The Prime Minister today criticised schools for filling their compulsory two hours of weekly sport with ‘sort of Indian dancing classes’. He said: ‘Now, I’ve got nothing against Indian dancing classes but that’s not really sport.’
Now, dancing isn’t really sport, is it? It’s dance. But it gets the heart rate going like the clappers, improves core strength, balance, and co-ordination. Dancing was good enough for the Great British swimmers, who took up ballet before the Olympics to improve their technique. Just up the road from Downing Street are the Pineapple Dance Studios, founded by a former model who lost three stone from dancing. David Cameron would do well to visit them and watch the sweat dripping down the studio walls in the midst of a fast-paced jazz class.
The Prime Minister is focusing just on the sort of sports teaching that encourages the best sports people to excel, but leaves those who can’t catch a ball, who are a bit rubbish at swimming, and who find netball baffling out in the cold.
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