BC Education - Dance 11 and 12

Rationale

Dance is the art of gesture and movement. It transforms images, ideas, and feelings into movement sequences that are personally and socially significant. Dance organizes physical energy within time and space, and may draw from the power of music, literature, drama, and the visual arts. Dance is a natural means of communication and expression, integrating movement, feeling, and intellect.

Appreciation of dance provides a context for understanding the world and contributes to a vibrant culture. As one of the fine arts, dance embraces movement, creation, and performance. It requires a balance of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that stretches the limits of our physical ability, of our expressiveness, and of the human spirit. Dance can be powerful, vital, and joyful.

People dance for many reasons and in all stages of life. Dance education provides all students with opportunities to experience, understand, and value the language and art of dance. Because dance uses movement in unique ways, it provides an exciting impetus for learning in all areas of the curriculum.

Instruction in dance allows students to acquire dance literacy skills that contribute to their development as educated citizens. It provides students with opportunities to:

appreciate the aesthetic inherent in dance
develop critical-thinking skills through the creative process of dance
communicate information, ideas, understanding, and emotions
develop self-motivation and enhance self-esteem through participation
appreciate the role of dance in the community
acquire skills and attitudes for lifelong involvement in dance (for careers or recreation)
strive for physical well-being by developing the body
develop qualities of co-operation and respect for others through knowledge and understanding of dance in world cultures

Revised: January 25, 1999

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