More Than What Meets the Eye

Nine hours passed, and I woke to the sun shining directly into my eyes, seat belt

intertwined between my arms, dried saliva crusting on my chin, and the bright and overwhelming

sign that welcomed me to Las Vegas stared me in the face. I stepped through the familiar clear

glass doors, assisted by young men dressed in green and was slightly pushed back by the gust of

air that rushed by. Making my way to the grand ballroom, followed by my abnormally large Rac

and Roll, I caught a whiff of the foul and cough inducing cigarette smoke that billowed above

every slot machine. I made my way to the dressing room that was already engulfed in broken

bobby pins, snapped safety pins, sequins, and mixtures of hair spray. The hectic atmosphere that

spilled out of the room was serene to me, and I felt at peace. I took a breath and quickly spotted

the perfect corner and wiggled my way through more teenage girls than the maximum occupancy

of the room would have allowed. Beyonce blasted through my earbuds in preparation to warm

every muscle in my body. The stench of years of sweat attacked my senses as I organized my

shoes. Seeing the stage prepared to withstand the performances of over a thousand dancers,

arrays of emotion, and never ending determination, I knew I was ready to dance until my heart

beat out of my chest. Little did I know that it would be the last time I would dance as a

competitive dancer.

After fifteen years of dedicating so much of my life to competitions, rehearsals, classes,

long hours, and performances, I never thought I would lose my love for dance. Well, not

completely, just the aspect of being tied down to attending a studio. Dance has been my passion

since I put on my first pair of shiny, black tap shoes and heard the sweet sound that they could

produce. I was excited to learn and push myself to be the best I could be. I yearned for the
sense of accomplishment that nailing a new movement would give me. Every feature of

my crazy dance lifestyle, down to the littlest detail, captured me﹣but that fire inside me

died right before the start of my senior year.

It was not until I moved dance studios at eight years old that I knew dance was what I

wanted to do for the rest of my life. From that moment on my sister and I dove head first into

competitive dancing. Not knowing what we got ourselves into, we were pleased to be able to

commit ourselves further into dance. Dance Connection Performing Arts Centre became my

second home. My typical day started by packing my dance clothes and shoes into my bag and

ended by staring through the dirty window of Studio 1, anticipating when my sister’s rehearsal

would be over. That was my life for years and I enjoyed every second. Although as every year

passed, I noticed that there was something new that made me question if I wanted to come back

for another year, but pushed by my parents and myself, I stuck with it.

As I entered Northgate High School, I extended my dance time into my school life. I was

lucky enough to be able to take Dance 2 as a freshman and only go up from there. At that point at

my studio, I was taking fewer and fewer classes, and finding less and less enjoyment in all styles

of dance. Competitions, which used to be the highlight of every season, were becoming a burden.

The bright lights that used to exhilarate me were now just an irritation to my eyes. The stage no

longer provided the space to express myself, but to impress everyone but myself. The memories I

made were no longer enough to convince me to continue competing for much longer. The

competitive lifestyle I endured had run its course. The summer before my senior year I made a

decision for myself and quit dancing competitively.

I still love dancing and always will, but I feel I can now dance for myself and for my own

pleasure without the stress a studio brings. I would never take back the time I gave to
competitively dancing because I know the benefits were tremendous. Though I do not know how

precisely it has impacted me psychologically, I hope to find the answer. When narrowing down

what I would research for my senior project paper, I knew looking back at my time as a dancer

would guide me to form a question that I would genuinely be interested in discovering the

answer for. This experience led me to ask the question: How can being involved in structured

dance impact student learning within the classroom?

Dance has proven to be more than just impactful toward creativity and health; qualities

learned in a dance environment can be transferred over for educational purposes. Studies have

shown that students who fully enjoy the freedom of expression and learning new skills in dance

classes have a greater interest in learning academically. Participation in dance related activities

erases the barrier between dance and learning, and allows for students to have positive

associations with learning in general. A review of recent studies of how dance impacts learning

conducted by the National Dance Education Organization found that “dance offers a special

opportunity to go beyond visualization and representation into full embodiment of and discursive

experiences with new information” (Bonbright, et al.). This shows that dance can be a way for

students to willingly be motivated to learn new concepts and topics not only related to dance, but

in school. After a student develops such skills to actively engage in the learning process, it has

been seen to extend to every aspect of their lives and increase the level of their performance

(Grafton). An important step to encourage students to want to better themselves academically, is

by providing them with a resource that provides options they may enjoy, and a new way to learn

tasks. Dance aides in giving them a new way to learn, by connecting an activity they already

enjoy with school. Research has found that 86% of Americans believe that the integration of

arts, such as dance, into education helps to improve a students attitude toward school (Ruppert).
In an interview with Judith Lynne Hanna, an anthropologist and former Los Angeles County

high school teacher, she stated, “Dance integrated with other subject matter enhances learning in

both subjects… Dance can be a way of assessing learning. If a student can dance out a theme, it

shows the student has learned it.” This conveys that when structured dance is paired with

subjects or concepts, the effect on both is positive. This is achieved through what is called the

AON, or action observation network, that extends across the two hemispheres of the cortex in the

brain. The action of doing or seeing a dance we are familiar with sparks this region of our brain

unconsciously. An experiment revealed that this system creates the positive correlation between

our passions and other challenges one may face, as well as creating motivation toward a range of

subjects (Grafton).Dancing provides a way for students to be effectively captivated in academic

learning while finding a deeper appreciation for the process and the desire to do well in school.

Dance is impactful in the way that it contributes to overall academic success. Researchers

have found that adolescents with a history of dance involvement have shown improvement in

their overall academic performance. The results of their studies show:

Students who participate in arts learning experiences often improve their achievement in

other realms of learning and life. In a well-documented national study using a federal

database of over 25,000 middle and high school students, researchers from the University

of California at Los Angeles found students with high arts involvement performed better

on standardized achievement tests than students with low arts involvement. (Ruppert)

In other words, by actively participating in the Arts, the students involved in the study improved

their testing abilities and scores, and were not distracted from performing well in school, as some

believed. The white matter in the brain contributes to this rise in performance due to it being the
connection to nerve cells, and the ability to process things quickly (Sagon). Studies have shown

that the white matter of dancers increases with regular practice, and helps increase muscle

memory. This advantage allows dancers to interpret and retain information at a faster pace than

those not involved in any dance form. In an interview with James Robey, Associate Professor of

Dance and Chair of the Department of Dance at Webster University in St. Louis, MO, he stated,

“I think it [dance] is an asset by bringing balance to all students who are being trained to split

their bodies and minds. Also, for those students whose personal kinesthetic intelligence is

stronger than their other lines of intelligence, it provides an outlet for them to express, explore,

and feel successful, which supports learning in other subjects.” From the perspective of someone

who interacts with dancers in education on a daily basis, his professional opinion is that dance

does not serve as a distraction to students. Robey relates that if a student’s strength is learning by

physical activity, dance is a beneficial way for them to improve and venture in their learning,

which will ultimately aid the other subjects a student partakes in.

Dance is blatantly beneficial toward kinesthetic learners, but it is just as influential to

auditory and visual learners. Dance provides universal qualities that help all three diverse types

of learners, it is how the student learns the dance is what makes a difference. An auditory learner

may need verbal cues, eight counts shouted to them, music played repeatedly, or claps to aid

them in mastering steps. In contrast a visual learner must watch the movements being

demonstrated multiple times or watch themselves perform the move using the mirror to

remember and perfect the steps. It is up to the teacher to utilize different teaching strategies in

order for every student to gain the overarching benefits of dance. To emphasize the need to

consider dancers as individuals, Hanna stated that whether dance is a distraction or asset depends

on the person and their overall interest in academics. In studies conducted by the Perpich Center
for Arts Education research found that “students who experience arts integrated curricula meet or

significantly exceed state and district standardized test averages… arts integration programs do

not lower test scores, suggesting there is no negative impact on academic achievement in core

subjects from an arts-integrated curriculum” (“Arts Education”). This further supports the point

that involvement in performing art activities can contribute to test scores and overall

achievement without negatively impacting the student or their performance. It can be concluded

that any negative association between dance and school is in combination with other factors.

Students from groups such as low socioeconomic backgrounds, special needs, or English

language learners have been seen to have greater improvements academically with the addition

of performing art related activity (“Arts Education”). Every student can see improvement

through dance because of the many aspects it can have on a student. One person may benefit in

one way, that the other does not. The positive outweigh the negative when considering the role

dance and arts have on tests and academic performance.

While the advantages of dance are very prevalent in an academic setting, social behaviors

are also improved and are important to take note of when considering what is impactful toward a

students performance in the classroom. The improvement of social behaviors and skills can

contribute to a students interactions in school with peers, friends, and teachers. Research has

found that “studying dance increases students’ social awareness and skills on many levels.

Students become more aware of the values and beliefs of their own and different societies by

performing and analyzing diverse dances” (“Standards”). By being well versed on the beliefs and

societies of the environment a student is in, it allows for them to be aware of their surroundings.

Students are able to form lasting and substantial relationship within school, which can provide a

safe and comfortable learning environment. In a literature review and gap analysis by Melissa
Menzer, a study that involved children who were assigned to attend a dance class twice a week at

school over a span of eight weeks, she found had great improvements of social skills reported by

the teacher. The children had a decrease in “internalizing (shy, anxious behavior) and

externalizing (aggressive behavior) problems” (Menzer). When compared to a control group, this

experiment shows how in just a few weeks, major improvements can be seen in the interactions

of children and their behaviors. Additionally, this insinuates that with continued practice of

dance and commitment, the social skills of students will improve tremendously. Students have

shown that through the practice of structured dance they have “learned to cooperate with one

another toward mutual goals when working on collaborative movement projects” (“Students for

Learning”) which exemplifies why the rise in social awareness will not only benefit the

individual, but groups as a whole.

As well as the contribution to social behaviors and skills, dance is a way to improve a

students emotional and mental health. The stress of school can have a very detrimental effect on

students, as well as other factors that may be unknown. Being involved in dance can better the

situation and ensure that they are mentally and emotionally stable in order for them to balance

school, activities, and other priorities. When asked the benefits of dance, emotionally and

mentally, Hanna explained, “The joy of creating, moving, and interacting with other persons are

some of the benefits of participating in dance. However, such things as a bad teacher or nasty

classmates could diminish the experience.” This signifies that the simple act of being happy with

the activity you are doing can significantly improve your health and mood. However, it could

just as easily be shut down by a bad experience. It is important to note that dance does not cure

all and will not give you absolutely perfect mental health, but it does provide a sense of

happiness and accomplishment when one freely expresses themself. When asked the same
question, Robey signified, “The ability to express oneself through movement provides an outlet

for student that is not found anywhere else in education. For many, it is a missing part of our

humanity… Dance education embraces embodied cognition, allowing for a more fully realized

experience of the self.” Robey expresses that dance utilizes parts of the mind and body that are

not otherwise tapped into in other forms of education or expression. In this way, dancers

experience dance with full manifestation that helps to stabilize the mind. According to studies

done with children and teenagers who are involved in music based activities including dance

have had “better outcomes for emotion regulation behaviors” (Menzer). This further clarifies that

performing arts such as dance can help students better control their own emotions and behaviors.

This will help them not just in school, but throughout life as a whole.

As illustrated throughout this paper, being involved in structured dance has a multitude of

benefits that do not begin with the physical health or creativity attributes. Coming from an

extensive background of competitive and freestyle dancing, the thought that dance was providing

such minute but impactful qualities to the student and learning process is amazing. For as long as

time, the gradebook has always shown above average readings. With the addition of such high

levels and commitment to dance, I now see the contribution it has made to my academic

achievement. Even before that, the yearn to learn and challenge myself past the limits has always

been excessive, and after much research I know the reason why. Fortunately, a clear and stable

mindset has always followed in my footsteps. As well as meeting such friendly and

impressionable crowds. This paper has sparked realization, and a deeper appreciation for dance

and the arts. Throughout life, there has been a secret helper, aiding my school performance,

behaviors, mentality, and emotions. That secret helper was dance. It is important that research

and studies are conducted to further the evidence of the true purpose of dance beyond the cliches.
Yes, dance provides expression and physical health, but there are also deeper aspects that may be

more significant toward certain individuals. It is essential that all dancers are aware of these

unique and enriching qualities that are following them everywhere they go. It is even more

crucial that individuals who seek help in any of the areas dance can provide, are aware of this

option. The last thought that I draw from this research paper is that dance is more than what

meets the eye.

 Works Cited

“Arts Education and Academic Achievement.” PERPICH, 2012,

perpich.mn.gov/index.php?section=arts-ed-academic-achievement. Accessed 10 March

2018.

Bonbright, Jane, et al. “A Report on the Impact of Dance in the K-12 Setting.” Art Works,

Research: Art Works, July 2015, www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/Research-Art-Works-

NDEO.pdf. Accessed 19 February 2018.

Grafton, Scott T. “What Can Dance Teach Us About Learning?” Cerebrum Archives, 5

Oct. 2009, dana.org/cerebrum/archives/. Accessed 1 March 2018.

Hanna, Judith Lynne. Email Interview. 9 March 2018.

Menzer, Melissa. The Arts in Early Childhood: Social and Emotional Benefits of Arts

Participation. NEA Office of Research & Analysis, 2015,

www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/arts-in-early-childhood-dec2015-rev.pdf. Accessed 1

March 2018.

Robey, James. Email Interview. 8 March 2018.

Ruppert, Sandra S. “Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement.” 2006,

files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED529766.pdf.

Sagon, Candy. “Take Your Brain Dancing.” AARP, 31 March 2017,

https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2017/dance-lessons-help-brain-health-fd.

Html. Accessed 21 April 2018.

“Standards for Learning and Teaching Dance.” Philosophy, Standards for Learning and

Teaching Dance - National Dance Education Organization, National Dance Education

Organization, 2018,

www.ndeo.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=893257&module_id=55431.

Accessed 2 February 2018.