shape

Students stay in shape and gain confidence from dance

By Vanessa Burka

burk0146@algonquincollege.com

While remaining active is a must for adolescents, dancing has proven to be a great social way to stay in shape, improve time management and keep off the freshman 15.

Monica Eagan, a registered nurse at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, whose duty it is to conduct bio-psycho-social assessments on the patients, believes that dance enhances physical development and coordination, and can help develop lifelong positive attitude about being active.

Eagen, who enrolled her two children in dance class, thinks that this specific discipline has taught them the importance of time management and social skills.

“The social aspects of dance help develop social skills,” she said. “Dancing provides the opportunity for creativity and self-expression through music and body movement.
It enhances improved discipline. In my experience, my kids have to be organized with dance, homework and part-time jobs. In the summer, when dance is over, they miss it.”
Eagen said that dance provides her children with the opportunity to confront and develop skills to deal with anxiety. For example, dancing can help overcome the dread of stage fight and can help teach dancers about the spirit of competition.

“They share and discuss these feelings with their dance peers,” she said. “This promotes confidence and improves self-esteem.”

Kyla Tyson, 21, second-year advertising student at the college, said dance and aerobics training is a vital part of an adolescents’ life, especially for young women.
“It really helps to develop self-confidence,” said Tyson, who has danced for 18 years. “It takes courage to put on tights and spend an hour in a room full of mirrors. At the beginning you notice everything about your body, but as you develop as a dancer, you become more and more comfortable and start to pay attention to your strengths. Soon you’ll feel good about the changes that you’ve made and it shows in the way you carry yourself every day.”
At a time when physical education isn’t a must in school and students tend to neglect their bodies to smart nutritional choices, Tyson stressed the importance of being physically active.
“It's an opportunity to give your brain a break from all of the studying and focus on something else,” she said. “I personally use ballet as a meditation time. When I'm in the studio, I'm forced to concentrate on all the muscles I need to hold. I don't have a chance to think about my assignment that's due next week, or worry about making another deadline.”
According to Melanie Mastronardi, head coach of the University of Ottawa Gee Gee’s dance team, aside from the physical benefits, people who are active in general seem to be more productive in other aspects of their life.
“If you have been sitting on the couch all day, it’s so hard to get up and do other things that need to be done like homework,” she said. “But if you have been active, you’re more alert and it is much easier to move on to the next thing that you have to do.”