Dance, movement, physical theatre…whatever you want to call it, now is the time to help boys battle the stigma associated with dance, unleashing the full potential of male dancers everywhere!
Lloyd Newson, Matthew Bourne, Nigel Charnock, Hofesh Shecter, Wayne McGreggor, Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Richard Alston, Christopher Bruce – the list of male dancers and choreographers goes on and on. Boys continue to contribute to the dance scene across the generations, yet surprisingly in 2024, it is still a challenge to get boys dancing!
Craig Coombs, Subject Leader for Dance at Neath College, part of NPTC Group of Colleges has more than 20 years of experience working in dance education and he commented that;
“Dance is for everyone and it’s about time that we all did something to encourage boys to choose dance again. I have seen both a rise and decline in boys choosing dance in my career and it’s now time to recognise that we all have a responsibility to challenge old-fashioned stereotypes and get boys back to the dance studio, where they can meet their full dance potential.”
Many young male dancers are reluctant to attend dance classes due to prejudice and the fear of judgement by friends and family. It is the misconceptions associated with dance that might be causing many boys to walk away from something they enjoy and miss out on the possibilities of a future dance-related career.
Craig Coombs, who danced for the all-male dance company ‘Dynion’ and has worked with Henri Oguike, Sean Tuan John and Douglas Comply continued;
“It is all too common that the impression of dance given to boys does not match the reality of what dance is at all. It is not all pink tutus and point shoes! In fact, the physically demanding challenges for anyone in the dance studio is matched by any sport on offer to boys! It requires discipline, strength, dedication and passion. Personally, working alongside other male dancers was an important part of my own performance development too.”
Neath College has long been a front-runner for dance education in Wales and is leading the way for male dance too. ‘LIFT Youth Dance Company’, ‘Fairytale Productions’ and ‘Blast’ have all paved the way for boys in dance education, helping to raise the profile of male dance in the area. Many young boys have gone on to train at higher education conservatoires after discovering dance at Neath College, such as; Arts Educational School, Trinity Laban, The Northern School of Contemporary Dance, London Contemporary Dance School, London Studio Centre, The Urdang Academy and Dance Addict.
Craig Coombs, is set to begin work on a new all-male dance project in September;
“It is now time to re-invest in male dance again, as there is clearly a shortage of boys and men choosing dance. By relaunching our all-boys dance platform, I am hoping to see more boys engage with dance. This supports Wales’ overall vision for dance, as other organisations like National Youth Dance Wales and Ballet Cymru have also identified the need for more boys in dance. I am excited to find the next generation’s male dance performers.”
Neath College is now preparing to reach the untapped talent of boys across Neath Port Talbot, in the hope of igniting their passion for dance!
Over the past 20 years, Neath College dance lecturers have proudly contributed to the training development of many boys, seeing many of them successfully choose dance training at sector-leading higher education institutions.
For more information on how to take part in dance at Neath College contact: craig.coombs@nptcgroup.ac.uk
See the list below of some of Neath College’s alumni male dance students:
Kyle Ball (The Urdang Academy)
Daniel Urch (Arts Educational Schools)
Tom Jones (Trinity Laban)
Brandon Jones
Jac Evans-Mason (University of Wales Trinity Saint David)
Adam Baker (Arts Educational Schools)
Jordan Cranny (London Contemporary Dance School)
James Price
Francesco Orlando (The Northern School of Contemporary Dance)
Marc Lewis
Simon William
James Hopcutt
Elis Thomas (London Contemporary Dance School)
Alex Morgan
Daniel Thatcher (Roehampton University)
Ashleigh Williams (London Studio Centre)
Lloyd Fernquest (Roehampton University)
James Lewis
Ronan Rees (The Urdang Academy)
Daniel Coombe (The Northern School of Contemporary Dance)
Neirin Baggridge (London Studio Centre)
Robert Noble
Ben Bateman
Olly Pickering (London Southbank University)
Oren Mchue (University of West London)
Lewis Ansell (The Wilkes Academy)
Anton Hinchliffe (The Northern School of Contemporary Dance)
Joseph Robinson (Guildford School of Acting)
Shayne Pearson (Trinity Laban)
Dylan Smith (Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre Arts)
Lewis Cole (London Contemporary Dance School)
Peter Devlin
