Dance: Why it Should be Taught at Cathedral Catholic High School (Essay Example)

A fun, arts-based elective that is both educational and helps support the mental and physical health of students is a class that is not yet offered at Cathedral Catholic High School. A dance class would fill this void and be a valuable and fun addition to the curriculum of Cathedral Catholic High School because it would be educational and it would positively impact the physical and mental health of students.

One reason why dance should be offered at Cathedral Catholic High School is that it is culturally enhancing and educational. In Sittie Almirah Kadir’s article entitled “Importance of Cultural Dance,” it says that dance, specifically cultural dance, is the “way that other people could have respect, knowledge and give importance to our traditions and norms.” This quote demonstrates the importance of dance by telling the reader that by way of dance, people from different cultures can be brought together and learn about where each other comes from. The quote also talks about how each type of dance is very important to the traditions that are present in the culture of the dance. So, if we learn about the dance, we also learn about the traditions in that culture. There are so many different cultures that many people don’t know about because they live so far away. Dance can bring these many cultures from around the world together and be an educational experience for the students that take a dance class at Cathedral. Students can feel connected with these seemingly distant cultures as well as get to experience them in a fun way.

Another reason why dance should be taught at this school is that it can have a positive impact on a student’s behavior and mental health. An article that summarized a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that was published on March 31, 2022, explains that four in every ten teens reported that they were feeling “persistently sad or hopeless”. And, an article published by WebMD on October 25, 2021, called “Mental Benefits of Dance” explains how dancing can improve people’s mood, attitude, and behavior and ease depression and anxiety. To link these two pieces of evidence together, many teens are struggling with their mental health and there is a “remedy” that is medically proven to help with this; dance. If dance truly does make a positive impact on the mental health of people, then we should create more opportunities for it to become a part of the life of a teen. Imagine the impact that the addition of one elective could have on the life of a struggling student. Also, imagine the impact that this could have on a teen’s grades and social life. If their overall mood, attitude, and behavior improve, even if by just a small amount, their schoolwork will probably become less stressful and so will their social life. Dance has proven to be an effective outlet for anyone who wants to have fun and improve their life mentally. If adding one elective is possibly a way to provide a healthy outlet for any student, then it should be added to Cathedral’s curriculum. 

Some may argue that dance should not be taught in schools because it is lacking when it comes to benefitting people’s physical health. They would argue that dance isn’t as physically exhausting or as much of a cardiovascular workout when compared to other sports. However, dance is very beneficial to the physical health of people because it focuses on other things like strength and flexibility. An article by Better Health Channel talks about how dancing can be a great way to stay fit and improve muscle tone, strength, and endurance. This type of exercise might be more appealing than other elective options to any type of student, especially student-athletes that focus mostly on the cardiovascular side of their fitness. So, although it might not be as much of a cardiovascular workout, dance has been proven to still be a great way to exercise and it might be a very popular and appealing addition. 

In this paper, many examples of why dance is so beneficial to the mental and physical health of people and why it can be an opportunity for an educational experience have been provided. So, after reading this paper, please think about the wondrous possibility that a dance class would be added to this school and consider doing just that.