UP THE SIDES AND DOWN THE MIDDLE. By Eddie Upton and Lyn Paine. Southgate Pounds 14.95.
Traditional dance is a living art form, not a dusty relic from the back of the PE store cupboard, say the authors of this infectiously lively pack for non-specialist primary teachers. It aims to integrate celebratory dance still used at weddings and harvest suppers into the primary school dance programme. The teacher’s tutorial cassette looks at dance phrasing and rhythms. Rousing music from folk dance bands in Bristol schools accompany polkas and reels, hornpipes and waltzes. I warmed to this pack’s unpretentious tone, treating young people as equals.