Trainee Teachers On their Toes for Visit from Strictly Judge Darcey
Ballerina and Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell CBE will be passing on some dance tips to trainee teachers at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln on Monday (2nd October).
Darcey will be visiting the university to promote DDMIX for Schools – a full-body aerobic workout for children based on a wide range of different dance styles and created by Darcey and choreographer Nathan Clarke.
The university’s Vice Chancellor, The Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, will welcome Darcey at the sports hall on campus at 8.30am on Monday.
She will meet trainee teachers (primary and secondary) and introduce the philosophy of DDMIX, her schools project and her work with Parliament.
Members of the media are invited to attend for interviews and photographs between 8am and 10am.
DDMIX is based on 26 different dance genres, from Arabic and Japanese to the Charleston and the Flamenco, each of which takes approximately two and a half minutes.
DDMIX is particularly suited to schools, says Darcey. “Movement to music makes children come alive and changes the way they feel,” she says. “With the DDMIX programme, kids get an exciting and diverse learning experience that is physical, aerobic and high time on task.
“These benefits should be enjoyed by every child. Dance fitness can stimulate the child’s interest in sport and the arts and give them the confidence to explore their own creativity in other fields.”
Helen Thornalley, Subject Leader for PE and Dance for the PGCE Secondary course at BGU, said: “The opportunity for trainee teachers to work with these professionals who are at the top of their game, and the sharing of their materials with prospective teachers for schools, is amazing.
“The visit will be unique, rich and cathartic for all involved. It’s a very exciting project that I have seen teachers embrace and make it their own.”
Notes to editors:
• Bishop Grosseteste University was established in January 1862 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2012.
• It is an independent higher education institution based in Lincoln which awards its own degrees at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level.
• It changed its name from Bishop Grosseteste University College to Bishop Grosseteste University in November 2012.
• BGU has over 2,300 students, including undergraduate, postgraduate and research, with over 280 students at collaborative partners across Lincolnshire.
• To learn more about Bishop Grosseteste University visit www.bishopg.ac.uk
• Darcey Bussell CBE is one of the most famous British ballet dancers of all time. She trained at the Royal Ballet School and joined the company in 1987.
• She was promoted to Principal in 1989 at just 20 years old. She retired from The Royal Ballet in 2007 and now supports and documents dance worldwide.
• She is the President of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD and a judge on BBC TV’s Strictly Come Dancing and presents the Royal Ballet’s worldwide cinema simulcasts.
For media information please contact:
Jez Ashberry
Shooting Star
01522 528540
07780 735071
jez@weareshootingstar.co.uk
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