"The creativity of the arts and the joy of music should be central to the education of every American child." - Richard W. Riley
“Make Dance
Education a Right of Every Child at Any Level of Schooling” is the title of a petition
that was started by Dr. Radi Shafie, a professional dancer and parent, from New
Mexico who believes in the National Dance Education Organization Child’s Bill of Rights in Dance. Dr. Shafie’s plan is to
submit this petition to the White House by February 15, 2013. Accumulating signatures on this petition
should be an easy task when one considers the benefits that dance offers.
Because
dance is a physical activity, it provides a means for improving health by
increasing muscular strength and flexibility, creating neural pathways,
developing kinesthetic and proprioceptive skills, and increasing metabolic
rates. Dance also helps develop the
right brain hemisphere and reaches kinesthetic and tactile learners through
active, experiential learning. Several
studies, which are detailed in my post, The Case for Dance in Public Education,
have shown that dance can be used to increase reading scores, increase scores
on tests of creativity, and improve abstract thinking.
Allowing
each child the right to benefit from everything dance offers, seems to be a
no-brainer, yet the petition needs to gather a total of 100,000 signatures by
this Friday and has only accumulated 1560 signatures so far. There are numerous dancers and dance
educators across the United States. They
perform on community stages, in regional and professional companies, and on Broadway
as a result of the influence dance has had on their lives. Dance educators exist in private studios,
dance company schools, private schools, magnet schools, universities, and
schools lucky enough to have dance as part of their curriculum. So…where are they and why has this petition not
gathered more signatures?
A general
lack of understanding has caused many to remain hesitant about adding their
names to the petition. Many dance
educators will not sign this document because they fear it will change the role
of dance educators in the private sector.
They fear that, by making dance available to all, we would eliminate the
need for private studios and extracurricular dance classes. It is important to understand that, if dance
were to be included in the public school curriculum, it would be very different
from the types of classes that students attend at private studios after
school. In an educational setting, dance
and movement are used in an integrative manner to help reinforce the
traditional learning that occurs in the typical classroom.
Integrating
dance in the classroom involves using movement to illustrate concepts
introduced in the general curriculum. Students
might be taught multicultural dance forms while learning about other
countries. Students are taught to use
movement to solve various problems or puzzles posed in other classes such as
determining how the solar system works or how a right angle is formed. Using dance and movement reinforces what is
being learned traditionally, reaches students that might not respond to
traditional, educational approaches, encourages teamwork, and encourages
creative thinking.
Although
the actual solutions must satisfy given parameters, no dance creation can ever
be wrong. This approach showcases
multiple solutions and encourages seeing things from multiple perspectives. Additionally, students are taught to
communicate in a new way, learn how to collaborate with others, are taught to
think creatively, are forced to use the higher order skills of analyzing and
synthesizing information, and develop self-esteem and self-confidence while
becoming invested in their work.
Schools
like Bates Middle School in Annapolis, Maryland have found that using an arts
integrative approach to learning reaches all of the children, re-energizes
their interest in learning, and teaches an appreciation for the arts.
This
educational approach is a positive one for everyone involved. Students benefit from a new approach to
learning, classroom teachers benefit by reaching students in new ways, dance
educators are given the opportunity to offer dance to everyone, and private
dance schools will benefit because, as more students are exposed to dance, more
will become interested in pursuing the art form in the specialized way that
private dance schools provide.
Making
dance a part of every child’s educational experience would be beneficial for
everyone…makes you want to sign this petition now, doesn’t it?
Last
spring, thanks to a generous grant from the Guilford Foundation for Education,
geometry came to life through dance and movement at an elementary school in
Guilford, Connecticut. If you are
interested in obtaining a copy of that curriculum, click on this link.
