So the kids are at home. All. The. Time. The living room has somehow shifted into a communal sixth grade classroom and home office. “Normal” is taking on a whole new meaning, and while things are changing, some aspects of life before the COVID-19 pandemic don’t have to.
The decision to enroll your child into an extracurricular like dance class usually comes down to wanting to dedicate their energy toward something outside of school, to learn and develop a new skill set and invite them to embrace their talents. Dance studio owners have opened their virtual doors to ensure that children are still being provided the essential experiences dance lessons were providing before COVID-19.
But is dance class still dance class over a screen? It most definitely is. Along with these already established benefits, newly enrolling or continuing your child’s dance training through the COVID-19 pandemic provides opportunities for new modes of learning. Challenging the preconceived notions of learning dance within four walls, virtual dance classes broaden the scope of where and how children learn, opening their minds to new boundaries of comprehension and discovery.
The basic fundamentals of dance training comes from movement; teaching the body to naturally (and sometimes unnaturally) move in ways that become practically instinctual when a beat or piece of music plays. Music being an outlet and stress reliever for a large majority of the population, dance training fashions an intricate relationship between sound, mind and body, an art strung together by the facets of other arts. With the kids cooped up inside and nowhere to go, outlets like dance training are important now more than ever in regard to their natural development, while also learning to cope in their own ways with the ongoing situation. While dance training provides physical benefits including exercise and strength training, it also offers an outlet through a means of artistic expression. Dance gives children the opportunity not to forget these feelings of loneliness, frustration, anxiety, that they may be confronted with during these trying times, but to work through them in a healthy way.
And it’s no question that with school being transferred to an online platform for the foreseeable future, kids are lacking the feelings of daily structure and the basic social interaction they would be getting with other kids and adults alike. Virtual dance classes are a great place for children to continue to develop these social skills with their classmates and teachers, with the majority of online dance classes still being interactive, while encouraging feelings of motivation.
The habitual feeling of knowing a routine dance class is approaching each week filled with the possibilities of learning and perfecting new skills, provides a sense of stability that coincides with the dynamic structure of home life.
Thinking back to some of the happiest moments of your own life, I’m sure a few memories include turning up your favorite tune and dancing your heart out to it. Let’s give kids that feeling, too; they need dance in their lives now more than ever. To join online dance classes, contact us.
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