Fewer people are taking part in dance and theatre, as rising costs, post-pandemic effects and changing habits reshape how a new generation engages with the arts.
The dance studio, once crowded with students, now sees spaces to spare at the barres.
National statistics show how the participation of children aged five to ten in theatre and drama activities have effectively halved in the space of ten years.
A report from the Society of London Theatre reveals how only 26% of children aged five to ten engage with drama and theatre, with only 54% of eleven- to fifteen-year-olds.
Hannah Clarke, owner of HMC School of Dance, speaks about why this decline is happening.
She believes that the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was the initial cause of this and explains how the current cost of living crisis has only added to this deterioration.
She said: “Parents with young kids already have such big expenditures, and adding another class to it just seems, sometimes, really difficult.”
Miss Clarke also revealed how the cost-of-living crisis is not only detrimental to parents, but also to dance schools themselves.
She said: “Where pressures are put on parents to afford the classes, pressures also have been on dance studios to afford to run them, so prices have increased and it’s just a big old cycle.”
Miss Clarke explained how, despite the decreasing numbers, the industry is seeing a lot more children with mental health diagnoses and neurodiversity come into the space.
To adapt accordingly, she said: “I don’t necessarily think a change in class structure is needed, but the way we would make reasonable adjustments in a classroom needs to be made in a dance studio.”
About being a teacher, she said: “I love teaching kid’s classes because i think you, from the start of the class to the then end of the class you see a progression in that class.”
As an incentive to encourage people to push their children into the arts, she told us a statistic, stating that you’re 75 per cent more likely to be in a leadership position if you’ve been in dance classes as a child. Parents, are you taking note?
This drop in youth participation raises wider questions about the performing arts industry, pointing to Gen Z’s seeming lack of interest in live performance.
Online discourse suggest that Gen Z’s attention spans are shorter than ever, as a result of social media.
In a world where everything is online, it can be difficult for new audiences to engage with the intimate atmosphere of a theatre.
Freya Duffin, a musical theatre performer and currently studying a BA (Hons) Musical Theatre degree, shares why she thinks the arts are so important.
She said: “A key reason I pursued it is the strong sense of community. The collaborative training is a big part of what makes it so rewarding.”
Freya told us how she has been involved with the arts since the age of three and touched on how the epidemic made her realise how much she valued performing.
Reinforcing this perspective, LAODS (Lincoln Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society) tells us why performing arts is so special.
Stacey Carr, a committee member within LAODS, said: “The thing about live performance that makes it so special, is that it is so vulnerable, yet so incredibly empowering at the same time.
“Having the audience right in front of you is frightening, but it makes performing an exhilarating experience.”
Regarding the decline in youth participation, she said: “It makes me so sad that people are not going to experience the thrill of performing.
“For many of our members, performing on stage built their confidence so much. It is obviously something that everyone needs, helping in real-world scenarios like going to a job interview, so I think it is important for children to learn that.”
To battle against this decline, the Society of London Theatre set up the campaign: Theatre for Every Child.
This campaign aims to ensure that every child has the right to experience and enjoy the rich culture and theatre available in the UK.
In believing that every child has the right to go to the theatre, they asked the Government to contribute £1.5 million to pilot this campaign.
Their initial policy suggested that to provide annual funding for approximately 800,000 children a year to visit the theatre would cost a maximum of £42.33 per child or a total cost of £34m per year.
Although not yet approved, this campaign would successfully fight against the decline and hopefully get children back into the arts.
