Dance education

NCLB classifies the arts as a core academic subject to be taught by highly qualified teachers. K-12 standards for dance, music, theater and visual arts education were developed in 1994 by the Consortium of National Arts Education Association. A 2005 Harris Poll found strong public support for the arts (see box). So the arts should be high on every district's priority list--at least, that's the message implied in recent national reports.

The arts should be higher on some lists, according to Critical Evidence." How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement, a report from the National Assembly of State Arts Education Agencies and the Arts Education Partnership. The authors say opportunities for students to learn about the arts are diminishing, especially in poor, inner-city and rural schools.

State education agencies play an important role in supporting the arts, according to a report on the Governor's Commission on the Arts in Education.

Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee says in the report's preface that arts education offers "many practical benefits" but also "has value in and of itself."

Instrumental value. Correlational research suggests that student engagement in the arts is associated with enhanced student achievement. Supporting this position are findings from researchers at the Univ. of California-Los Angeles. They reviewed data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study, comparing students who were highly involved in arts instruction to students who were less involved. "Highly involved" students earned better grades, performed better on standardized tests, performed more community service, watched fewer hours of television, reported less boredom in school and were less likely to drop out. These findings held true for students from the lowest socioeconomic-status quartile of the 25,000 surveyed.

In 2000, Harvard's Project Zero published the results of a comprehensive research synthesis conducted through the Reviewing Education and the Arts Project. Research analysts Lois Hetland and Ellen Winner identified 188 rigorous studies conducted between 1950 and 1999, and they calculated effect sizes in 10 areas. They found causal links in three areas: (1) listening to music and temporary improvements in spatial-temporal reasoning--thinking using pictures that evolve in space and time; (2) learning to play music and spatial reasoning--the ability to interpret and make drawings, form mental images and visualize movement or change in those images; and (3) classroom drama and verbal skills such as understanding and recall of stories.

However, many questions remain. For example, according to the REAP analysts, "the analysis of arts-rich educational programs shows that studying the arts does not, in and of itself, lead to improved test scores. Yet schools with strong arts often report improved academic achievement." What we don't know is why, or which components of an arts education program have the most impact on student achievement.

Also, educators will need to interpret existing research carefully if it is to be of practical use. For example, "a meta-analysis of 15 studies involving 701 children ages 3 to 12 years suggests that children provided with music instruction score higher than controls on spatial-temporal tasks," Frances Rauscher reported in 2003. But a separate study that examined the effects of different types of instruction (keyboard, singing and rhythm) indicated that each type of instruction affected different aspects of cognition.

Ballet dancing

Are you a ballet dancer, thinking about taking ballet dancing to the next level?

First, let me say that I truly believe that whatever you put your mind to, and become completely focussed on that goal, you can achieve...

This article is just highlighting some of the centuries-old beliefs as to what constitutes an ideal physique for a ballet dancer...

It is well recognized that a ballet dancer MUST possess a physique that can be trained to the finest degree of coordination, combined with complete flexibility, endurance, and great strength from head to toes. In spite of this all important fact, some students train till well on into their teens before being defeated by some physical characteristic which undoubtedly existed at ten years old, but overlooked or ignored by their trainers at that time...

So what is the ideal physique, you ask?

Well, most experts agree that your body’s proportions are critical to having an ideal physique. Apart from aesthetic considerations, a well proportioned body will weather the stresses and strains of the exciting work required of it with greater ease than one in which there is some disparity in the relative length for instance, of limbs to torso, of width to length of the body, or of the relative size of shoulders to hips and so on...

Unlike the musician, the ballet dancer cannot tune their instrument by lengthening or shortening their strings, increasing or decreasing the tension until the exact pitch is achieved. In the world of ballet dancing, your body is your instrument, infinitely complicated and it becomes your servant only after many years of desperately hard training...

At best it becomes an instrument of great beauty, but it will fall short of this if it is endowed with that extra inch here or too short a length there to fall into that perfection of line and form that the art demands. In the well-informed, well-proportioned physique there is less likelihood of muscles thickening in unwanted places, and less proneness to the minor and sometimes major mishaps caused by the effort to overcome obstacles which are inherent in the build of the body...

The neck line is important, rather more on aesthetic grounds than from anatomical point of view. To conform to the ideal physique the neck should not be too square, and above all not too short; the head should not be disproportionately large nor too small...

The ideal ballet physique embodies a perfect balance between the upper and lower halves of the body. A good guide for the best proportions may be taken from ancient Greece where the length from the crown of the head to the pubic arch or fork is equal to that from the fork to the ground. Following the same pattern, the length from the fork to the lower border of the knee cap should be equal to that from the lower border of the knee cap to the ground...

According to the classical tradition, the shoulders of the man are broader than the hips, in the woman they are somewhat narrower. Here we diverge somewhat, for it has been found by experience that the ideal ballet figure is the better for some slight extra width across the shoulders, whether male or female...

Limbs are next on the list. Pretty arms and hands are naturally an asset; extra arm length or lack of it is not a really a problem, but for the lower limbs the standard of beauty is set high. The ideal leg will of course be straight and shapely, showing little or not muscular development when standing, with smooth line from the back view, and knees which do not protrude too much from the front

Ballroom dancing

Ballroom dance is a style of dancing with a partner of the opposite sex, which has its origins in the Western Europe and is now enjoyed at both social gatherings and competitions around the globe. It’s a form of entertainment which is widely enjoyed on stage, films, and on television. There are a variety of social dances performed by couples in the ballroom like Foxtrot, Tango, Waltz, Swing, Cha Cha, Polka, Charleston, Jitterbug, Merengue etc.

In the early 20th century, the on-screen dancing pair Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers greatly influenced ballroom dancing in the USA. Ballroom dance was popularized in U.S. by Arthur Murray and Fred Astaire, who established ballroom dance studios throughout U.S. Here 'Fred & Ginger' classes and workshops introduced the “American Smooth" style of ballroom dance. The other popular one is the "American Rhythm". Ballroom dance contests are particularly popular in Europe and feature both amateur and professional dancers. The other types include Nightclub Dances such as Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing and Hustle. In Europe, Latin Swing dances include Tango Argentino, Lindy Hop, Mambo, Swing Boogie and Disco Fox.

Variety and Judgment in Ballroom Dancing

Classic and Vintage dance groups are dedicated to the performance and preservation of ballroom dances of the past, having its origins in the folk dances associated with a particular place, time and costumes like The Twist, Minuet, Quadrille, Mazurka etc.

In U.S. amateur dance proficiency levels are defined by USA Dance as Bronze->Silver->Gold for syllabus dancers and Novice -> Prechampionship -> Championship for open competitors. Among professionals, the levels are classified as Rising Star and Open Professional. In a competition, ballroom dancers are judged by various criteria such as connection, frame, posture, speed, proper body alignment, proper usage of weight/ankles/feet and grooming.

Each type of dance has its own specific set of movements and dancing methods. While dancing in a crowd, always move counterclockwise around the floor following an imaginary line of dance for both the Waltz and the Fox Trot. The Swing, on the other hand, is more of a confined dance and is great for dancing on crowded dance floors. The people that are moving fast are on the outside of the floor while those who are moving slower or in more confined areas are in the middle. In other words, Waltz and Fox Trot are typically done on the outside of the dance floor Swing is performed in the center.

Ballroom dancing lessons

Like so many things in life, you get out of ballroom dancing lessons what you put into them. Simply showing up at your lessons is not enough. The time and energy you spend between lessons as well as during the actual lesson will can make a great difference in the results you achieve. Following are some tips on how to maximize your dance lesson experience. By approaching your lessons in a consistent, well thought-out manner, you will progress quickly towards your ballroom dancing goals. If you have invested your time, energy and money in ballroom dance lessons, it is worthwhile to take steps to maximize your outcome.

Before you even begin your dance lessons, you should spend some quality time considering what it is you want to get out of them. By having clear goals, you can then work towards achieving them. Too many people come into dance lessons without having given much thought towards what it is they really want to get out of them. Your dance goals should be formed with your instructor. Letting him or her know what you are trying to accomplish will enable them to provide you with the instruction you need.

When your lessons begin, it is important that you have the right mindset for each and every lesson. You should be well rested and focused for your lessons. Coming in tired and distracted will not make for a positive learning experience. You need to take good care of your body if you want to dance, because it is a physical activity. You also need to be able to put aside any problems of the day and focus on the task at hand. Maintaining that focus and concentrating throughout the lesson can be a large determining factor in your achieving your goals.

It is a good idea to come to your dance lessons at least fifteen minutes early. This will allow you to get yourself focused, warm up and practice some of last week’s steps before the lesson starts. By the time the lesson begins, you will be fully prepared and ready to make the most of it.

As you progress in your dance lessons, it is important not to get ahead of yourself too quickly. The best dancers keep their minds open to new information and know that there are always things they can learn to do better. Remember that your instructor is an expert and let them teach you. When the instructor demonstrates a new pattern or concept, let them finish it before you attempt it. If you do not understand something, speak up. Chances are, others in the class did not understand it either. When the instructor asks questions, answer. This allows you to be more actively engaged in the learning process.

After each class, it is a good idea to take down notes of what was covered in that class. Doing this immediately after you finish, when everything is still fresh in your mind, can be a valuable tool to progressing towards your goals.

The time you spend between classes can be as valuable as the time during class. In addition to going over your notes, you can use time between classes to practice on your own. It does not require very much space. Simply practice a sequence using smaller steps. Even visualizing the steps will be helpful later. You could use the time while you are standing in line at the grocery store to run through a sequence of steps. Much of the time that is lost in each dance lesson is spent re-learning what was taught the week before and forgotten. It is up to the students to minimize this.

Another way to take advantage of the time between classes is to listen to your dance music. By listening to the music you dance to regularly, you will develop a better sense of its rhythm. In turn, you will be able to dance better. When you listen to it, pay attention to the beats. Count them out and visualize yourself moving to beats.

Dance street

It matters not what lines, numbers, indices, or gurus you worship, you just can't know where the stock market is going or when it will change direction. Too much investor time and analytical effort is wasted trying to predict course corrections… even more is squandered comparing portfolio Market Values with a handful of unrelated indices and averages. If we reconcile in our

minds that we can’t predict the future or change the past we can move through the uncertainty more productively. Let's simplify portfolio performance evaluation by using information that we don’t have to speculate about, and which is related to our own personal investment programs.

Every December, with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, investors begin to scrutinize their performance, formulate coulda’s and shoulda’s, and determine what to try next year. It’s an annual, masochistic, rite of passage. My year-end vision is different. I see a bunch of Wall Street fat cats, ROTF and LOL, while investors and their alphabetically correct advisors determine what to change, sell, buy, re-allocate, or adjust to make the next twelve months behave better financially than the last. What happened to that old fashioned emphasis on long-term progress toward specific goals? The use of Issue Breadth and 52-week High Low statistics for navigation; and cyclical analysis Peak to Peak, etc and

economic realities as performance expectation barometers makes a lot more personal sense. And when did it become vogue to think of Investment Portfolios as sprinters in a twelve-month race with a nebulous array of indices and averages? Why are the masters of the universe rolling on the floor in laughter? They can visualize your annual performance agitation ritual producing fee generating transactions in all conceivable directions. An unhappy investor is Wall Street’s best friend, and by emphasizing short-term results and creating a superbowlesque environment, they guarantee that the vast majority of investors will be unhappy about something, all of the time.

Your portfolio should be as unique as you are, and I contend that a portfolio of individual securities rather than a shopping cart full of one-size-fits-all consumer products is much easier to understand and to manage. You just need to focus on two longer-range objectives growing productive Working Capital, and increasing Base Income. Neither objective is directly related to the market averages, interest rate movements, or the calendar year. Thus, they protect investors from short-term, anxiety causing, events or trends while facilitating objective based performance analysis that is less frantic, less competitive, and more constructive than conventional methods. Briefly, Working Capital is the total cost basis of the securities and cash in

the portfolio, and Base Income is the dividends and interest the portfolio produces. Deposits and withdrawals, capital gains and losses, each directly impact the Working Capital number, and indirectly affect Base Income growth. Securities become non-productive when they fall below Investment Grade Quality fundamentals only, please and/or no longer produce income. Good sense management can minimize these unpleasant experiences.

Let’s develop an "all you need to know" chart that will help you manage your way to investment success goal achievement in a low failure rate, unemotional, environment. The chart will have four data lines, and your portfolio management objective will be to keep three of them moving upward through time. Note that a separate record of deposits and withdrawals should be maintained. If you are paying fees or commissions separately from your transactions, consider them withdrawals of Working Capital. If you don’t have specific selection criteria and profit taking guidelines, develop them.

Pole dancing classes

Pole dancing is the latest, addictive craze to sweep the nation. Would this fun form of exercise be of interest to you? Do you not have time to go to the gym? Bored with the same gym machines and the treadmill? Do you want to feel confident, fit and Then this new approach to home fitness could be for you!

Pole dancing is an excellent way to keep fit and can be suitable for any figure, of any age or fitness level. Why not work out on a dance pole in the comfort of your own home? You can tone up and feel fantastic all in one go! You can now purchase fitness dance poles to install in your home on a permanent or temporary basis.

Pole dancing can help tone your body from head to toe, increasing flexibility, self confidence and overall fitness. You can help to strengthen every part of your body whilst enjoying fun dance moves, without wondering what you look like! Increase your fitness and flexibility at your own pace as well as giving you an all over feeling of well being.

There are many instructional pole dance DVDs available which can assist you in the most basic of pole exercises to the most expert moves and dance routines. There is a full range not just the UK but Australia, Canada and US. These feature champion pole dancers in their own right and include Fawnia Mondey, Pantera and Bobbi from Bobbi’s Pole Studio.

Maybe your local fitness centre now offers this new and exiting form of exercise. There are some excellent pole dance classes available with structured workouts to fit your own fitness level. These classes are now becoming more popular. Gyms and leisure centres are starting to offer the classes in addition to other keep fit classes. You can choose to enrol on a course or attend pay as you go classes. The classes are predominately female only, but this does not stop males from attending some classes. If you are male it is best to check first before you attend a pole dance class. Some clubs and community centres may also offer classes. A search on the internet or local advertisements can bring up the names of pole dance teachers in your area.

There is evidence to suggest pole dancing and fitness can have an effect on psychological processes as well physical ones. It is known that physical exertion has a positive effect on the sensory areas of the brain, causing it to release endorphins and Serotonin. These are hormones which give you feelings of happiness and some feelings of euphoria. They are also known as the body’s own natural painkillers.

Learning to pole dance at first can appear to be difficult. There are many moves that you can learn, from beginners to intermediate through to advanced. There are many exciting names for the moves that can be done on a dance pole including back hook, chair, fireman, fairy, crucifix, chair slide, and sun wheel.

There are several online communities, forums and networks that you can join for free where you can meet like minded people. You can ask members for advice on fitness, pole dancing in general or just exactly how to perfect that move you have been trying to master for ages.

You may well end up with bruises, aches and pains, as you would expect when trying out a new form of exercise. These should be able to be cured by a little arnica cream, a natural herbal remedy for bruising, time and some tender loving care. But if you persevere you will increase your strength and skills which will enable you to become competent at using a pole. Some take to the art of pole dancing which such skill they eventually enter pole dancing competitions. Maybe you could be the next ‘Miss Pole Dance’ champion.

Learn dance

There is much confusion amongst the general public about how you can learn to dance. It seems that everyone wants to learn to dance. How many people when you ask them the things that they would like to learn one day mention dancing? From my experience pretty much everyone. But how many people go through the effort to learn?

There is a myth out there that all dancers were born with the gift of dancing. My take on that is this: all dancers were born with the gift of dancing, and we were all given that gift! There are those who seemed to just drop out of their mother's womb dancing. However don't let the tears well up if this is not you, there is a dancer in everyone and it is something that can be unearthed.

The baby dancing on arrival in the world is a good analogy. A baby probably won't be able to talk for the first few years of its life. Then the words come out one by one, then sentences, and then absurdities on arrival of the teenage years. If I told you that I knew a 5 year old who could talk, would your face transform into an expression of surprise? (I'm hoping you answered 'no').

You give a baby as long as it needs to learn to talk or walk because you know that it will learn. With dancing it is just the same, it may seem unnatural at first, but with a bit of practice you can dance pretty well. And it won't take you as long as it took you to learn to talk!

The transition from walking and moving about normally into dancing is not as huge as it is made up to be. It is a case of making certain simple movements gestures, linking them up in interesting ways and making it look good! Of course when it comes to learning routines and choreography, that's another skill in and of itself!

So what's the answer to the golden question? How do you learn to dance? Well there are many ways. You could learn by copying your favourite artists such as Janet Jackson, Usher or J.Lo and studying their music videos. In fact, this is the way famous MTV choreographer Wade Robson learnt to dance. If you are naturally a good dancer, this could be a good approach.

Another way you could learn is to make friends with people who are good dancers and either copy them or try and get them to show you how to do a few of their moves. This is great, especially if you spend a lot of time with these friends.

The easiest way you can learn to dance is to join a dance class. There will usually be at least a couple of these in your area, maybe even a dance studio offering a variety of different classes from different teachers. If you are not naturally a dancer, joining a dance class or series of classes is probably the best option for you. Even if you can dance and learnt on your own, there are still plenty of things you can learn from joining a dance class. If you are at all serious about dancing as a profession, you should DEFINITELY be going to classes unless you are privileged enough to be the son/ daughter of a talented dancer or have lots of great contacts/ dancer friends.