CARNIVAL Of The Animals accompanies Edward Lynch as he helps Rosie Whipp and Nathan Band to get creative. They’re interpreting, in dance form, the rainbow fish book that they have just learned at school. Then the whole class joins in, each acting out how they think a fish might dance before coming together as one for the finale. With hands aloft, they simulate feeding at the river surface.

These youngsters at Copmanthorpe Primary School think Edward is the best thing since sliced bread and they love his dance sessions. Six-year-old Katy Simmons is a big fan of the classes. She says: “I used to be in a dance club, and dancing at school makes me really happy because it makes me fit and I like being creative. I really like the end of the rainbow fish dance when we do the feeding bit because it makes me feel hungry. We don’t get anything to eat, though.”

This year her school is focusing on being imaginative, and she and her pals have also welcomed writers and actors along to help stimulate the muse and get their creative juices flowing.

But Edward is the big favourite. He has four decades under his belt as a professional dancer and is now the dance consultant for City of York Council. His job is to go into schools and communities to encourage a wider understanding of the arts and how they can enrich everyone’s daily lives.

His infectious laugh and broad smile endear him to pupils and teachers alike. Passionate about his work, he bounds along the corridor to the next session; on the way the children wave and call out: “Good morning Mr Lynch.”

He says: “I got my love of dancing from school. Now I get a lot out of working with young people because there is an honesty and openness at that age. They are open to new things and if it’s something they get excited about they’ll take hold of it. I enjoy seeing them using their imagination, being creative and being happy. Education should be about something you enjoy because then you put more into it.”

It seems hard to believe, but dance still comes under PE; and that’s something Edward wants to see changed. He believes dance should be treated as a separate subject in primary schools because at the moment it is too often seen as a fitness work-out. Like drama and music, dance is all about being creative and he wants to see it used not just to teach graceful footwork but to open pupils’ minds and show them how to look differently at other parts of the curriculum. He says everyone has creativity in them – especially children – and his job is to encourage those talents to flourish.

So today he’s helping Copmanthorpe School bring a book to life, not just in the mind but by using expression. He suggests different ideas and themes to the children, who are utterly absorbed. Then they spring animatedly to their feet, keen to show off their brilliant ideas.

“The starting point was reading this story about an amazing rainbow fish with wings,” says Edward. “When it swam, it sparkled and lit up everything. So colours and how the fish moved came into it, and after we read the story we began to interpret it with creative movements.

“I gave the children words like starfish and encouraged them to interpret the meanings in their own way. Some of them took it literally and used their arms and legs to make a star. Others looked in an abstract way, but both are equally relevant and help the children to understand more about fish, about how they move and how they breathe.

“That was good, but it was just a physical movement. Now we have added music and that gives everything a different quality. Rainbow Fish has gone from being a story in a book through to being creative and now it’s musically expressive.”

City of York Council believes it is important to encourage the arts at an early age because primary schools have a creative curriculum. Now many York schools have put them at the forefront of learning.

“They act as a foundation because you get to think differently,” says Edward. “And that builds a confidence when it comes to other parts of the curriculum. By using the arts you have to do something mentally and physically, not just get immersed in a book. It engages children in a different way and gives them a different focus, and because not everyone is academically gifted, learning through creative expression works very well.”

But Edward is not just here for the children. Not all teachers are taught about creativity in their training or about cross-curriculum, and it’s part of his role to show them that children learn through the medium of dance because they often understand better by doing rather than listening.

A good example is The Rainbow Fish project, which is helping teachers look further than just the story. David Scott now takes the sessions for his class and he is using dance vocabulary words such as ripple, flow and graceful. David has learned to use dance as another way of teaching different subjects and says: “The school has had a big push this year into creative learning, which we see as very important because it can be a way into the rest of the curriculum, so Edward is seen as a special visitor at the school and everyone has responded well to him.” Edward is a passionate believer in a creative society and that’s what he encourages when he goes into schools. “Yes teaching dance is about enjoyment because when you enjoy something you do it better, but it’s also about improvement in many parts of the curriculum. And it works, it’s always worked.”

City of York Council’s arts service has three consultants who specialise in dance, drama or music. They work in partnership with art providers and community groups and their services are available to teachers, education advisors and pupils. This includes curriculum support for York schools for key stages one to four as well as further and higher education. The consultants also run projects and festivals and advise on GCSE and A-level exams.

As well as working in schools, Edward offers workshops for dance companies, groups and individuals during Dance Week each June and the Dance Festival each November. He also gives career guidance and training opportunities for students, artists and educators.

There is no direct charge for curriculum support in schools but a charge is made for external consultancies.

City of York Council’s Arts and Culture 01904 554660 email: artseducation@york.gov.uk
www.york.gov.uk