Dance Class at Dance Force Studios

Dance Force Studios is a dance school in Lower Darwen, where the teachers are qualified to teach a many different styles and types of dancing. The owner of the school is David Pollard who actively takes classes in all forms of dance.

David Pollard

(The above photograph and advertisement for the Dance School were kindly supplied to me from David Pollard)

Whilst I was at the school I asked David to participate in a small interview with myself in aid for my research into the beginnings of freestyle dancing. He kindly agreed and below are the questions I asked and his replies given during the interview;

Q1 What types of dancing have you personally participated in?

DAVID: "Old Time Dancing, Ballroom, Latin American, Salsa, Sequence, Argentine Tango, Freestyle, Rock and Roll and Slow dance"

Q2 What age did you start to dance and what was the reason for your interest?

DAVID: "I started to dance when I was 8. I was playing out with a female friend as a child, whose mother took her to dancing, she suggested that I go along with her. So I did and have been dancing ever since"

Q3 Are you aware when freestyle dancing became a recognised form of dance?

DAVID " Freestyle competitive dancing's earliest origins are from Old Time Dancing, as early as the Victorian times in the court yards, then along the years came ballet, tap, theatre & jazz. Freestyle's major influence came in the 1970's when Disco dancing became the new modern major craze"

Q4 How has dancing had a personal effect on your life?

DAVID "It is my life. All I have known to do is dance from an early age and as soon as I left school I began to teach"

Below are my contact sheets from my photo shoot at the Dance School. I took photographs of the waiting area in which the mothers of the children are patiently waiting for their children to finish their private or group dance class. I also documented the last 15 minutes of a group freestyle dance class.

Below are a selection of my edited images

As well as interviewing David I also asked a couple of the mums their reasoning's for getting their children into dancing and whether or not this was due to them having an interest in the art form.

SUSAN (far left) -"Gemma always wanted to dance . . . so I decided to bring her when a relative through marriage asked her to come along to her dance classes"

MANDY (right foreground) - "My mother believed our Olivia to have natural rhythm so I decided to start her dancing at 3. I used to do a little Ballroom myself, when I was younger of course, but I much preferred Roller Disco's instead"

Dance Class Images

What are the benefits of dance education?

"There are so many. Lots of studies show positive correlations between higher physical activity and higher school performance. There are other studies that show dance students with greater flexibility, endurance, and Cardio-vascular health – which is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and some of your best defences against disease. Dance education often improves one’s social skills. And since dance has been so popular all over the world for a long time, there is definitely a component that prepares today’s students for our global economy. Dance makes you much more open to new cultures and new experiences.

However, at its most primitive level, a good dance curriculum can inspire students to dance for their entire lives. As long as you dance, you can have lifelong fitness. That is our primary goal – to encourage children to find a physical activity they can do for a lifetime."

http://ncaahperdblog.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/the-importance-of-dance-education-qa-with-the-dancing-man/