Lets explore the benefits of dance
It’s summertime, and as a parent, you are trying to decide what to put your child in for the fall or beginning of the school year. There are so many different extracurriculars to choose from, how on earth do you pick what to do?! It’s as easy as sitting down and thinking about what you want your child to gain or learn through enrolling them into those activities. You want to make sure your dollars are being spent on the future development of your child right? So what values, skills, and attributes do you want your child to learn, and what extracurricular activities instill that through their lessons? That, my friend, is the answer to your problem!
Luckily for you, dance covers the majority of those skills parents are wanting their children to learn. Dance aids in their physical development, health and nutrition, positive self-confidence, healthy competition, and most importantly- valuable life skills (such as respect, responsibility, reasoning, and relationships- AKA the 4 R-Pillars).
Let's break those down for you, and see how you feel about enrolling your child into dance afterward!
Dance makes your child smarter, it is literally re-mapping their neuro-pathways and increasing neural connections in the brain through movement. I think this is fascinating! Through learning and then practicing new movements, tricks, and special patterns is rewiring a new pathway in their brain and the practicing (repeating of the new steps in practices) is what makes those connections stronger. When your child finally has the ability to perform the new step, that brain connection has been solidified. So every time your child finishes a dance class, they walk out with a bigger, smarter brain- Literally!
Learning life skills at the studio is super important, not every studio focuses on this… but Chace Dance Company has deep roots in values when it comes to educating their students on more than just dancing. We have something called the 4-R’s (Respect, Responsibility, Reasoning, and Relationships). All of which will help them to succeed in life in any career path they choose when they are older. People have forgotten how important these are for children to learn… but we haven’t!
Respect is earned, and not given. Without respect, there is just chaos, and the importance of respecting anyone older than yourself is a must! Our dancers will learn to greet and acknowledge people in passing, to know that we are all connected to each other on this planet, and we all have value to add and learn from. Manners are strict in classes, with please and thank you before and after, and thanking the teacher for any corrections they are given during the lessons.
Kids learn responsibility through dance by packing required shoes, clothes, and adhere to dress code standards. All while keeping track of their schedules, time management, and rehearsals.
Problem solving and quick thinking on their feet is learned through dance, also known as reasoning. Do I go right, or left? What is the best way to get this or that done the most efficiently? If you are in the middle of a dance, you must overcome those questions quickly!
Teamwork and developing a high emotional intelligence is also learned through dance! How to treat people in and out of the studio, how to work alongside each other for better support of a team, being there for one another in our relationships. We all want to be surrounded by people we know, like, and trust, so developing those friendships and meeting new people through dance can expand their network and help further their lives in the future when they are older.
learn respect, responsibility, and reasoning...
Tamra Chace
Keeping up with a healthy lifestyle is important, without your health- you have nothing! And it’s sad that it takes most people a serious life scare to realize this. And being healthy is a habit, and should be started at a young age. Being involved in a dance studio that is health cautious is a huge benefit. We aren’t talking about weight, we mean healthy and fit bodies, eating real food and being educated properly on how to stay in optimized peak performance as a dancer.
I want to have my child get on stage and compete, but I don’t want to become a Dance Mom?! You don’t have to, and we don’t want you to. Finding a dance studio with healthy competition is hard, but we have you covered! It’s not about winning the awards, it’s about competing with yourself and becoming the best version of you! That’s what we teach our students, as long as you outperform your previous performance, you’re a winner in our eyes. Healthy dance competition keeps you on your toes, keeps pushing you forward, and keeps you making yourself better! Healthy competition breeds innovation and creativity.
That all sounds great, but my child is just so shy, she might not cope with a dance class or being on stage. Dance creates a positive self-image and confidence boosting in kids and young teens (adults). Dance classes are a place of nurturing and leading those shy students onto a path to feeling more open with others. This is a slow process and shouldn’t be rushed or taken lightly, but yes, dancing will help with building confidence in shyer girls and boys. It may take 10 years, but they will thank you when you reach that point.
See, your child will gain so much more than just a physical dance class. They will grow and learn all of these valuable life tools within this single activity. It is definitely worth a try! So get signed up for those trail classes, and find the dance studio most suitable for you!