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 a safer and more nurturing environment for young dancers.
As a former elementary school Principal and now Professor of Education at the University of Roehampton in London, I know how vital safeguarding is in mainstream education in the UK. In 2020, I became aware of a number of concerned voices in the UK dance sector and that the UK government were working on safeguarding guidance for out-of-school settings. The guidance1, last updated in September 2023, while helpful and well-intentioned, shows just how little obligation there is for dance schools to be engaged with safeguarding.
With a core group of like-minded people, I set up the Dance School Safeguarding Working Group (DSSWG, also known as Safer Dance) with a mission to make safeguarding a key aspect of dance education through the education of stakeholders (including dance teachers, children, young adults, adults at risk, parents, school staff, dance associations, local authorities and other interested parties). From small beginnings we have a group of over one hundred members from across the dance industry, including dancers, dance teachers, safeguarding experts and those representing major dance associations.2 As expert volunteers, we work together to create resources to help the dance sector and to support dance associations. We have seen an increase in awareness of good safeguarding practice, but, with a very disparate sector, we know that this is a large undertaking, with plenty still to do.
The reach of Safer Dance extends beyond the UK as we link up with organisations aiming to achieve similar goals around the world.
Addressing the Power of Rule-Makers and Judges in Dance Competitions
When the Safer Dance committee first discussed the issue of costume and choreography, the first question to answer was, “Who holds the power?”
Dance competitions have a strong influence on shaping trends within the dance world, particularly because they determine what kinds of performances are rewarded and celebrated. When competitions award prizes for routines that include provocative moves or revealing costumes, it reinforces to choreographers and parents that these elements are desirable or even necessary. A critical step in preventing over-sexualized choreography is addressing the power that competition organizers, judges, and rule-makers hold.
Rachel Jackson, a member of Safer Dance, who is also a judge and chairperson of judges for the International Dance Organization (IDO), showed me how elite international competitions are tackling this issue. The IDO introduced specific judging criteria that penalize inappropriate costumes and choreography for children. Under this system, routines that contain age-inappropriate elements will receive a warning for an infraction of the rules governing costumes, make-up, movements and themes meaning that the infraction should be removed immediately or face a penalty. ALL IDO elite international competitions have adopted this judging criteria.
Implementing similar judging standards across more competitions would create a strong incentive for choreographers to keep routines child-appropriate.
Detailed guidelines for costumes and movements, like those used by the IDO, can set clear expectations and reduce ambiguity. IDO’s rules ensure costumes cover intimate areas, prohibit clothing that imitates adult-style lingerie (e.g. thongs or abbreviated bikini bottoms), and discourage transparent materials that give an appearance of nudity. These rules promote age-appropriate dress while allowing for artistic freedom.
In addition to costumes, competition guidelines could specify acceptable movement types. Explicit, sexualized dance moves should be avoided in children’s choreography. Choreographers can be encouraged to focus on age-appropriate expressions of artistry, emphasizing skills, storytelling, and emotional depth without resorting to themes that mimic adult sensuality. Encouraging judges to apply these standards consistently will also support choreographers in creating routines that are both competitive and child-appropriate.
The IDO has one of the best safeguarding policies that any dance competition currently has in place. If the IDO has managed to implement these rules, why has this not spread to other competition organizers? The answer lies in the huge disconnect between the elite world and local competitions. Organisations such as Safer Dance aim to spread the message via its influence in the Ballroom and Latin sector.
Developing Resources to Educate and Support the Dance Community
Providing comprehensive resources to educators, choreographers, parents, and competition organizers can support informed decisions on choreography and costume choices. Safer Dance supports good safeguarding practice by publishing short guides which help dance teachers. In the past we have created “A Simple Guide to Eating Disorders and Dance” and “A Simple Guide to Touch and Consent in Dance”3
In 2025, Safer Dance plans to create a new guide titled, “How to Choreograph Through the Lens of Safeguarding,” which will offer practical guidelines for creating age-appropriate routines. We aim to host a webinar to complement this publication, allowing experts to engage directly with dance teachers and choreographers, answer questions, and discuss the importance of avoiding sexualized themes.
The philosophy of Safer Dance is that the key to affecting change is not to impose rigid rules but to empower dance professionals with knowledge and tools to make choices that prioritize children’s safety and well-being. Such resources could outline age-appropriate choreography techniques, safe costume options, and provide information on the psychological and emotional impact of over-sexualization on young dancers.
Fostering a Culture of Informed Consent and Safeguarding for All Participants
Creating a safe environment in children’s dance also involves educating children, parents, and teachers about boundaries, consent, and personal agency. It is essential to teach young dancers that they can voice discomfort with choreography, costumes or other aspects of a performance. Additionally, informing parents about the importance of age-appropriate costumes and themes is vital to reinforcing a protective framework.
When dance professionals, judges, and competition organizers uphold safeguarding as a priority, they send a strong message to potential abusers: that children are off-limits. This framework can extend to considerations about who has access to recordings and images of performances. Limiting public access to recordings or ensuring only approved individuals can view them reduces opportunities for exploitation.
Protecting Children’s Dance from Cultural Pressures
Children’s dance should be a safe space for artistic development, untainted by societal pressures around appearance or adult-like sexuality. However, broader cultural trends often influence how children are presented on stage. The prevalence of makeup for young dancers, for instance, may stem from societal expectations of beauty and performative aesthetics.
Educators, parents, and choreographers need to actively push back against these pressures by emphasizing natural beauty and authenticity in children’s dance. Initiatives like makeup-free competitions or minimal makeup requirements for younger dancers could promote a healthier culture within the dance community. Educating parents about the benefits of these standards can also shift perceptions over time, fostering an environment that values child-like innocence and joy over adult aesthetics.
Conclusion: it’s a long road and we are taking small, single steps
Long-lasting change requires collaboration among all stakeholders in the dance world, including dance organizations, schools, and competition organizers. The input of choreographers and competition organizers who have first-hand experience with these challenges is invaluable for creating policies that are practical and effective.
The pressures of a world which normalises attitudes to sexualising young children, coupled with the income earned by dance competition organizers means that, for lasting change to happen, everyone needs to want to change. And the only change that sticks is consumer power, a notoriously hard thing to influence.
But organisations such as Safer Dance and DA:NCE Awareness: No Child Exploited must keep on chipping away, attracting new advocates and pushing the message that children need to be free to enjoy dance without the risk of being abused.
1https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/keeping-children-safe-in-out-of-school-settings
3https://www.dsswg.org.uk/resources
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Bio: Professor Peter Flew is the Dean of the School of Education at the University of Roehampton in London, England where they train over 1000 school teachers each year. Roehampton was the first provider of Higher Education to women in the UK, admitting its first students in 1841. As part of his role as Professor, Peter sits on a number of boards including the Royal Academy of Dance and the African Pastors Fellowship, and he is chair of Godalming Theatre Group, where he regularly performs on stage. He has a particular interest in promoting good safeguarding and is the founder and chair of Safer Dance, a group of volunteers dedicated to improving safeguarding practice in dance schools. Peter lives in the South of England and has three grown-up children and one grandchild (with a second due very soon).
Safer Dance www.dsswg.org.uk
