April 28, 2025

Petra Pluimers: 'The Let's Dance Youth Fund has convinced girls and their parents' 

Petra Pluimers is the creator of dance squares called Urban Dance Grounds. She is also the coordinator of Youth Fund Let's Dance: free dance lessons at these dance squares. "It's a success: the girls are very enthusiastic and keep coming back. That shows there's a demand for it."  

Urban Dance Grounds 

How do you use innovation to get girls moving more? It was a great challenge for Petra's graduation project. It led to 24 Urban Dance Grounds spread across the Netherlands. These public dance spaces are equipped with a smart speaker that lets you dance to your favorite music. Petra: "You place your phone on the pole, spin a wheel for 30 seconds, and then you have four minutes of music. Just enough for one song. There's no noise pollution for the neighborhood, because after three meters, you can no longer hear it."  

A great opportunity to get girls outside and moving.

The dance squares are located in neighborhoods, close to children and young people. The Youth Fund wants to get girls dancing and moving close to home, and make it easier for them to go to a local dance school. The project is designed to achieve this. Youth Fund Let's Dance set up. From May to July, dance teachers from local dance schools gave free dance lessons at five Urban Dance Grounds in the Netherlands for six weeks. Petra: "Boys play soccer and basketball. You see girls exercising less outdoors, especially from secondary school age onwards. The dance lessons at Urban Dance Grounds are a great opportunity to get them outdoors and moving more and to participate in cultural activities.” 

The girls were very enthusiastic and kept coming back.

Petra is "very pleased" with the project. "The dance schools were happy to participate; it was a great opportunity for them to increase their visibility in the neighborhood." She was also pleased with the turnout: "We had a lot of participants, especially girls. Despite the bad weather, they were very enthusiastic and kept coming back. That shows there's a need for it."  

Read more about the conversations with the girls >

'Parents have seen that there is also something for their daughters to do on the streets'

Youth Fund Let's Dance It's also a long-term success, says Petra. "The free dance lessons gave the girls more to do outdoors, and it makes it easier to join a local dance school. I hear from several people that these dance lessons have convinced both girls and their parents to join a dance school. Moreover, their parents have now seen that there's something for their daughters to do on the streets. That can make it easier for girls to get out and about." 

Most people want to participate again next time.

Petra spoke to several girls about the project during the lessons in Kanaleneiland, Utrecht. The dance lessons were clearly a hit; most of the girls said they would participate again next time. All the girls indicate that they have little time, especially because of school obligations.  

I'm very busy and don't have much time. I'm still studying a lot for my eighth-grade exam. And I want to maintain my current Cito level. I have to study. Every now and then, I also have to visit my grandmother.

The girls also say they appreciate having already met the teacher during the dance classes at the Jeugdfonds Let's Dance. This makes it easier for them to go to the dance school. One of the girls says:I'm really glad I've already met the dance teacher; she's really nice. Now I'm less nervous about going to the dance school. 

Girls can participate again in 2025, this time in no fewer than 10 neighborhoods.

>> Read more about it here Youth Fund Let's Dance