Six Reasons Why Dance Education Should be Included in Public School Curriculum
Up until high school or even college in some cases, dance is something that a student would have to look for outside of the public school setting. While it might seem like I, as a dancer, am biased to think that public schools should include dance education in their curriculum, there are actually a multitude of reasons why these courses are very beneficial to developing children.
1. Kids need to shake out their jitters
Children are restless. Most of the time, teachers have to stop them from bouncing off of the walls while teaching long division. There’s a solution though.
If children get to go to a dance class in the middle of the school day, they will have a chance to fling their bodies around, laugh and just shake out all of the tension from sitting at a desk. This will surely be a relief to their teachers who get to spend the next three to four hours with the kids.
What about physical education though? Would that not be enough for the kids? Well, not necessarily because…
2. Dance gives an outlet for creativity
At school, students are given formulas, facts and books. While those are important to education, I would argue that creativity is just as important. Dance allows children to access their creativity while also exercising their bodies.
Growing up learning how to create is essential to a human’s development, even if they aren’t planning on going into a typically creative field. Creativity is a huge prerequisite for problem-solving, which is important for life in general.
3. Dance is a universal language
Whether I watch a dance concert in Russia, Nigeria, or the United States, I will probably be able to understand the majority of what I am watching. Dance is a form of expression that transcends language and uses the body to convey emotions and stories.
Therefore, it is the perfect activity to present to children, who are still developing their emotions and in certain cases, their linguistic and verbal skills. Dance removes a wall between people of varying skill sets, languages and cultures. All children can participate in dance in a public school setting, regardless of background.
Once they are able to communicate their thoughts and feelings through movement, the verbal component can follow a lot easier. This can make elementary school so much easier for students who are new to the English language.
4. Studio dance isn’t built for everyone
I grew up as a studio dancer. I am not trying to completely bash that avenue of dance. However, I will not lie; most studios’ yearly tuitions are almost as expensive as a university education.
There are many studios in Fort Collins for children and adults alike to dance at, but doing so requires a lot of support, money and time. Someone needs to drive the child to dance, most likely multiple times a week. Someone needs to take the child to performances and competitions. And, of course, someone needs to pay that hefty tuition bill every month.
If dance was implemented into the public school curriculum, students would have the time built out for them to explore the art form, while also removing the monetary stress of studios.
5. You get to explore different cultures
Dance has been around pretty much as long as humans have. Whether for storytelling, religious purposes or simply entertainment, pretty much every culture, past or modern, has utilized dance in some way.
What this means is, as a dance teacher, your curriculum options are endless! Each style of dance has its own music, history, movements and nuances. Introducing these different aspects to children can expand their worldview and present them with better understandings of other cultures than their own.
6. You can explain other subjects in a visual way
Everyone learns differently and everyone is predisposed to catch on quicker to different things. Beacuse of this, a lot of children have trouble in our school system, not due to lack of intelligence, but due to the method the teacher is using to explain a topic.
Through dance, you can explain any other subject in a visual or kinesthetic way to the students that might learn better with that method.
Since only 35 states even certifying dance educators, there is still a long way to go before dance becomes a common part of the public school curriculum. Dance education is more beneficial to children than one might think, and with more advocacy, hopefully, we will see that statistic include all 50 states.
