Edward Warburton The Cognitive Benefits Of Movement

Dance began as a form of communication and storytelling. Thousands of years ago dancing served as a way for people to tell a story and helped distract themselves of the hardships they faced. Furthermore, dance was a form of storytelling through communication, which then turned into using storytelling through dance as entertainment. According to the History World, many dancers during the BC time danced in front of only a few people to get a story across. That later turned into hundreds of thousands of people as dance was used by many. Today, dance is also a form of entertainment and storytelling, but in a modern sense. However, today perfection and technique are stressed more than they were in the past. Yet, the passion for dance has not changed. Many dancers who share this passion also have many of the same qualities. Among a discourse community of trained dancers, one expects to find individuals who are healthy and active athletes, expect perfection from themselves through competition, and religiously attend dance performances.

Dance is a unique sport because it combines the grit and sweat of sporting events, such as track and field, with the style and extravagance of a fashion show (D.Fowler, 2000).

Dance demands the same physical skills that are required in other sports. Flexibility, strength, and endurance are key characteristics that most dancers need to posses. As with other “athletes,” most dancers are not born with these abilities but must establish them through practice and repetitive training. Similar to traditional sports practices, dance rehearsals are extensive and require diligence, dedication, and patience from the dancers as they will have to repeat exercises and stretches to perfect their technique and stay on

The Polyvagal theory developed by Stephen Porges and introduced in 1994 provides new insight into the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. The theory provides a clear understanding of the nervous system which plays a huge role for dancers as it can influence mental and physical performance, as well as keeping pain-free.

b) Some people think dance involves less endurance than sports like cross-country running. However, these runners exert forces in only one direction but, as Dr. McNitt-Gray said, in dance, your hands, legs, and head are exerting forces in different directions all at the same time.

Students will gain an understanding of how form in dance and music relate. They will increase their knowledge of movement vocabulary by applying it through choreography. Weekly exposure to new movements

Three laps around the gym, minute long planks, crunches, sit-ups, and pushups in a matter of thirty minutes. As a dancer, experiencing and realizing the strength that needs to be present in order for an athlete to grow is vital. We go through long hours of choreography sessions, pain and strain on our bodies, and vigorous training. Many people will disagree on the status of if dance is a sport or not. Both Mary- Elizabeth Esquibel, in her article “Why Dance Will Always Be a Sport” and the infographic entitled “Is Dance a Sport?” attack this controversial dilemma. Even though these arguments use different formats, they use rhetoric similarly.

important foundation in understanding the broader scope of how dance can be seen as a

Dancing is a recreational activity that has been enjoyed by millions of people for centuries. There have been countless styles of dance and thousands of memorized steps that have been performed in front of people or even just simply enjoyed alone without and audience. When a handful those thousands of steps come together, it creates a routine. Even though there are countless dancers that are breathtaking when they perform the routine in front of and audience, most dancers cannot be proficient without someone to assemble those countless steps together to create something awe inspiring, beautiful, and entertaining to watch. Dance is a world of constant change due to the want of awe, the need to produce something unique, and the necessity to catch the audience’s attention. Although many people believe some dance styles have not changed for centuries, innovative choreographers flip dance styles upside down with their unique approaches.

I used various sources in order to piece together my research for the paper. I had an interview with my mentor, David Mills who is the Artistic Director of Infinity Box in Seattle, Washington. The mission of Infinity Box is to, “use the power of theater to pose questions about the human consequence of science and technology. Combining quality storytelling with quality conversation is our way to provoke and foster a deeper and wider conversation about what it means to be human in our rapidly changing world.” Dr. Mills helped me to brainstorm how to translate my research into my actual project. He gave my ideas about how to incorporate the science aspects accurately and correctly into the dance.

In exploring this notion, it is easier to understand Heather Acomb methods and ideologies in her Open Modern class, in respect to motor learning feedback. By participating in Acomb’s Open Modern class, I was able to gain insight into what areas, factual or experiential, are represented in her class through the pedagogic choices she makes. Acomb opens her modern class with everyone laying in a bartenieff “X,” were she verbally cues the class on the combination that is about to take place. In her verbal cues, she gives a detailed description on the combination, while relying on previous knowledge from earlier movement exploration. Using a form of instructional cuing, as defined by the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science in “Motor Learning and Teaching Dance,” Acomb uses verbal cues when demonstrating

Dance has been a natural movement form since the beginning of time. The origin of dance is unknown, just as the knowledge of the benefits of dance are unknown to many in our society. Many people do not enjoy dancing and also do not fully understand the positive benefits that come from dancing. Researchers such as Edwards, Duberg, and many more have found countless mental and emotional benefits of dance that originate from movement patterns, brain connections, and even expressions of emotion. Many are aware of the physical benefits of dance, but beyond the physical benefits of dance, there are also emotional and mental benefits that come from dance as well.

Ever wondered what it would be like to leap through life, twirl right through, as if the world has completely stopped around you? To be able to pause everything in a silence that allows you to hear your own heartbeat? The silence on stage as you perform is a sense of peace within your inner body that is being channeled through a movement of effortless motion. In European history, dance was considered to be a way of celebration for many cultures. Although it was said that dance did require physical agility, dancers were never considered athletes because the movement was not taken seriously. Dance did not become popular in a more skillful way until later on. The debate of dance as a sport is very

The benefits of dancing as a physical exercise are well researched, widely understood, and as a fitness, mobility and weight management tool, it is a multi-million dollar industry. Less studied and acknowledged are the benefits on our mental functioning, self-awareness, psychological well-being, self-confidence, self-expressions, concentration, social skills, etc.

with the use of visual stimuli. So the objectives for each specific lesson work together over the unit deepening pupils understand of the way dance composition works. Also, the same set warm-up is purposely used over the span of the three lessons to allow pupils to the opportunity to improve and although a shortened version is seen in lesson 2, pupils are asked to recall the previous weeks work instead. The reason for the alteration in lesson 2 is setting a recall task will improve on their movement memory skills but also keeping them moving and focussed (the sole purpose of the warm up in this instance) without impinging on time. The movement phrase taught by the teacher in lesson 1 is intended to add to