Throughout the Why Dance Matters event, fabulous submissions were received from people who wanted to share why dance matters to them. Below, I believe I’ve gathered most of the posts. However, if yours is not listed please feel free to add a link in the comments. As for the hundreds of tweets posted via the #whydancematters hashtag on Twitter, I can only say I am in absolute AWE of what can be said in 140 characters! Bravo.
Why Dance Matters
At The Heart Of The Matter: Our 300th Post!
I don’t have clear memories of a time in my life when dance was not a presence. And yet, there have been many occasions when I might have walked away from it altogether, taking some other path. So here I am digging deep into first encounters to find the reasons why I never can or could.
Chicago’s Menomonee Club Dancers Show ‘Why Dance Matters’
Thanks to Performing Arts Coordinator, Lauren Warnecke, children in their dance program were given the opportunity to submit statements and drawings completing the thought, “Dance matters because….” The wonderful sample below was selected for publishing on Dance Advantage. I am happy to share these with you during National Dance Week! I hope you’ve taken some time during this busy month of arts advocacy to celebrate at your own studios!
Art Is Kids Play
Easy access to drugs, internet, lack of phone and computer regulation and other challenges facing children and the teachers and parents entrusted with their care make all youth “at-risk” in Weiner’s eyes. And so, her programs at the Hope Center are open to any child on a first come, first served basis. Many Kids Play participants are recruited, however, from local organizations such as Archway Academy and Chinquapin (schools for troubled and disadvantaged youth), Baylor Pediatric AIDS Initiative, Baylor International Adoption Center, and group homes like Casa de Esperanza. “We love the mix of cultures and socio-economic levels,”
Why DOES Dance Matter?
I’m not the first and certainly not the last to ask the question. An expectant audience asks this of each performer as he presents his offering on stage. A student looks for the reply in the eyes of their teacher, the guide to their experience. The soul doesn’t have to ask the body as it moves to the internal rhythm of the heart. It just knows.
So why do we have to ask? Why must we put it in words? It seems that the answer should be inherently clear to anyone whose body has for even one second embraced accord with that internal rhythm. So why must we be utterly clear in our conviction that dance matters?
Why Does Dance Matter To You?
Affirm the impact dance has on the lives of individuals and communities. Between Arts Advocacy Day (April 12) and the close of National Dance Week (May 2), participate in Why Dance Matters, a virtual event that rallies the dance community on Facebook and beyond. Begin by attending the event (found here: http://tinyurl.com/dancematters) and sharing it with others. From updating a status and donning a profile badge to creating a video or blog, choose your own level of participation, but take action and share Why Dance Matters to YOU!
