"A stationary body brings a stationary mind."
When done well, dance can be integrated into the classroom to positively affect students and ensure a cognitive connection between the mind and body. Not only are we connecting the mind and body through thought and processing skills but also we are encouraging blood flow to the brain which betters the attention span. Have you ever seen a child that just cannot sit still? Let them dance it out! It is going to be beneficial to them and beneficial to you later on. Dance contains many elements such as: body, space, action, time, and energy which are different from the genres of dance which are ballet, folk, hip hop, jazz, tap, and more. It is most important to know that dance is NOT adding dance moves to any lesson. It is helpful to remember you must think about your standards. Were they covered in your lesson or not? If the instructor has answered no to this, then your art area has not been truly integrated! The students must always learn something and that something must follow a specified standard but add a purpose.
1st Graders Learn Math through Dance.
"The Infusion of the Arts Appears to be Gaining a Stronger Foothold."
In classrooms around the United States, students are learning using dance integration. What better way to learn about photosynthesis than using your whole body? Fort Garrison Elementary took it upon themselves to create dance movements for elements of photosynthesis in order to learn the cycle using their bodies. This sparked an art integration program for the school in which the school is able to launch a science outreach. With the dance added, students learned about photosynthesis in a fun way that kept them all moving which also made it a physical aspect to education. Though, dance is the smallest of the four art forms, and it make be longer to integrate it into the classrooms, there is an outreach for the arts and teachers are now willing to get out of their comfort zones to share how helpful dance may truly be in learning.
Schools integrate dance into core academics.
In an arts-integration school in New Jersey, John-Mario Sevilla (2003) found consistently higher test scores. The principal of the school stated, "Our fourth graders, since New Jersey has been doing mandated state tests, have consistently been among the highest in the state, I mean higher than some of the affluent areas where they have the big bucks to support their education. We have been 100% [in passing] across the board on the language arts, math, science, social studies." (pp. 36-37). Higher GPA's were found in dancers as compared to non-dancers in a dissertation by Carmen Carter (2004). However, dance integration activities are not only about higher grades and test scores. Dance activities provide deeper comprehension and more visible engagement in the learning process itself. All arts integration activities provide for multiple perspectives and have been described as helping to create a safe atmosphere for taking risks.
Sevilla, J.M. (2003). One school's application of the theory of multiple intelligences: When one flower blooms. Journal of Dance Education, 3 (1), 34-44.