Movement Philosophy: Why Dance Education?

During my time as a full time teacher, I was asked many times, "Why do we have to learn dance?" by my students. Some parents ask the same, even many teachers do. My subject was considered unimportant in school, especially when other than the International Baccalaureate students, they are not taking any formal examinations for it.

So why am I teaching it? Why is the school offering it? Why does all the students up to year 9 have to do it?

Well, at first, I even questioned myself. I did not grow up in a different environment from them. I went to government school, where language, math and science were given top priority. Subject like art (specifically visual arts), were looked down upon as unnecessary, an extra A for the gifted and that's about it. It was simply my love for the art form that caused me to take it seriously. But yet, it still appear very co-curricular and seemingly exists in the realm of leisure and entertainment.

Why? "I don't know."

"Because you are in this school and the school wants you to."

"Because you need to move and get some exercise."

"So that you can relax and take your mind off the books for awhile."

"Because you have a body..."

But really. "We all have a body, don't we?" as Sir Ken Robinson mentions in his speech in TED, which beautifully and humourously illustrates the importance of dance as an arts education.

So well, as long as we have a body, and we live in/with it until the day we die, shouldn't we learn more about it? Learn how to use it, take care of it, get creative and have fun with it? (in many more ways...)

And learning dance is more than just learning to use it athletically like in PE, but the benefits of learning dance includes those of learning music and visual arts.

From simple dance exercises, students learn to listen, pay attention to and respond to music, its beats and nuances.

In a creative dance or improvisation class, students learn to create and express their emotions through a healthy physical channel, and learn to develop a aesthetic considerations in the process. This kind of class is also very therapeutic.

And not to forget, it is also a fun way of getting to know your friends and yourself!

But one of my biggest reasons for loving and teaching dance was simply about connecting with the body, the anatomy, the movements, the sensations, and wonder.

So, as I often say, learning dance is not just about another subject in your time table. Learning dance is learning about yourself, your body, your emotions. It's your life...

So? Do you have other great answers to this?

Source: http://movementphilosophy.blogspot.com/2013/02/why-dance-education.html

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