Demand for Dance

Dance is an art form that allows children of all ages to express themselves. Over the last 20 years, this performing art has grown rapidly in popularity. With this growing demand of dance many people believe that Norwood Fontbonne Academy needs to add a dance program. This will broaden a child’s horizon while leaving their comfort zone. Dancing will allow them the opportunity to meet people in other grades or make new acquaintances with people in other groups. Children will have fun learning to dance while hanging out with their friends. All children who try this program- no matter how good of shape they are in- will see more strength, flexibility, and a better body. Yet, that is the least of reasons why we need to have a dance program at NFA.
“Besides lowering the obesity rate, dance increases endorphins, which make people happier”, says Lisa Bigelow, expert in the self help magazine/ blog, Demand Media. This will help students concentration rate because, the happier students are, the less likely the are to be distracted and unable to concentrate on their work due to other issues on their mind. Besides increasing endorphins, dance also allows children to bond with their peers and gain confidence. Unsociable children will become part of a group, which will make them gain confidence because they have others supporting them(Stanford).
To be able to have an emotional outlet such as dance helps children to connect to something and be able to positively express themselves in a creative and accepting environment. Not all children have that opportunity; which by that means that they are extremely hard on themselves and have no chance to shine through their own shell. To have this opportunity would mean that they could have just found the very thing to get them through the day and we are in no position to hold them back. I know this to be a fact from personal experience. Dance has given me a chance to become more of myself, and I will be forever grateful for that. As for the other children in my dance school, they also claim that dance has made them more creative and has made them much more confident.

In everyday cases, students will begin to show more muscle, flexibility, and better posture.In extreme cases, children with cerebral palsy showed increased muscle tone after dance. For children who are bouncing off the walls, dance can add more structure to their habits and at the same time help shy children become more confident by pushing them into a challenging environment that forces them to break out. As a witness in what dance can do to help add structure to a child suffering with ADD, I testify that after time, the child, (in my case, a cousin) will be more contained in their daily life.

When it comes to dance and a students’ grades in school, dance can be a great thing to add to their ability to comprehend because, when you are forced to learn choreography on the spot, your brain will begin to move faster and be able to contain more in a much shorter amount of time. Researchers at Stanford University had a very interesting point about how dance can positively affect the brain. They said that 76% of elders had reduced dimentia symptoms. This percentage beat out reading (35%), swimming and golf (0%), and crossword puzzles (47%). Apparently split-second decisions or info makes the brain sharper.
When I polled the seventh grade, I asked what they thought about this idea, if they would join the program, and what style they would like to learn. The boys and girls had different opinions on which style, but the majority said that they would join or be interested.The boys believe “If it were hip hop... you have to have that.” says Devon, 7C. While the girls say, “I want either contemporary or jazz, maybe ballet”. Even though these opinions vary, one idea is the same. The children in this school want a dance program.

When I sent out an anonymous survey to twenty seventh graders I received eighteen replies. 65% thought it was a good idea and 59% said they would participate in the program. If the rest of the school surveyed with the same percentages, I believe that this school seems very enthusiastic and eager to have a dance program.

At one time, the Academy of Notredame had this same problem, until Pam Devenney came to the school and became the dance teacher. Over the past eight years, the program has grown immensely and has became a large success. It now has different styles to choose from and practices on multiple days. It has grown from small to wildly popular in the school. Ms. Devenney has even helped Malvern Prep design their own program. This is proof that dance is a necessary program to install in our school and that very soon other schools will believe the same thing.

Like all activities, there are risks in this. Such risks are injuries or lack of interest received by the rest of the school. Yet at the same time, all physical activity has risk of injury and if that is what’s holding back the school then we wouldn’t have any sports programs at all. As for the lack of interest, the enthusiasm shown by a random sample of the seventh grade is by my opinion only a preview of the entire school.
Yet if we never took a risk, where would we be in life? Always on the safe side, never branching out to find who you are because it was a risk? That’s no way to live and that’s why I believe that this program is meant to be started by the class of 2014. It’s important to give children the opportunity to find different ways of expressing oneself in a world full of restrictions.

Overall, there is no reason other than lack of initiative not to allow the children in this school some new and exciting way to express themselves. We need to find healthy ways of expression when so many activities are limited.
Norwood Fontbonne Academy students have spoken, and they are ready for this dance program.