• Learning Benefits- The brain works by electrical current therebyneeding oxygen and water to function well. Movement (dance)helps to provide one of these two elements, oxygen. Anotherwonderful thing happens with movement. The brain produces aneuro-chemical called endorphins. This chemical causes a feelingof energy and makes the brain more conducive to learning.
• Behavioral Benefits- Dance can help calm children that suffer fromhyperactivity disorders as well as those that suffer from self-destructive behaviors. The act of dance seems to help calm and focus these troubled young minds.
• Physical Benefits- Dance will help develop muscles, tone the body, improve circulation, improve posture, balance, and coordination, and promote greater flexibility. Flexibility is often overlooked as a benefit but can really decrease the chances of injury, especially in an active child. Dance helps keep the body conditioned and the mind focused which heightens one's ability to perform other physical activities.
• Mental Benefits- Children who are involved in dance will excel in their academics and tend to be more creative. The art of dance helps teach a child to focus, creativity, and discipline, all of which are mandatory in any area of education.
• Social Benefits- Dance improves sensitivity, understanding, appreciation, and consideration for others, both for their
similarities and differences. Dance can broaden your child’s horizons by introducing them to other people and helping them
better relate later in life to those they may face and also in their future careers.
• Esthetic Benefits- Dance awakens the consciousness of beauty, lending new meaning to movement and form.
• Emotional Benefits- Dance helps develop self-confidence and self-esteem in a stimulating environment. “The advantage of the arts dance is that they link cognitive growth to social and emotional development. Students care more deeply about what
they study, they see the links between subjects and their lives, their thinking capacities grow, they work more diligently, and
they learn from each other.” Source: Washington Post Coordination Benefits- Increased hand-eye coordination and
improved fine motor skills. Students who can perform complex rhythms can also make faster and more precise corrections in many academic and physical situations.