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At the end of June, former ballerina Darcey Bussell CBE, in her capacity as President of the Royal Academy of Dance, escorted Sir Matthew Bourne to Buckingham Palace for a special occasion. In this exciting event as the Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance, Her Majesty The Queen presented the recently-knighted Sir Matthew Bourne with the Academy’s Queen Elizabeth II Coronation (QEII) Award, internationally renowned as one of the most coveted honours in dance. Bourne has contributed above and beyond to the dance industry, introducing new audiences and dancers to his world of performing.

The QEII Award is the Royal Academy of Dance’s most prestigious award. Instituted in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, it was first given to Dame Ninette De Valois in 1954, in front of an audience including the presidents of the four Royal Academies (Arts, Music, Dramatic Art and Dance). It has been awarded nearly every year to many theatrical personalities in recognition of outstanding services to the art of ballet and dance. 2014 saw the award given to The Royal Ballet, accepted by director Kevin O’Hare.

After the presentation, Darcey Bussell hosted a champagne luncheon in honour of Sir Matthew in the ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental, London, where The Queen took dance classes as a child. He was joined by many from the entertainment and dance world including Sir Matthew’s company dancers. From choreographer Arlene Phillips to Darcey Bussell’s Strictly Come Dancing colleagues, the audience also included Bussell’s friend Dawn French, following their much-loved pas de deux on television in The Vicar of Dibley.

The Royal Academy of Dance is one of the largest and most influential dance education and training organisations in the world. Established in the 1920s, to improve standards of dance training, the Academy helps and encourages its teachers to perfect their teaching skills and pass on this knowledge to their students.

With the news of the UK’s exit from the European Union still reverberating, there has been lots to take in since the announcement of the referendum result on 24 June. Voting remain or leave have many different viewpoints attached, however in terms of the arts it is clear that the UK would have benefitted from remaining in the European Union.

The UK cultural sector could face restricted access to European funding and depleted talent pools of workers as a result of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. Arts leaders have called for unity as a result of the vote, specifying that theatre and the arts will suffer as a result of a potential decrease in funding for work to continue to develop. Leading campaigners have argued that theatre and the arts have been endangered following the UK’s decision to exit the European Union, with less security now than previously.

Noting other departures from parliament following the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron, the Shadow culture secretary Maria Eagle has also resigned. At the end of June she became the 18th politician to depart the shadow cabinet in the space of 48 hours, leaving uncertainty and fear in her wake. With news of exiting the European Union still fresh and raw, it seems the biggest problem is the uncertainty the vote has brought. The country – and the arts – appears to be in a purgatory, uncertain as to what the future holds and with little information formany reasonable conclusions.

One arts leader in particular, National Theatre director Rufus Norris, has urged the performing arts industry not to show fear, but use the arts to give a voice to society following the European Union referendum result. It is ironic that the arts are often used to escape the everyday world, and are much needed now, but with a potential loss of funding this may not always be the case.

Whilst exercise is renowned for its stress-busting and happiness-inducing benefits, the same benefits of dance are sometimes overlooked. There are the obvious physical benefits of dance, in that it keeps the body fit and healthy, encouraging strong, lean muscle mass and a good range of flexibility, another valued strand of overall fitness. Often the mental benefits of dance – and exercise – are focused on less, however they have just as much value for the body, mind and wellbeing.

Dance is a surefire way of escaping the realities of the everyday, a welcome distraction from the stresses of life. Dance may come with its own stresses, such as cleaning choreography or remembering a new variation, however these are minor in comparison to the amount of joy dance brings. Experiencing stress can have a damaging effect on the body so dance and exercise can remedy this. As a result of dancing, the chemicals that are released into the brain help control how it deals with stress.

Similar to some forms of exercise, dance falls under the umbrella of moderate to high intensity aerobic workouts, with added style and artistry! This can help reduce feelings of anxiety as a result of the boost to the brain we experience through dance, improving the brain’s functioning and performance, as well as stimulating the development of new brain cells. Dance does not just aid young, aspiring students: here it is clear that older dancers will too reap the benefits of dance slowing the deterioration of key parts of the brain. Dance makes the brain’s neurones stronger and more efficient, aiding learning and memory.

Overall dance makes its participants happy. As the ultimate mental benefit, using the body in such a way, focusing on the self and forgetting everything else means the chemicals created in the brain through dance lead us straight to happiness. Exercising or dancing for just 30 minutes a few times a week can instantly boost your mood and make you happier.

For many dancers, September will spell an exciting time. Following a summer of furthering your dance learning, be it on a summer school, taking drop-in classes or working on particular parts of your technique, for many September will mean beginning a course in purely dance. This could be as part of your final studies at school, or even a brand new timetable at college or a degree course at university.

A new course will mean lots of hard work and dedication. The course could be focused on dance technique, academic study, dance teaching, choreography, performance, or even a combination of them all. Anything new can be daunting and even overwhelming, but tutors are there to support your learning, and encourage you to enhance this as much as you can. Furthering your dance learning beyond the study can give a new appreciation of dance, its history, and where it might be going in the future, as well as how your dance generation might contribute to the development of that.

While you are studying make sure you continue to experience new dance work, to inform your studies. Every asset of the course can be applied to your learning in some way, be it by inspiring you to push your performance further, noting a new way of dancing a step or observing choreography that is missing just one element which you can identify. Seeing new dance by Jew dance artists will keep inspiring you and your ways of working. Large companies performing well-known repertory will do this too, adding context to your historical studies and providing new ways of thinking about dance.

Exploring dance and the many avenues of study surrounding it is ultimately fulfilling. If your aim is to eventually teach dance, your views and knowledge of dance which is constantly evolving will inform your practice and in turn inspire your students. Ensure you keep up with current dance practices, techniques and terminology, learning about both the old and new to aid your work.

Two British performance companies – contemporary circus company NoFit State Circus and dance company Motionhouse – have joined forces to create new work, pushing boundaries of circus and dance to create a new art form. New show BLOCK was unveiled in May at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival Garden Party, and the show will now go on to be performed more than 70 times at festivals across the UK and Europe this summer.

Developing a research project run by NoFit State Circus in 2013 exploring the potential for a set of ‘blocks’ to provide the basis for a performance, BLOCK is directed by Kevin Finnan, Artistic Director of Motionhouse, with Circus Direction by NoFit State’s Paul Evans. The project has been created for public spaces echoing the two companies’ commitment to making work that is accessible, providing a platform for audience development whilst pushing at the boundaries of their art forms.

BLOCK therefore aims to create a new theatrical language that fuses circus and dance. It sees twenty oversized blocks resembling giant breeze blocks, doubling as both performance equipment and the set. Continually deconstructed and reformed, they create an infinite variety of shapes, structures and equipment for the performers to play on, move with and explore. This mirrors the changing landscapes of the environment and creates a platform on which bodies communicate change, barriers, obstacles, repetitions, failures and successes.

BLOCK is commissioned by Without Walls, Stockton International Riverside Festival, Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Out There International Festival of Circus & Street Arts. Without Walls, a consortium of 10 of the UK’s leading Outdoor Arts festivals and organisations, brings the best in new outdoor performance to diverse audiences all over the UK, providing opportunities for artists to develop bold new ideas, inclusive of all art forms and genres.