INTERVIEWS
Let’s dance Dancer in Residence, Catherine Ibbotson, tells AlexWilliams and Zain Almahdi (Year 7) what she most enjoys about dance, and why it is important for body and soul
AW and ZA: What benefits do you get from dance?
CI: The list is probably endless. First and foremost, it is great physical exercise. Dance enhances your creativity in more than just movement — performance widens your imagination, enhances your problem-solving skills and increases your knowledge about the topic of the dance. It also improves your teamwork and your confidence around other people; you can make new friends and enjoy dance more with others. Finally, when performing in front of an audience you gain a fantastic feeling of social awareness.
How have you found your experience at Dulwich College?
I am really enjoying my time here at Dulwich College. I love teaching students from Year 3 all the way up to Year 13. All the students have responded really well to my lessons and I have enjoyed the vast difference between the various students. It has been a fun and incredible journey so far and I hope it will stay that way.
Dance enhances your creativity in more than just movement
What is the relationship between dance and drama?
Dancing and drama go together hand-in-hand; for example, in musicals, these two aspects are really crucial. Dance and drama also improve your confidence and your physical and mental strength. You can take techniques from dance to improve your dramatic expression and vice versa; they work together in unison.
adolescent years I decided to start teaching and sharing my passion for dance with others. As soon as I started teaching it, I instantly loved doing so and realised I wanted to pursue this as a career.
What is your favourite technique to use in dance?
Why did you choose to teach dance?
For teaching, I like to give task-based work that involves a multitude of techniques. In terms of dance itself, my preferred genre is contemporary dance.
I have always passionately loved dance, so it made perfect sense for me to follow it through for my career. In my
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