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The International Dance Organization (IDO) has taken another important step in strengthening its commitment to the safety, protection and well-being of young dancers through a series of educational seminars dedicated to Safeguarding and Child Protection.

Led by Rachel Jackson, Designated IDO Safeguarding Educator, the seminars brought together members of the international dance community to explore one of the most important responsibilities within dance education and competitive dance: ensuring that every child can learn, train, perform and compete in a safe, respectful and supportive environment.

The initiative attracted remarkable interest, with 215 attendees participating in the first seminar alone, demonstrating the growing awareness and importance of safeguarding throughout the international dance community.

The seminars represent an important educational initiative in IDO's ongoing efforts to promote responsible coaching, raise awareness and strengthen the safeguarding culture across its national member organizations, dance schools and international competitions.

Safeguarding Is Everyone's Responsibility

One of the central messages emphasized throughout the educational programme was that safeguarding goes far beyond responding to incidents of abuse.

Safeguarding is a proactive responsibility that involves preventing harm, promoting children's well-being and creating environments where young dancers feel protected, respected and valued.

The seminars explained the important distinction between safeguarding and child protection.

While safeguarding focuses on creating safe environments and preventing harm before it occurs, child protection involves taking specific action when a child is experiencing, or is at risk of experiencing, abuse or neglect.

The programme reinforced the fundamental principle of IDO's Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy: the welfare of children must always come first.

Every young dancer, regardless of nationality, gender, background, ability or personal circumstances, has the right to participate in dance without fear of abuse, discrimination, harassment or exploitation.

Recognizing the Warning Signs: Education as the First Step Towards Prevention

An important part of the seminars focused on recognizing different forms of abuse and identifying warning signs that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Participants explored physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, discriminatory abuse and unsafe training practices.

Special attention was given to situations that can sometimes become normalized within competitive dance environments.

Excessive pressure to achieve results, humiliating criticism, inappropriate physical corrections, encouraging dancers to perform while injured, and ignoring emotional distress were among the examples discussed.

The lectures challenged participants to reflect on a particularly important question:

When does demanding training cross the line into unsafe practice or abuse?

The message was clear: achieving competitive success must never come at the expense of a dancer's physical health, emotional well-being or personal dignity.

The programme also emphasized that poor or unsafe practices, even when they do not meet the strict legal definition of abuse, can create environments where harmful behaviour becomes accepted and serious safeguarding concerns remain unnoticed.

From Theory to Practice: Real-Life Situations in Dance

One of the most valuable elements of the educational programme was the opportunity for participants to examine realistic situations through four specially prepared case studies.

These practical exercises encouraged attendees to recognize potential safeguarding concerns, identify warning signs and discuss appropriate responses.

The scenarios explored situations involving:

• Emotional abuse: A young dancer experiencing repeated humiliation, excessive criticism and verbal mistreatment from a teacher.
• Inappropriate adult-child boundaries: A teacher providing special attention, gifts and private communication while encouraging secrecy.
• Physical well-being and unsafe training: An injured young dancer feeling pressured to continue training despite experiencing pain.
• Bullying and cyberbullying: A dancer experiencing exclusion, humiliation and negative comments from teammates, including through social media.

Through discussions and practical analysis, participants were encouraged to consider not only how to recognize these situations but also how coaches, officials, teammates and responsible adults should respond.

The interactive approach demonstrated that safeguarding education is not only about understanding policies. It is about developing the awareness, confidence and responsibility to act when something is wrong.

Creating Safer Competitions and Dance Environments

The seminars also addressed safeguarding responsibilities within international dance competitions.

With thousands of young dancers participating in IDO events around the world, ensuring appropriate safeguarding standards is essential.

Topics included adequate supervision, safe changing facilities, appropriate boundaries between adults and children, responsible photography and filming, online safety, and the prevention of bullying and inappropriate behaviour.

Particular attention was given to the responsibility of national member organizations, Team Captains, coaches, organizers and adult leaders to provide a safe environment for every participating dancer.

The educational programme reinforced the importance of maintaining safeguarding standards not only during competitions but also throughout everyday training and preparation.

Recognize, Report and Protect

The second lecture provided participants with a closer understanding of IDO's Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and the procedures for reporting concerns.

One of the strongest messages was that individuals do not need to prove abuse before raising a safeguarding concern.

Instead, they must recognize warning signs, report factual information through the appropriate channels and ensure that concerns are taken seriously.

Participants were introduced to the IDO Safeguarding Initial Report Form, designed to support the accurate and responsible reporting of safeguarding incidents and concerns.

The importance of confidentiality, immediate action when a child is at risk, and the responsibility of every adult involved in dance were strongly emphasized.

IDO maintains a dedicated safeguarding contact channel:

Safeguarding and Child Protection Reporting:
emergency@ido-dance.com

Safeguarding Education and General Questions:
rachel.weingaertner@ido-dance.com

Building a Stronger Future for Dance

The successful seminars represent more than an educational activity. They reflect IDO's continued commitment to developing a culture in which safeguarding becomes an essential part of dance education, competition organization and everyday professional practice.

The impressive participation in the first seminar demonstrates that the international dance community recognizes the importance of this responsibility and is willing to take meaningful steps towards improving awareness and standards.

The International Dance Organization extends its sincere appreciation to Rachel Jackson for her outstanding preparation, professionalism and dedication in delivering these educational seminars.

Her work and commitment have contributed to an important conversation about the future of safeguarding within the organization.

IDO looks forward to continuing the development of safeguarding education, strengthening cooperation with national member organizations and encouraging greater awareness among coaches, officials, organizers and everyone involved in dance.

Because behind every performance, every competition and every achievement stands a dancer whose safety and well-being must always come first.

A safer dance environment is not only our responsibility. It is our commitment to the next generation.

#IDOWorldDance