, after leading a dance ministry at Trinity E Free Church in Redlands CA for over 20 years, she released a book on dance ministry titled “Dance is Prayer in Motion”. Recently, Mary has noticed that the culture around children’s dance has moved towards an unhealthy, harmful trend – the hypersexualization of children under 12 in adult costumes, choreography and music. That focus translates into a desire to advocate for healthy, age-appropriate, educational materials to protect children and preserve the art of dance. That has led her to found DA:NCE (dance awareness: no child exploited). Join the conversation at danceawareness.com.
Print Resources
Important Links
APA Report:
www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report
Canadian Women’s Health Network: www.cwhn.ca/en/hypersexualizationprimer
The National Center of Sexual Exploitation:
Healthy or Harmful Dance: What do the Experts Say about Hypersexualization?
Contact Information
To request more information or schedule an interview, please contact:
Mary Bawden
Phone: 909.793.8925
Email Mary