In Step With DC
Dance’s Positive Affect on Your Dancer
Written by Erin Sforza on December 29, 2017

It’s no secret that learning to dance does more than teach students how to execute the steps of a routine, but we often forget while watching the physical and tangible progress through the windows there is so much more that our students are learning.

Dancers are usually very active people. They get tons of exercise through classes and performance, even with ballet. It may look slow and gentle but the amount of work the muscles are doing to be able to control the movements is much greater than it seems. Between the cardiovascular benefits, the strengthening and lengthening of muscles, and the stress relief, dance makes every student healthier each time they attend class. Studies have suggested that dance has benefits for memory and helps to ward off several types of age related memory issues such as Alzheimer’s Disease as well.

Classes and performance also help to build a child’s confidence, and here at Dance Connection we strive to create an environment of encouragement and positivity that helps our students to achieve their goals. Having a positive attitude can frame their outlook on life and transfer to how they approach the everyday of school work, extracurricular activities, and even their goals for their future.

Dance is a great way to learn discipline, and establish a sense of personal responsibility. Learning technique and choreography takes repetition, practice, and focus. Throw in school, homework, and any other extra-curricular activities and the balancing act that dancers learn to perfect is no easy task. They need to develop time-management skills and they also need to focus while in class to pick-up new choreography or placement. They know that although they are working on their own technique, their classmates depend on them to show up to class prepared and ready to perform. They are ultimately in charge of how much they progress during the year.

Discipline goes hand in hand with developing a great work ethic. Any kind of performance takes work, with dance much of that work is in the classroom but practice and repetition outside of class time is also immensely helpful. The understanding that a dancer gets out of their classes what they put into them is something all of our teachers work to instill in our students. Developing a great work ethic transfers directly into a dancer’s outside activities, giving them a drive to achieve in school, in college, and in their future careers.

The one thing that I remember most often from each recital is the look of accomplishment that I see on the faces of every young dancer who comes off of that stage. There is nothing like the experience of having those lights come up, having the music start, jumping into your routine and giving it your all in front of hundreds of people. Whether you are spot on perfect or still have room to improve, just stepping out there on that stage is an achievement in itself and worthy of celebration. That sense of accomplishment feeds directly back into that sense of self-confidence that we work to foster in all of our students.

By far one of the best positive aspects of studying dance, especially at a young age, is the way our students develop the social skills that will give them the ability to make friends wherever they go. They learn to make new friends every year as their classmates change, which serves them well as they progress into elementary school and beyond. They dance with kids who learn in all kinds of different ways, some who have learning challenges, and they are taught how to support their classmates, what encouragement looks like, and they develop life long friendships.

The benefits of dancing go well beyond the immediate one of learning a beautiful art form. It helps to develop confident, capable individuals, and our most important goal, positive, optimistic ones as well.

Have you seen the positive effects of dance in your dancer? Share your story with us in the comments below!

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Erin Sforza

Erin is the Public Relations Coordinator for Dance Connection. She studied dance from childhood through college and continues to be an active member of the Long Island theatre community. Erin received a BA in both Musical Theatre Performance and History from the University of Tampa, and has utilized aspects of both degrees working in the hospitality industry, as an Event Coordinator for the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, and as the PR/Marketing Coordinator and Group Sales Coordinator for the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale. In addition to being a part of the Dance Connection staff, she is a Travel Consultant affiliated with MouseEarVacations.com and CruisingCo.com.

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