Dancing To Learn

Dancing to Learn: Cognition, Emotion, and Movement explores the rationale for dance as a medium of learning to help engage educators and scientists to explore the underpinnings of dance, and dancers as well as members of the general public who are curious about new ways of comprehending dance. Among policy-makers, teachers, and parents, there is a heightened concern for successful pedagogical strategies. They want to know what can work with learners. This book approaches the subject of learning in, about, and through dance by triangulating knowledge from the arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and cognitive and neurological sciences to challenge dismissive views of the cognitive importance of the physical dance. Insights come from theories and research findings in aesthetics, anthropology, cognitive science, dance, education, feminist theory, linguistics, neuroscience, phenomenology, psychology, and sociology. Using a single theory puts blinders on to other ways of description and analysis. Of course, all knowledge is tentative. Experiments necessarily must focus on a narrow topic and often use a special demographic—university students, and we don’t know the representativeness of case studies.

“Lively and enlightening.”—Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post “[A] zippy guide to better health.”—Publisher’s Weekly STARRED Review Discover why humans were designed for dancing—and learn how to boogie for better health—with two neuroscientists as your guide. Dancing is one of the best things we can do for our health. In this groundbreaking and fun-to-read book, two neuroscientists (who are also competitive dancers) draw on their cutting-edge research to reveal why humans are hardwired for dance show how to achieve optimal health through dancing Taking readers on an in-depth exploration of movement and music, from early humans up until today, the authors show the proven benefits of dance for our heart, lungs, bones, nervous system, and brain. Readers will come away with a wide range of dances to try and a scientific understanding of how dance benefits almost every aspect of our lives. Dance prevents and manages illness and pain: such as Diabetes, arthritis, back pain, and Parkinson’s. Dance can be as effective as high intensity interval training: but without the strain on your joints and heart. Dance boosts immunity and lowers stress: it also helps reduce inflammation. Dance positively impacts the microbiome: and aids in digestion, weight loss, and digestive issues such as IBS. Dance bolsters the mind-body connection: helping us get in tune with our bodies for better overall health. We’re lucky that one of the best things we can do for our health is also one of the most fun. And the best part: dance is something anyone can do. Old or young, injured or experiencing chronic pain, dance is for everyone, everywhere. So, let’s dance! Types of dance featured in the book: Partner dance (salsa, swing dancing, waltz) Ballet Hip hop Modern Jazz Line dancing Tap dancing And more!

illustrations of 9 ballroom and Latin dances. In depth history of ballroom and Latin-American dances. over 300 pictures of dancers and super star dancers plus a vast amount of information and quotes about social and competition(International style) dances. A must buy. THE WORLD'S FOREMOST AUTHORITATIVE GUIDE TO SOCIAL/BALLROOM & LATIN-AMERICAN DANCING.

Teaches the national versions of the 22 most popular line dances.

Grade level: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, k, p, e, i, t.

Learn Ballroom Dancing faster and easier than you might ever have thought possible with this unique and simple accelerated learning system. Yes! You Can Learn To Dance is the perfect guide for complete beginners who want to learn and progress beyond the basics fast, and also for those who have learned the basics, and want to perfect their technique as rapidly as possible. Whatever your skill level, Yes! You Can Learn To Dance is right for you.

As dance training evolves and becomes more complex, knowledge of motor behavior is foundational in helping dancers learn and master new skills and become more efficient in integrating the skills. Motor Learning and Control for Dance is the first resource to address motor learning theory from a dance perspective. Educators and students preparing to teach will learn practical ways to connect the science behind dance to pedagogy in order to prepare dancers for performance. Dancers interested in performance from the recreational to professional levels will learn ways to enhance their technical and artistic progress. In language accessible even to those with no science background, Motor Learning and Control for Dance showcases principles and practices for students, artists, and teachers. The text offers a perspective on movement education not found in traditional dance training while adding to a palette of tools and strategies for improving dance instruction and performance. Aspiring dancers and instructors will explore how to develop motor skills, how to control movement on all levels, and—most important—how motor skills are best taught and learned. The authors, noted experts on motor learning and motor control in the dance world, explore these features that appeal to students and instructors alike: • Dance-specific photos, examples, and figures illustrate how to solve common problems various dance genres. • The 16 chapters prepare dance educators to teach dancers of all ages and abilities and support the development of dance artists and students in training and performance. • An extensive bibliography of sports and dance science literature allows teachers and performers to do their own research. • A glossary with a list of key terms at the back of the book. Part I presents an overview of motor behavior, covering motor development from birth to early adulthood. It provides the essential information for teaching posture control and balance, the locomotor skills underlying a range of complex dance skills, and the ballistic skills that are difficult to teach and learn, such as grand battement and movements in street dance. Part II explores motor control and how movement is planned, initiated, and executed. Readers will learn how the nervous system organizes the coordination of movement, the effects of anxiety and states of arousal on dance performance, how to integrate the senses into movement, and how speed and accuracy interact. Part III investigates methods of motor learning for dancers of all ages. Readers will explore how to implement a variety of instructional strategies, determine the best approaches for learning dance skills, and motivate and inspire dancers. This section also discusses how various methods of practice can help or hinder dancers, strategies for improving the recall of dance skills and sequences, and how to embrace somatic practice and its contribution to understanding imagery and motor learning. Motor Learning and Control for Dance addresses many related topics that are important to the discipline, such as imagery and improvisation. This book will help performers and teachers blend science with pedagogy to meet the challenge of artistry and technique in preparing for dance performance.

Experiencing Dance: From Student to Dance Artist, Second Edition, takes off where its previous edition—a best-selling high school text for students enrolled in dance classes—left off. Geared to students in dance II, III, and IV classes, this text places teachers in the role of facilitator and opens up a world of creativity and analytical thinking as students explore the art of dance. Through Experiencing Dance, students will be able to do the following: • Encounter dance through creating, performing, responding to, analyzing, connecting with, and understanding dance through its 45-plus lessons. • Experience dance as performers, choreographers, and audience members. • Learn about dance in historical and cultural contexts, in community settings, and as career options. • Go through a complete and flexible high school curriculum that can be presented in one or more years of instruction. • Meet state and national standards in dance education and learn from a pedagogically sound scope and sequence that allow them to address 21st-century learning goals. • Use Spotlight and Did You Know? special elements that will enhance the learning experience and connect studio learning to the real world of dance. Experiencing Dance will help students engage in movement experiences as they learn and apply dance concepts through written, oral, and media assignments. These assignments help them gain a perspective of dance as an art form and provide the content for students to develop interactive dance portfolios. The text contains 15 chapters in five units. Each chapter offers at least three lessons, each containing the following material: • Move It! introduces students, through a movement experience, to a lesson concept. • Vocabulary provides definitions of key terms. • Curtain Up offers background information to help students understand lesson topics and concepts. • Take the Stage presents dance-related assignments for students to produce and share. • Take a Bow engages students in response, evaluation, and revision activities to process their work and concepts presented in the chapter. Each lesson includes Spotlight and Did You Know? special elements that help students extend their learning and deepen their understanding of historical and cultural facts and prominent dancers, dance companies, and professionals in careers related to dance. Each chapter includes a chapter review quiz. Quizzes incorporate true-or-false, short-answer, and matching answer questions. Finally, each chapter ends with a capstone assignment. Students will delve into major topics such as these: • Identifying your movement potential as a dancer • Understanding dance science and its application through studying basic anatomy and injury prevention in relation to dance training • Developing proper warm-ups and cool-downs and integrating fitness principles and nutrition information into healthy dancing practices • Expressing through various dance styles and forms the roles of the dancer, the historical and cultural heritage of the dance, and the dance’s connections to community and society • Developing and performing dance studies and choreography in a variety of styles and forms and then producing the dance using production elements for a variety of settings • Preparing for a future as a dancer, choreographer, or a career that is otherwise connected to dance • Advocating for dance in your community and beyond The text is bolstered by web resources for both students and teachers. These resources enhance the students’ learning experience while enabling teachers to prepare for, conduct, and manage their classes. The student web resource contains these features: • Journaling prompts • Extended learning activities • Web search suggestions for further research • Worksheets and assignments to either print out or complete online (via editable Word files) • Interactive chapter review quizzes (these are completed online and students get immediate feedback) • Video clips • Vocabulary terms with and without definitions to aid in self-quizzing and review The teacher web resource contains everything that is on the student web resource, plus the following: • A printable full-color poster for the classroom • PowerPoint presentations for each chapter • Answer keys for worksheets and quizzes • A full electronic version of the student textbook In addition, Experiencing Dance is available in both print and interactive iBook versions. The iBook version has embedded chapter-opening and instructional video clips as well as interactive quizzes (in which students immediately receive feedback on their answers). This updated text, with its solid instruction and comprehensive lessons, new resources, and extended learning experiences, will help students at levels II, III, and IV increase their understanding of, expertise in, and enjoyment of dance.