As the new school year starts, students are faced with all sorts of challenges. They have to figure out how to navigate through this new year, their new teachers, and their new classes. In times like this, parents become very reluctant to enroll their kids in extracurriculars, especially in activities like dance. Many parents are concerned that dance might distract their kids and that they will lose focus in school. While these are valid concerns, dance actually does the opposite. Dance helps teach kids valuable life lessons that they can apply in school as well. Here are a few reasons why dance helps students succeed in school:
Dance improves focus
Dancing is a very delicate art form. It takes a dancer’s full attention to achieve certain steps. While many students find it hard to focus at first, constant practice helps them get better. Dance students are taught constantly how to ignore external distractions and focus on themselves and their movements. This increased focus and attention span also helps them in school. They are able to study for longer and retain information better since they are able to focus better on their lessons the first time around.
Dance teaches teamwork
Dance is all about working with the other people in your group. A performance is only as good as its weakest link. This is why dance students are constantly working together to make sure that everyone understands what is going on so that they all get better together. In school they are able to use these skills in group projects. Whether it be collaboration or articulating their ideas, because of their experience in team settings, dance students have an upper hand.
Dance is an outlet for students to destress
Dance is a form of expression. As such, it allows people to express themselves and free themselves from any built up stress. This is especially important for those in school. They face the pressures of learning new material, making new friends, and exams everyday. In such situations, stress relief is extremely important as it prevents them from burning out and it helps them continue forwards without being held back by their stress.
Dance exercises the mind, body, and soul
Dance is a form of meditation. It helps us center our mind, body, and soul. It requires you to gain control over all three. This is why dancers are generally also great at critical thinking. They have the control over their mind necessary for things like critical thinking. This is an essential skill for school as well. Critical thinking is the one skill that helps students regardless of what they wish to pursue.
Dance teaches dedication
Most importantly, dance teaches students to stay dedicated. Dancers are always encountering challenges. There may be a step that is really difficult or a choreography that they aren’t able to memorize. But they don’t get disheartened. They learn to keep practicing what they’re doing and they know that soon they will achieve what they wish to. This dedication carries forward with them in everything that they do. They know that if they keep practicing, they will be able to achieve whatever it is that they wish to.
Dance can really help students throughout their school life. It helps them focus on themselves as well as their studies better. It gives them the skills needed to succeed. But even beyond school, dance helps students throughout their lives. Dance teaches us life skills that we can take with us forever.
