MoreThan

Context of the Learning Environment

First of all dance is immersive. It fully surrounds the individual. Few activities naturally and fundamentally engage the individual, especially the young child, with such completeness and immediacy. The sensory paths (referred to in educational literature as modalities) that are active in dance include:

        auditory            (hearing the music for synchronization and vocal cues),
        visual                 (for synchronization with others and self-perception and control)
        kinesthetic      (literally the entire body is called into action)
        tactile                 (touch - both with the floor and others)

There is no school activity that provides as broad of an experience for coordinating the senses so completely as dance. What school activity requires the movement of the entire body to learn the actual material being learned - requiring the coordination and the integration of sight, sound and body in a real time precision situation - all the while exercising imagination, memory, synchronization and both fine and course motor skills? It is a fact that many learning techniques meant to enhance efficiency and efficacy for learning standard school subjects introduce elements found naturally in dance. Sports at the early ages is never involved with fine motor skills or estehetics or imagination or visualization or some of the many other areas mentioned above.

This booklet takes a critical look at the value of dance and dance classes as it pertains to the young child, 3 to 5 years of age, and that child's development. Society seldom makes the effort to critically analyze the components and skill-sets developed in childhood dance and the study of it. The usual response is "Dance is fun." This is true but it is not any kind of an analysis. It is a simple observation. Also inferred with "Dance is fun" is the implication "So therefore any instruction and study of it must be just an extension of simple children's play and therefore of no "real" educational value." Or there is the often observed, "Dance builds self esteem." Which may be true, but the basic assumptions that dance classes for children are non-educational for the most part go unchallenged. Still largely leaving the questions unanswered, "What is involved in dance and childhood dance participation and the study of it? And what is its broader educational value?"

The fundamental skills conveyed by dance such as paying attention and staying on task, memory, fine and course muscular motor skills, sequencing, and synchronizing with others are fundamental to continued learning. All of these skills are conveyed in a way that is simply fun for the child. What could be better?
Look at public educational TV programs for children - everyone of them uses music and dance to engage the child. Take a tip from the pros - if you want to engage your child in learning. introduce them to music and dance in a way that fosters basic learning skills.