School Teachers See the Benefits of Dance in Students

A few comments from school teachers about the benefits of dance for children:

“Dance for children is much needed -- along with physical education, because it explores their potential in movement ... on any size, shape, or color of body.” “I get a lot of feedback from classroom teachers who say, ‘I can tell these children have been with you and had dance because they are more assertive — not aggressive, but more assertive in their thinking and being able to share their thoughts.’” “Dance is a good experience for children who have a hard time sitting down. Once they come to dance and burn off some of that energy, they can focus on more sequential, factual information.” “Boys do like to dance. I start them off using the word ‘movement.’ Some boys are beautiful at movement. They get to explore that. Girls widen their perspective. They see that it is not just one style — dance is about what you think, what you feel, what you see.”

Owning Your Own Business?????? Has It Been In the Back of Your Mind?

Whether you have always dreamed of being a business owner---or have never thought of it before; now is a great time.  Corporate American has burned out so many people and professionals are seeing the benefit of having control of their career and income.  There is no better investment that owning your own business---it is a great way to express your creativity and strengths, enjoy what you do, and not worry whether you will have a job tomorrow or not.  If you are someone that loves young children and desires to invest in their lives---it is a wonderful time to explore the opportunity of doing what you love as a career.

If you work with young children---we would love to hear from you!  Share your great stories with us and what you have learned by working with little ones in dance.  Quite often they teach us more than we teach them! :)

Dance Teachers and Director Needed....

We have come across a need for a preschool dance instructor in the Philadelphia suburban area; as well as western NJ area with Little People's Creative Workshop.  If you (or anyone you know) is interested---be sure to send your resume and cover letter to:  LPCWphilly@aol.com  It is a great opportunity for anyone that loves dance and young children.  Don't miss out!  Pass the word.

Little People's Creative Workshop is also looking for an individual to fill a Regional Director position in the Raleigh, NC area.  Resumes need to be submitted by April 15th to:  LPCW@me.com  This position oversees the program and instructs classes.  Great opportunity!

Parents Not Giving Up on the Arts, Even in Bad Times

Numerous polls have shown that parents are not giving up and cutting out the arts in the family budget when it comes to their children.  Most parents see and experience the benefits that dance, theatre, and music provide in their child's life.  In our own program we have seen a great jump in enrollment this early spring; and continue to receive inquiries of new families that want to get their young ones involved in dance.  One positive of hard economic times is that we get to really see what is important to people---and it is obvious that arts enrichment stands out above the others!  Bravo!

Inspirational Quotes

Everyone needs inspiration!  Here's a small collection of some great quotes:

Art does not consist of making a living or producing an objet d'art or in self-therapy, but in finding a new soul. ~Henry Miller

You have to care so much that you can't sleep, you can't eat, you can't talk to people...You can't do it without passion. ~Agnes de Mille

It is our duty as men and women to proceed as though limits to our ability do not exist. ~Teilhard de Chardin

Seize this very minute; What you can do, or dream you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There are not days in life so memorable as those which vibrated to some stroke of the imagination. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open...whether you choose to take an art class, keep a journal, record your dreams, dance your story, or live each day from your own creative source, above all else, keep the channel open! ~Martha Graham

Odd how the creative power at once brings the whole universe to order. ~Virginia Woolf

Take your work seriously, but never yourself. ~Dame Margot Fonteyn

The devil himself always seems to get into my inkstand, and I can only exorcise him by pensful at a time. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

My favorite thing is to go where I've never been. ~Diane Arbus

Inspiration will always sing; inspiration will never explain. ~Kahlil Gibran

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~Anais Nin

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

To follow without halt, one aim; there is the secret of success. And success? What is it? I do not find it in the applause of the theater. It lies rather in the satisfaction of accomplishmen~Anna Pavlova

Art is the only thing you cannot punch a button for. You must do it the old-fashioned way. Stay up and really burn the midnight oil. There are no compromises. ~Leontyne Price

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

I have never found...an enjoyment equal to sitting at my writing-desk with a clean page, a new theme, and a mind awake. ~Washington Irving

Not I, not I, but the wind that blows through me! ~D.H. Lawrence

Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training. ~Anna Freud

Go out on a limb -- that's where the fruit is. ~Will Rogers

Benefits of Dance in the Early Years.....

Physical Development 

• Moving safely, imaginatively and with confidence 

• Moving with bodily control, co-ordination, flexibility and balance 

• The development of spatial awareness 

• Dancing with props; developing manipulative skills 

• Experiencing a range of gross motor movements and fine motor movements 

• Keeping healthy - dance as part of a healthy lifestyle 

Creative Development 

• Communicating ideas, thoughts and feelings non-verbally through movement 

• Using the imagination to create ideas, characters and narratives 

• Making movement responses 

• Having an enjoyable, exciting and motivating time 

• Working individually, with a partner and as part of a group 

• Developing trust and co-operation 

• Selecting and using movement ideas independently and with others 

• Exploring feelings and views of self and others - including other cultures and beliefs 

• Accepting the moral code on which discipline and courtesy within the group is based 

• Interacting with a new social group 

Communication, Language and Literacy Development 

• The use of sounds, music, words, poems, rhymes, texts and stories as stimuli for, and 

   accompaniment to dance 

• The use of language to imagine and recreate roles and ideas in the dance 

• Interaction - negotiating plans and activities and developing conversational skills 

• Appreciation - talking about personal dance performance 

• Observation - talking about the dance performance of others 

• Developing a vocabulary of movement 

Dance for Children Being Used in Many Powerful Ways...

Dance for children is now being used as a method of treating social, emotional, cognitive, and physical problems. Throughout the ages, people of many cultures have used dance to express powerful emotions, tell stories, treat illness, celebrate important events, and maintain communal bonds. Dancing harnesses this power of movement in a comfortable setting and uses it to promote personal growth, health, and well-being.

Quality dance programs for children are based on the premise that the body and mind are interrelated. Many dance therapists believe that mental and emotional problems are often held in the body in the form of muscle tension and constrained movement patterns. Conversely, studies have shown that the state of the body can affect attitude and feelings, both positively and negatively.

Dance movements promote healing in a number of ways. Moving as a group brings children of all ages out of isolation, creates powerful social and emotional bonds, and generates the good feelings that come from being with others. Moving rhythmically eases muscular rigidity, diminishes anxiety, and increases energy. Moving spontaneously helps children learn to recognize and trust their impulses, and to act on or contain them as they choose. Moving creatively encourages self-expression and opens up new ways of thinking and doing.

On a purely physical level, dance provides the benefits of exercise: improved health, well-being, coordination, and muscle tone. On an emotional level, it helps children feel more joyful and confident, and allows them to explore such issues as anger, frustration, and loss that may be too difficult to explore verbally. On a mental level, dance seeks to enhance cognitive learning.

Dance has a broad range of health benefits. It has been demonstrated to be clinically effective at improving body image, self-esteem, attentiveness, and communication skills. It can also reduce stress, fears and anxieties, as well as lessen feelings of isolation, body tension, chronic pain, and depression. In addition it can enhance the functioning of the body's circulatory and respiratory systems.

Dance has also been shown to benefit adolescent and adult psychiatric patients, the learning disabled, the visually and hearing impaired, the mentally handicapped.

This info was taken from the EduDance Site:  

www.edudance.net/benefits.htm