I have found many interesting and relevant issues that I could explore, but I am

particularly concerned with issues surrounding accessibility to art.

Out of my three art forms, I have decided to focus on cheerleading and dance in
particular. This is because these two art forms, unlike writing, require specific
training- training which is only available to a select few. I am growing increasingly
concerned that success within the cheer/dance world is about luck rather than skill.
believe that everyone deserves access to high quality arts training. This is partly due
to personal experience- as a black girl who appreciates classical and contemporary
dance, I have always been acutely aware of the fact that I am in the minority. In my
opinion, there is a real problem with dance being a very ethnocentric and classist.
Here is what I already know (or think I know) about ethnicity and class in relation to
the arts.

 The main problem is CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

 There is a problem with the art form in itself-
 Immigrants more likely to want their children to have stable jobs to prevent
further suffering in the future. Insert personal experience here. Becoming a
lawyer/doctor = success, becoming an artist = failure. Passion is irrelevant.
Mention that it is also a good thing.
 Lack of representation- from pure observation, it would seem to me that
there aren’t enough BME people excelling within the arts. And all the ones
who are have almost always had to adopt white, middle-class behaviours in
order to be ‘relevant’.
 There is unequal access to high quality contemporary dance training in the
UK

Some underlying issues which I will need to look into:

 UN human rights
Websites used:
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/dance-movement-
therapy
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16078055.2015.1081271?jo
urnalCode=rwle20
http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-dance-movement-
psychotherapy-79860

Article 31 (Leisure, play and culture): Children have the right to relax and
play, and to join in a wide
range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities.

Dance/movement therapy, usually referred to simply as dance therapy or

DMT, is a type of therapy that uses movement to help individuals achieve
emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration. Beneficial for both
physical and mental health, dance therapy can be used for stress reduction,
disease prevention, and mood management. In addition, DMT's physical
 component offers increased muscular strength, coordination, mobility, and
decreased muscular tension. Dance/movement therapy can be used with all
populations and with individuals, couples, families, or groups. In general,
dance therapy promotes self-awareness, self-esteem, and a safe space for
the expression of feelings.
Dance therapists work with people in therapy to help them improve their
body image and self-esteem. Dance/movement therapy is a versatile form of
therapy founded on the idea that motion and emotion are interconnected.
The creative expression of dance therapy can bolster communication skills
and inspire dynamic relationships. It is commonly used to treat physical,
psychological, cognitive, and social issues such as:
 Contemporary dance: how do practitioners get into it? What is the rout of
progression? What are the opportunities for higher education and
progression?
http://www.nscd.ac.uk/courses/ba-hons-dance-contemporary/
https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/
https://www.lcds.ac.uk/
https://www.contemporary-dance.org/can-you-make-a-living-as-a-
dancer.html
Diversity: https://www.dancemagazine.com/what-about-diversity-in-
modern-dance-2306985187.html
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/dance-blog/2015/apr/13/are-british-dancers-
outclassed-on-the-world-stage-akram-khan-hofesh-schechter-lloyd-newson

 Contemporary dance from an outside perspective- what is the point? Who

goes to watch it, anyway?
https://www.statista.com/topics/4105/dance-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
questionnaire, possibly?
 What’s happening in the commercial dance industry?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/8554651/The-truth-
about-life-as-a-background-dancer.html
https://dancers.mandy.com/uk/forum/topic/24685/what-has-happened-to-
the-commercial-dance-industry

 Is ballet still relevant?

 Is cheerleading worth it? Drop-out rates? Opportunities for higher
education and employment?
N/A
 Is competitive dance ‘destroying the art form’?
Link to commercialism