dance The benefits of dance for kids BY COURIER STAFF editorial@qns.com Dance can really benefit children’s health, emotional and mental levels. Dance involves a greater range of motion, coordination, strength and endurance than most other physical activities. This is accomplished through movement patterns that teach coordination and kinesthetic memory. Dancing utilizes the entire body and is an excellent form of exercise for total body fitness and enhancing overall well-being. Young children are naturally active, but dance offers a fun opportunity to learn new skills and movements. It is widely accepted that children can and should be introduced to physical exercise as early as possible. Dancing helps improve sleep and improves mood, while children learn to relax and reduce stress. The International Association for Dance Medicine and Science and the National Registry of Dance Educators have done studies to educate the public on the benefits of dance. Dance is a powerful ally for developing many of the attributes of a growing child. Dance helps children mature physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively. • Dancing can really help to enhance children’s posture, balance and concentration. • Dancers don’t slouch because they are taught how to hold themselves, keep a flat back, stand tall and remember your legs. • Dance helps the body’s circulatory system as it makes your heart pump blood faster and flow to the brain, which encourages direct focus and concentration. • Dancing improves your brain activity. It helps to develop key skills, such as coordination, balance, flexibility, strength, stamina, discipline and even memory. • Being active in this way also helps boost a child’s self-esteem, make them feel good about their own abilities and increase their self-confidence. Louise Benes, Director of the Louise Benes Dance Company in Richmond Hill believes through dance kids learn independence and feel good about themselves. If a child can conquer their fears by getting onstage and performing in front of an audience, they can bring that to their everyday life. • Dance school gets kids out of the house, away from the TV and actually moving. It teaches them how to move their bodies, use their bodies and stay active. • While childhood obesity is particularly high these days, dancing encourages weight control and keeps them in shape. • Dancing is a good way for kids to meet other people, make new friends and improve their social life. • Dance fosters social encounters, interaction, and cooperation. Children quickly learn to work within a group dynamic. Niall O’Leary, who teaches children at the Niall O’Leary School of Dance in Bayside and at the New York Irish Center in Long Island City, believes dance gives children a sense of accomplishment, especially when there’s an appreciative audience watching them perform. “It’s an opportunity to have fun, learn body control and place their feet well. Any child in a learning program where they’re using their body is more confident. When children ooze confidence and hold themselves well, they’re more likely to achieve success in life,” O’Leary said. a guide to A QUEENS COURIER SPECIAL SECTION
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