About Project B
Project B is a range of initiatives that aim to widen access to dance for boys and to encourage them to take up ballet.
In celebration of the RAD’s upcoming centenary in 2020, we want to bring dance to more people in more places.
Project B globally aims to:
- increase the proportion of boys taking part in dance activities by 2020,
- promote more male role models, such as Iain Mackay, Matthew Lawrence and Alexander Campbell,
- fire boys’ imaginations with new dance partnerships inspired by sports and superheroes,
- provide more boys only workshops and masterclasses, along with bursaries and financial support for regular tuition, and
- offer financial support to encourage more men to train as dance teachers, as well as new resources for existing teachers.
RAD Teachers and Project B
Project B will see a range of new resources and hopefully opportunities for you to attract and retain more boys in your own schools.
Iain Mackay, has created fun choreography inspired by popular male motifs to inspire boys to get up and dance. The new vocabulary ideas are aimed at catching boys’ attention and making movements accessible and more easily retained – it provides an outlet for their natural energy but builds towards technique and structure. The choreography was released as inspiration for boys all over the world at all levels of ability to watch and want to learn.
New resources
The male-focused vocabulary will also become the basis for a free CPD resource, designed in collaboration with the RAD’s Artistic Director, for RAD Registered Teachers wanting new ideas on how to engage and recruit more male students, or to reinvigorate the boys they are already teaching.
Many of you are perhaps already using these kinds of approaches with your boys – if so, you can benefit from the buzz we are creating in the press and on social media, in your own marketing by using #RADProjectB.
The Project B Choreography
We hope that this will also spark some ideas for you to think about providing taster classes or summer events aimed at getting boys and maybe even dads, fired up about the idea of dance. And, if you teach in primary or secondary education, Project B provides a great basis for perhaps starting up a special club for boys – a great way to enhance your reputation and make ties with the local community. We would also love to hear your feedback on the choreography so please send your views to projectb@rad.org.uk.
Workshops
We have committed to staging at least one Boys Only! masterclass in each state throughout each year of this three year initiative. These will provide you with more opportunities to offer your male students a way to take their dancing to the next stage.
We will also provide support to male students enrolling on RAD teacher training programmes in order to increase the number of positive male role models.
Keep an eye out for further developments and B: Involved.