Dance is essential to general education for boys and girls. Dance education beginning in early childhood and continuing throughout life benefits the body, mind and spirit.

"The Arts -- and dance in particular -- transmit culture, teach skills and fulfill the human spirit. There is perhaps no better description of education than this."

Carolyn Adams
Professional Dancer

BENEFITS OF DANCE FOR CHILDREN

• Physical Dance helps to increase flexibility, improve circulation, tone the body and develop muscles. It also improves posture, balance and coordination.
• Intellectual Dance enriches learning through a variety of perspectives, both traditional and experimental.
• Esthetic Dance awakens consciousness of beauty, lending new meaning to movement and form.
• Cultural Dance increases understanding and appreciation for forms, choices and rituals from a broad range of historical, social and cultural perspectives.
• Emotional Dance helps develop self-confidence and self-esteem in a stimulating environment.
• Social Dance improves sensitivity, understanding, appreciation and consideration for others, both for their similarities and differences.

DANCE ENGAGES THE WHOLE PERSON

• Learning Like other art forms, dance helps us to perceive and communicate who we are.
• Knowledge Dance has its own body of knowledge which can be shared, passed on and enlarged.
• Experience The very nature of dance is best discovered through experiencing it. In this it is almost unique as an art form, and very special as part of a child's education.

DANCE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

Dancing gives the young child a chance to experience and understand both personal and social perspectives in a stimulating situation. Dancing offers opportunities to express thoughts and feelings and to understand other's thoughts and feelings.

The dynamic balance of dance's physical, mental and emotional aspects should be present in dance education, regardless of whether the child plans to pursue a career in dance. As in other arts disciplines, professional preparation in dance demands years of rigorous education, training and practice.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO GET YOUR CHILD STARTED IN DANCE

• Encourage your child to experience movement Ask questions like "How many ways can you balance yourself besides standing?" and "How many different ways can you move your head (arms, leg, upper body)?" Questions like these will help your child become aware of his body and its relationship to other people and the environment.

• Provide a place and times for your child to explore and invent movement Have her tell a story by acting it out with body movements. Or, ask him to move with different types of walks (downhill, on parade, stiff, up stairs) or to pretend to use different kinds of vehicles (bicycle, skateboard, car, horse, etc.).

• Encourage the child to relate movement to rhythm. This can be as simple as getting a child to clap, rock or hop to music or a rhythmic beat. Your child may also enjoy moving or dancing to familiar songs and nursery rhymes. The goal is to get the child to experience movement as it relates to music or rhythm.

• Allow the child to experiment with basic movements. Walking, running, jumping, skipping and such are basic locomotor movements. Bending, stretching, twisting and swinging are non-locomotor movements. By varying the size, level and direction of these basics, children discover a large number of movements which can be combined to form basic dance steps.

WHERE TO FIND DANCE INSTRUCTORS

First, look into the situation in your school and school district. Find what importance is given to dance and advocate making it a high priority. Second, look into private instruction in studios, community centers, parks and recreation programs, summer camps and other enterprises such as YWCAs.

In both cases, assure yourself that a dance program is appropriate for your child's physical and social development and that it is educationally sound. The following information may help you review the dance instruction in your local school, private studio or other setting.

EVALUATING TEACHERS AND CLASSES

• Can I observe the class before enrolling my child?
• Does the teacher seem aware of the physical, emotional and social development and needs of the students?
• Does the teacher seem enthusiastic about the work?
• Is the teacher supportive of each student's abilities, potential and goals?
• Does the teacher use imaginative, varied and interesting approaches to the material being taught?
• Is the teacher well trained and qualified?
• Does the teacher seem well prepared and able to effectively communicate his or her knowledge?
• Is the teacher familiar with human anatomy and the proper use of the body?

• Are the students grouped according to age, physical abilities and social development?
• Are class and time allotments appropriate for the age group?
• Does the teacher give time for movement exploration?
• Does the class provide satisfaction and enjoyment?
• Is required attire appropriate and comfortable?

     Ages  3-5          7-15 students         30-45 minutes

     Ages  6-8              20 students         45-60 minutes

     Ages 9-12             25 students         60-90 minutes

SELECTING A DANCE PROGRAM

• A space that is clean, well ventilated, well lit and free of obstructions.
• A floor that is resilient and well maintained. (A suspended wood floor is best to avoid physical stress, but certain treatments over cement and tile can accommodate dance that does not include a great deal of landing from jumps.)
• Floor space that is adequate for the class size and the age of the participants, ideally 100 square feet per student.
• Adequate space for changing clothes.
• Access to drinking water and restrooms.

• Dance class should not over-stress the body.
• Major portions of the class should not be devoted to performances or preparing for recitals.
• Dance for children should concentrate on individualization, creativity and movement exploration.
• Formal instruction in specific dance forms should not begin before age 7 or 8 depending on the development of the child and previous experience.
• Pointe work (ballet dancing on "toe") should not begin before there is well-developed body coordination, adequate strength, proper skeletal alignment and working body placement. Special attention must be given to the development of the feet, legs and back. Very few children should start pointe work before age 11.

ADDITIONAL READING

Dancing: A Guide to the Dancer You Can Be
Jacob, Ellen. (1981)
Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
Reading, MA

Dancer's Companion
Loren, Teri. (1978)
The Dial Press
New York

These pamphlets may be purchased from the National Dance Association:

• DANCE: A Career for You
• Dance Curricula Guidelines K-12
• Dance Education -- What Is It? Why Is It Important?
• Guide to Creative Dance for the Young Child
• Dance Scholarship Directory
• Dance Resource Guide
• Stinson, Susan. Dance for the Young Child.
• Children's Dance.

The National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency, was founded by Congress in 1965 to foster excellence in the arts throughout the United States, to help broaden the public's understanding of the arts and provide broader access to the nation's rich cultural resources. NEA's Arts in Education Program focuses on increasing and improving arts programs in the nation's schools. For more information write:

Three "Rs" for the Nineties

CHILDREN + PARENTS + ARTS

Educators tell us that these activities help children learn about the world and about themselves. Furthermore, learning a favorite skill or subject is the principal way that many children actually learn to read, write, reason and cipher.

Both culture and childhood deserve every adult American's attention and cooperative concern. This collection of brochures itself is the product of cooperation -- by five private organizations that drafted the brochure texts and the National Endowment for the Arts. We are all indebted to the Hallmark Corporate Foundation whose generous support made the project possible and allowed us to help America's children experience the wonder and wit and wisdom of the arts.

American Alliance for Theater & Education, Music Educators National Conference,
National Art Education Association,
National Dance Association,
Teachers & Writers Collaborative

John E. Frohnmayer, Chairman
National Endowment for the Arts