Everybody deserve the opportunity to dance. Dance is excellent exercise and provides the movement young people need.

Dance creates space for understanding of the conditions of possibility as it engages social and cultural change. Engagement in arts education can improve school climate, empower students with a sense of purpose and ownership, and enhance mutual respect for their teachers and peers. Empirical evidence supports these claims: Arts participation is related to behaviors that contribute to the health of civil society, such as increased civic engagement, greater social tolerance, and reductions in other-regarding behavior.

Dance provides a concrete example of these values: A wide body of research indicates that dance is a way to engage culturally diverse and marginalized groups and promote understanding and trust between teachers and students. Students in dance programs demonstrate increased respect for others, awareness and understanding of other cultures, and pride in their own cultural heritage. Further, dance more effectively promotes social skills in students of non-White ethnic origin than do other arts.

The Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance: PreK-12 provides teachers with a path to follow for developing curriculum in dance, and provides benchmarks for what children should know, understand, and be able to do in dance at critical junctures in their intellectual, physical, and emotional development.