DANCE IN THE MIDDLE! Why Middle School Youth Should Dance!

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DANCE IN THE MIDDLE   "Why Middle School Youth Should Dance!"   DANCE IS POPULAR!                      THE NEW YORK DANCE EXCHANGE

Dance has been a source of joy for humans for decades and centuries, and it was a life-saving modality during the Global Pandemic. All social media platforms feature the latest dance steps, movement crazes, and challenges all around the globe.  Dance-themed TV shows, dancing lessons, and demonstrations are popular across various media platforms. Many superstars use dance to promote their brands, and dancers are often featured to enhance their music and performances. Dance competitions, TikTok trends, and popular social dances are all the rage, especially among young people. Middle school students who train in dance styles like ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, hip-hop, and African dance experience the joy that dance can bring to one's life. Dance provides an immersive physical, mental, and emotional experience, which allows youth to exit from the technological world for moments at a time and participate fully hands-on/body-on/mind-on in the real world undistracted.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Why Middle Schoolers Should Dance

Middle school is a complex and critical time in a child’s life as they go through puberty, transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Dance offers a holistic approach to development, benefiting students physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively. Dance and movement lift moods and create positive feelings by releasing "happy hormones" like endorphins and dopamine. These hormones make you feel pleasure and motivated. Dance provides middle school-aged students with a space for immense creative expression and helps develop focus, independence, leadership skills, and self-assurance. Dance also positively channels  unbriddled tween energy into a positive energized force that creates artistic and athletic miracles. Dance also enhances physical abilities, strength, flexibility, stamina, endurance, athleticism, grace, and fluidity. Additionally, dance improves problem-solving, quick thinking, leadership skills, and organizational skills.  Dance movement has therapeutic qualities that assist with challenges such as ADHD, ADD, ODD, Autism, and other Spectrum Learning disabilities, assisting youth in strengthening numerous self-regulation abilities.

Health Benefits of Dance for Middle School Age

Dance is incredibly beneficial for middle school students for a variety of reasons:

• Physical Health: Dance promotes physical fitness, flexibility, strength, and coordination, helping students stay active and healthy.

• Emotional and Mental Well-being: Engaging in dance can reduce stress, improve mood, and boost self-esteem. It provides a creative outlet for expressing emotions and can be a fun way to connect with others.

• Cognitive Development: Dance involves learning choreography, memorizing sequences, and following complex patterns, enhancing cognitive skills like memory, attention, and problem-solving.

• Social Skills: Dance classes provide opportunities for social interaction, teamwork, and collaboration. Students learn to communicate, cooperate, and build relationships with their peers.

• Cultural Awareness: Through dance, students can explore different cultures and traditions, fostering an appreciation for diversity and global perspectives.

• Creativity and Expression: Dance encourages creativity and self-expression, allowing students to explore their own artistic abilities and develop a sense of personal identity.

• Discipline and Focus: Learning and practicing dance requires discipline, dedication, and focus. These qualities can transfer to other areas of life, including academic pursuits.

• Confidence and Self-Esteem: Successfully learning and performing dance routines can boost students' confidence and self-esteem, helping them feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in their abilities.

Dance Training Saved My Life!

During my middle school years, my family went through turbulent times as transplants from a Southern City,  Baltimore Maryland adjusting to the fast pace of the North, residing in Brooklyn, New York. Dance saved my life! The dance class was a neutral, objective place that I could return to over and over again and the rules and discipline remained the same.  When I went all out, worked hard, paid attention, and followed the guidelines, I felt joy and a sense and feeling of completion and accomplishment. I saw improvement and smiled, and those around me smiled too. Dance was my sanctuary, my sacred place, my place of peace and joy. Stress, trauma, and sadness had no place in my dance class—only joy! As a long-time dance teacher, I relive that joy every day as I watch my middle school students experience those same emotions. Dance changed and saved my life! Dance changes and saves lives! Dance Teachers change and save lives!

Conclusion

The power of dance goes beyond just movement; it's a holistic approach to development and well-being. For middle school students, dance can be a transformative experience, helping them navigate the complexities of adolescence with grace and confidence. So, let’s support, show patience and give guidance to our youth, who decide to involve themselves in the multi-faceted artistic discipline of dance.  Not an easy road to travel, yet the reward and pay off is great with regards to self development and evolvement. When the process of artistic development is respected, valued and endorsed  and supported by the surrounding community, collectively we are changing, growing and saving lives! Dance Teachers are changing and saving lives, dance students are saving and changing their own lives, step by step one dance at a time! #danceinthemiddle