Why Dance?

Have you, as parents, ever wondered why your children should be involved in a professional run formal program of dance?

When children participate in dance classes, there is much more for them to experience than merely providing a showcase for family and friends to see their talents! Besides performing, the more obvious reason is to provide an incentive for the child who is taking lessons in a performing art. A well-organized formal program lays the foundations to prepare the child to become a more accomplished, self-confident adolescent and adult.

For the young child there are many lessons to be learned from participation in a dance program. The experience itself gives the child a satisfaction derived from being the source of pleasure for others. They enter a dance class or ascend a stage with a certain amount of trepidation but leave them with a definite sense of accomplishment. They discover that being with peers or facing the public need not be a frightening experience if they are given proper preparation for the event. The shy child discovers a sense of anonymity with other classmates or behind the footlights, and sometimes enough so, that they can shed their inhibitions to a more marked degree than ever possible in other situations. In working with a class there is a feeling of safety and also the learning experience of working with a team.

In all the performing arts there also is a define discipline to be gained and in the performance itself this discipline becomes all-important. A sense of responsibility to one-self and to classmates or co-performers is accomplished when presenting a well organized professionally conducted program.

On a technical level, when the child performs in the annual recital, stage directions are teamed with cues, projection, choreography, presentations, entrances, and exits. Lighting and color enter the students’ lives, and the importance that both values play in their effects on human nature.

In learning to be a performer, a great appreciation is gained to become a receptive audience. The child can quickly perceive how to become a more critical and selective consumer. An appreciation for all types of music, drama, and dance can be developed by the first-hand experience of each. The child’s world broadens so that they make a more intelligent choice of what appeals to their senses and what does not.

A child who has had the opportunity to perform has a unique advantage over those who have not. They can walk into many of life’s experiences better prepared to present themselves in a more favorable light--they have already experienced the acceptance of a public audience. Having once heard the applause for one’s efforts provides the groundwork on which self-confidence is built. It is that the child’s early experience in dance classes and performances will have a positive effect on their later developments. A parent should not discourage such experiences, but rather, make certain that these experiences are good ones. This will be a time when the child will walk away with head and shoulders are held high. Such times leave lasting feeling of positive action and success.

The benefits gained from a formal dance program--beside the obvious of building self-confidence, poise, and talent--will help the child better deal with the many challenges and experiences they will face in life!