Why Choose Dance?

·   Movement and dance activities improve coordination and balance.

·   Music listening activities develop self-discipline, as well as critical and creative thinking skills.

There are so many activities out there for our children, how do we know what activities will be the most beneficial to our children?  While sports develop coordination, discipline and team spirit, it doesn’t utilize both sides of the brain (the artistic right side of the brain and the logical/technical left side of the brain) that a child needs for over all development and learning skills.  Sports do not translate into the classroom like music & dance does.  Music plus activity not only develops coordination, discipline and team spirit, it makes academic learning easier, enhances reasoning skills, good speech patterns, and develops a well rounded, confident person.

In our fiercely competitive society, we have put unbelievable pressures on our children to “win & achieve.”  Many succumb to the pressure and don’t achieve even if they are capable. Hence, we have many children with low self-esteem that seeps into every aspect of their life, physical and emotional.  Through our dance programs, children are expected to do their best, and their best is good enough.  Our dance program, which is non-competitive and starts at age 3, is more of a classroom setting with just teachers and students.

There is a wonderful performance at the end of the year that teaches the students about goals, how to work hard towards a goal, to finish their objective, and gives the child great confidence in a job well done.  The learning environment is one of great fun, but of discipline and respect, so that when a child enters school, he/she knows how to follow rules, sit still and participate as one of a group.  For our older dance students, we have a performing troupe, the North Arkansas Dance Theatre, that performs throughout the school year exposing the dancer to different public arenas, teaching them poise, compassion, adaptability and public relation skills (and you thought that dancing was just to keep in shape!)  Dance develops a life long love of music, dance and learning because we teach that learning is FUN and REWARDING! Isn’t that what we all want for our children?