Healthy vs. Harmful Children’s Dance
At the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation USA (NCOSE) 2021 Conference, Mary Bawden, Founder of DA:NCE, presented a talk called ‘Healthy or Harmful Dance: What Do the Experts Say About Hypersexualization?’ At the 2022 Conference, Mary Bawden spoke on a panel about ‘Wholesome to Hypersexualized: What Happened to Children’s Dance’. Our friends at NCOSE generously […]
DA:NCE Newsletter – January 2023
DA:NCE Newsletter – January 2023 Now Accepting Submissions: $5,000 Call for Choreography ChallengeIn our last newsletter, we announced the launch of our international call for choreography. Today, we want to remind you that submissions are now being accepted! Our goal with this project is simple: Restore the wonder of children’s dance! The art of children’s […]
From “Pretty in Pink” to Provocative Posing: Looking at Sexualization of Young Dancers from Multiple Perspectives
I started dancing at the age of four in the 1970s and I have been a dance educator since 1991. Becoming a parent of young dancers in the early 2000s allowed me to revisit the dance studio environment with new insight and inspired me to conduct research on contemporary trends in dance training for children […]
DANCE 4 JOY MINISTRIES
Dance for Joy Ministries is a thriving non-profit organization that offers dance studio classes for children in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, tap, musical theatre, expression worship and banners, strengthening and conditioning, and choreography. They even offer a tap dance class for adults. Their vision is: Transforming the lives of dancers and all who see them […]
Dance Teams: Scoring for Appearance
Guest Bloger: Heather Harrington “I would have put myself in a better position if I had just worn red lipstick,” explains Kayleen Babel (2021) who gives advice for trying out for college dance teams on her YouTube channel. She later explains that make-up and hair are part of your appearance score, and that you should […]
Dance Newsletter – September 2022
DA:NCE Newsletter – September 2022 Announcing the $5,000 Call for Choreography for ‘She Loves to Move’Could your organization use $5000? How much of a difference for good would that make? And what if that money was coupled with the opportunity to restore the wonder of childhood dance while getting active and creative? We have an opportunity […]
Scripps Performing Arts Academy
DA:NCE advocates for healthy dance and has selected Scripps Performing Arts Academy (Scripps) to feature as our healthy dance studio of the month. Scripps was founded in San Diego, California in 1987. They focus on creating beauty and meaning in dance and musical theatre to enrich the lives of their students. Scripps fosters a love […]
The Danger of “Stranger Danger” – How to Holistically Protect Your Kids Online
My first in-depth experience with the internet began at 13 years old. For years I would watch my friends play online games and I was annoyed with my parents for not allowing it until I was mature enough. But finally, they said yes to a free game online and sat me down to lay some […]
I was Broken by John-Michael Lander
As a producer for the Miss Ohio Outstanding Teen Program and judge for other child pageants and dance contests, I have seen how “harmful dance” hypersexualizes and exploits children by wearing adult costumes, choreography, and music. I have also noticed how these imposed dance methods have affected young people later in life. Once a child […]
Announcing the $5,000 Call for Choreography for ‘She Loves to Move’
Could your organization use $5000? How much of a difference for good would that make? And what if that money was coupled with the opportunity to restore the wonder of childhood dance while getting active and creative? We have an opportunity for you! It’s a project we’ve been working on for months, and it is […]