Simply defined, dance is the human body rhythmically moving through space and time with energy or effort.

Dance engages the dancer’s physical, mental, and spiritual attributes when performing dance as a work of art, a
cultural ritual, a social recreation, a health and wellness activity, or an expression of the person. A dance form
initiates from physical movement, rhythm, content, style, aesthetics, traditions, and mental and spiritual
meanings that may be artistic, creative, social, cultural, or religious. Dance forms can be designated into
categories or genres: creative movement and creative dance; recreational dance, which includes folk, cultural,
and social dance forms; concert dance forms; and dance fitness. A dance genre is a class or category of art or
dance based on a set of stylistic criteria. Genre examples include ballet, modern dance, jazz, tap dance, and
hip-hop. A dance form is a subcategory of a genre of dance. Examples of some dance forms in the recreational
dance genre include line, round, and square dancing.

Defining Dance Education

Defining dance education requires exploring dance in its many roles. Without the passing of
knowledge of dance from one person to another and from one generation to the next, dance could
not have survived as a discipline or as an art form. Dance heritage is vast; the forms range from
authentic or genuine to classical to contemporary. Throughout the 20th century, dance education
took many forms in educational settings; it has been used for many purposes. In the 21st century,
dance is gaining recognition as a healthy, lifelong activity that contributes to developing and
sustaining the whole individual.
Dance has many roles within the parameters of dance education. Dance can range from simple, exploratory
experiences in an elementary school to professional-level performance in an arts magnet high school. Dance
can be learning folk dances as part of a social studies unit about Greece, or it can be a way to integrate the
study of the four phases of a butterfly in science. Dance continues to educate within community settings where
dancers of all ages participate and perform in artistic or entertainment venues, cultural celebrations,
recreational and social occasions, or health and fitness classes as lifelong enrichment. Dance provides a wealth
of resources, evolving pedagogy, and scholarship that supports learning in many aspects. Exploring dance and
its functions in education provides a better perception of the expanse of dance education.

Dance in Educational Settings

As an educational modality, dance enriches the child, the adolescent, the adult, and the senior
citizen in a variety of ways. The discipline of dance concentrates on its processes with
performance as the product. The dance processes and the performance experiences educate
participants physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually. Dance teachers are aware of the
benefits that students derive from participating in and studying dance.

Dance as education offers many benefits. Nevertheless, it has only recently gained recognition
for its value in developing and enhancing the whole person, as a performing art, and as a
recreational, creative, or personal pursuit for lifelong learning and enrichment. It remains the
least understood and developed of the arts in education.

Ideally, dance education should begin in early childhood or with the preschool student. A variety
of educators deliver dance programs in kindergarten through high school. They include dance
educators, physical educators, classroom teachers, and other arts educators such as music or
drama teachers. Communities offer many types of dance education opportunities for various age
groups from early childhood through teenagers, to young and mature adults, to senior citizens
through dance studios, arts, cultural, entertainment recreation, and fitness organizations.

, Historical Role of Dance in Education

Today,dance functions as an essential component of education and as a partner with other

academic subjects and arts education. During 20th century education, dance gained acceptance as
a separate discipline. At the beginning of the 20th century, dance was taught in physical
education as either folk dance for boys and girls or as aesthetic dance, which was exclusively for
girls.

Throughout much of the 20th century, dance was a viable part of the physical education
curriculum. The continued efforts of dance artists and educators led to the definition of dance as
a separate discipline. Dance separated from its physical education roots and often joined other
arts disciplines in the fine arts or became recognized as a singular discipline that developed as a
dance program or department. Regardless of the positioning of dance within the school and
college or university setting that prepares dance educators for teaching in K-12 education, the
focus remains on the study of dance.

DEFINING DANCE AND DANCE EDUCATION

Dance as a profession and as a discipline are internally joined. Dance becomes the nucleus that
supports dance education as an artistic and educational medium. Dance education is defined as
educating the learner through the media of dancing, dance making, and dance appreciation. On
the surface, this definition seems simple, but in its simplicity lies also its complexity. Dance
education is not as simple as putting dance and education together.

Dance means different things to different peoples and cultures. Often it is difficult to separate the
dancer from the dance. Defining dance provides a basis on which to build an understanding of
dance education.

Educational theories developed by Howard Gardner about multiple intelligences (Gardner 1983)
gave pivotal support to the importance of arts education. One of Gardner’s theories suggests that
the arts use other forms of intelligence to reach students beyond the traditional learning
paradigms of linguistics and mathematics. Students who participate in the arts use different
intelligences to learn, understand, and perform tasks. Continued support from late 20th century
and current 21st century scholars followed to substantiate the importance of dance as arts
education and education. Other theorists, scientists, educators, and scholars you will meet
throughout this book have offered a wide range of new ideas, theories, and models that relate to
and support dance as arts education. Research has provided data regarding the effect of arts
education programs on students. These studies show that arts education
 provides opportunities to participate in and achieve in the arts, thereby gaining skills,
such as independent and critical thinking, reasoning, and group interaction, that transfer
to other disciplines of study;
 offers opportunities to learn through the arts about related disciplines of science,
mathematics, history, culture, and others to acquire a global viewpoint;
 develops self-discipline, persistence, and tenacity to complete tasks, use creativity, and
employ critical-thinking skills;
 prepares students for the 21st century workplace;
 provides access to learning for students who do not respond to traditional methods; and
 has a positive effect on students’ personal sense of self-esteem, motivation, and
academic performance.
 The importance of Dance in Education
 By Sabine Howe, Physical Education Specialist
 Learning, thought, creativity, and intelligence don’t just come from the brain alone, but
from the entire body. Movement combinations increase memory, order, and sequencing
skills. Creating dances also increases self-esteem which is so very important to
learning. We already witness the need for children to move throughout the day. Having
experienced first hand the positive effects that music and dance have on students’
development, I feel it is important for dance to be included in all elementary (and
secondary) curricula.


 There are so many reasons why dance is important to the health and development of our
young people. Above all, children need to move! Any way to get kids moving on their
feet is a must (especially in a digital era). Dance burns calories, strengthens muscles,
improves balance, increases flexibility, and gives the heart a good workout. Dance has
also been proven to increase cognitive development. Current research documents the
importance of exercise on the brain and supports what dancers have always known –
the body and mind are connected in vital ways.
 Utilizing dance in academics also helps children develop skills that are necessary for
learning such as creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration.
Through the creative process, students are encouraged to use their imagination,
collaborate with their peers to solve problems, and discover multiple solutions to
challenges.
 It is because of these reasons that I have chosen to incorporate music and dance into
every PE program here at MCS. The elders are so happy to hear fun music and move
their bodies! I have found that they learn steps and rhythms extremely quickly. By the
time the children get to Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and then to the
Adolescent Community, although their taste in music might change, they are still
incredibly happy to move their feet. Also, their repertoire of dance numbers is quite
amazing! Some children chose to create their own dances, and this is always a joy to
watch. My hope is that all of our children and young adults never lose their desire to
play music and just dance!