Using Dance to Help Foster Children

            "Dance is the hidden language of the soul." - Martha Graham

       In the late 1930’s a dancer named Marian Chace was teaching dance and asked a very important question - why do people dance if they have no desire to become professional dancers? This question led her to begin to focus more on the people that she was teaching than the actual dance technique. She began to see that emotions were stored in the body, and that many people used dance as a means of communication and expression. She welcomed World War II veterans who were experiencing psychological problems into her classes and helped them to use dance to work through some of the post-traumatic stress they were experiencing.

            In 1990, the American Journal of Dance Therapy published a study that showed modern dance could be used to reduce anxiety and that it was significantly more effective than music and physical education classes.

            Today, in 2014, Melanie Buttarazzi is determined to use dance to help foster children confront the emotions they have stored in their bodies and battle the anxiety they deal with daily…

            A Toronto native, Melanie has toured with her musician father and brought dance and music to children in both Canada and the United States. Her interest in arts outreach has led her to create the program “Fostering Dreams Through Dance.”  She is partnering with the First Star Program, an arts and academic program at UCLA that works to place at-risk children on a path toward achieving a college education.

            Melanie and a group of talented dancers and choreographers, who have all agreed to donate their time, will be working with 15-25 teenage foster children to use dance to help them cope with the emotional upheavals they have encountered in their lives. The dancers will work with the students, introducing them to different dance styles, teaching them how to use movement to express words and emotions, and helping them choreograph their own pieces based upon their life experiences. 

            While one long-term goal of the project is to provide these children with scholarships to dance schools so that they may continue to dance after the project ends, the main goals will be to help these at-risk students learn how to express themselves through movement and to help them process emotions that may have been stored in their bodies for years.

            Projects like this remind us all why dance matters and why we fight to keep the arts alive in our society. You can find more information about “Fostering Dreams Through Dance” at www.fosteringdreamsproject.org.  You might also want to check out the Kickstarter Campaign and let them know that you believe in the power of dance to change lives, too.

Using Dance to Heal

            "Life beats down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you have one." - Stella Adler

Drawing by BZTAT (used with permission)

           As the end of last week rolled around, I had a new blog post on Post Performance Letdown ready to be published, but in light of the tragic events unfolding in my home state of Connecticut, it seemed inappropriate to simply publish the post and pretend everything was normal.

            As a parent I wanted to get my children home and keep them safe, as a person I wondered how this event could possibly be happening, and as a teacher who frequently works with the elementary age group, I could envision exactly how the young children involved must have reacted.

            I spent the weekend wondering how I could go back into a classroom of young children again without falling apart, and I began searching for a path to healing.  I searched far longer than I needed to.  I am a dancer, and I knew what dance therapists have always known:  the arts provide a means of expression that grounds us, brings joy, and promotes healing.

            On Monday normal routines were occurring in schools.  Students were still reading, writing, and solving math problems, and many of the young ones at my local elementary school knew little, if anything, about last Friday’s events in Newtown, Connecticut.  One only needed to look into every teacher’s eyes, however, to see where the healing was needed.

            Yesterday a very special principal agreed to allow a passionate music teacher and myself to help facilitate that healing process for her staff.  During the annual holiday sing-along, we were allowed to turn the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” into a school-wide dance.  Smiles lit up the room as kindergarteners, first, second, third, and fourth graders became dancing reindeer and filled the gymnasium with light and laughter.  The sadness was forgotten for a while, hope sprang eternal in the faces of students and staff, and the healing process was given a jump start.

            The arts have always been a source of healing, and, at times like these, instead of letting life beat us down, we must find a way to rise up against the evil in the world.  We must not forget that dance can help us do that – dance elevates the soul.

Oh no! My Child Wants To Major In Dance!!

            “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ― Confucius

         As high school juniors begin to explore higher education choices, it is no secret that many parents hold their breath and hope their children will not choose to major in the arts.  Dance, music, art and theater are wonderful, but are they fields you can make a living in?  If someone majors in dance and it doesn’t work out, what will he or she have to fall back on?  Is going to college for something as “frivolous” as dance a waste of money?

            People tend to believe that majoring in dance simply means taking a myriad of technique classes for four years only to graduate and begin auditioning for a performing opportunity that may never come to fruition.

            The good news for college students who are passionate about dance, their parents, and everyone whose life has been touched by dance, is that this assumption could not be farther from the truth.

           

            As dance has grown and continues to grow, so has the number of possible dance careers.  Dancers will always have the option to audition for professional and regional companies, but there are also a multitude of other possible career paths available in the field of dance.

            Choreography:  College students who major in choreography spend time learning about dance composition.  They learn how to manipulate movement phrases in various ways, and they learn about different styles of dance, different choreographers, and gain a historical perspective on dance.  These students can go on to become company choreographers, free-lance choreographers, or musical theater choreographers and are also able to teach dance composition courses.

            Dance Education:  Students who major in this area will be required to take classes in educational philosophy and practice as well as dance courses.  Their courses may include dance history, music for dancers, anatomy for dancers, class and lesson planning, foundations of elementary education, foundations of secondary education and foundations of special education.  Many colleges also offer the option of state teacher certification to enable the graduate to teach in public schools.  These graduates can teach in private studios, private schools, or public schools.  A terminal degree such as an MFA would enable the dancer to teach at the college level as well.

            Dance Therapy:  Dance therapy combines the study of dance with psychology.  In order to be a practicing dance therapist, using dance as a form of psychotherapy, a graduate degree is necessary.  Dance therapists work in private practices, hospitals, schools and prisons.

            Dance Scholars:  Dance scholars study dance technique, dance history, and dance notation and can get jobs with dance companies, in the television or film industries, or in libraries and museums.  Their job is to preserve dance for future generations through research, writing, and recording dance.

            Dance Journalist:  A dance journalist combines dance studies with English classes.  Journalists get jobs writing about dance, editing books on dance, or as dance critics for magazines, newspapers and online publications.

            Dance Science:  Dance Science is a relatively new field of study.  It combines dance with the study of anatomy and kinesiology.  Dance scientists work with dancers to educate them about their bodies and healthy, efficient ways of dancing.  Those studying dance science often choose to pursue graduate courses in exercise science or physical therapy.  They may work with dance schools or companies, designing strength training programs, or in injury rehabilitation programs that work with dancers.

            Arts Management:  These students combine their love of dance with the study of business.  These majors graduate and become company managers, booking agents, grant writers, arts advocates, and community outreach activists.

               The career opportunities for dancers are numerous and all have one common denominator:  they require a love of dance.  A parent whose child decides to major in dance need not panic because dancers are not just performers anymore.  They are the people that keep the art form alive, and by doing so, they preserve a very important part of our culture.