You may have heard of the National Dance Education Organization’s National Honor Society for Dance Arts through the pins and cords that inducted members don on graduation day, but teachers everywhere will tell you: The benefits of an NHSDA education go far deeper than eye-catching wearables.
Diana Ford, a teacher at Miami Arts Charter School in Florida, loves NHSDA because the program encourages her students to lead the way. “The students decide how they want to help the community, and they create outlets to do that,” she says. NHSDA builds and celebrates dance students’ artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievements.
Growth-Focused
NHSDA’s wealth of enrichment opportunities means the program offers great development for students in both dance and academics. Janine Molinari, artistic director of the Broadway-focused studio DanceMolinari in New York City’s Times Square, appreciates the experiences NHSDA gives students. “By the time they reach college applications, they’ve done so much community service, so much leadership,” she says.
And when student dancers graduate, NHSDA carries them toward even more success. “NDEO manifests in students’ ability to problem-solve,” Ford says of her NHSDA alums. “They’re not afraid to go out on their own and start their own projects; they’re more willing to jump right in.”
Kate Knauer, a senior at Stonehill College in Massachusetts and the founder of her school’s NHSDA chapter, reflects this same ambition. Though she always wanted to be a teacher, Knauer says it was NHSDA that pushed her to value “teaching dance in a healthy way, in a way that is safe for your body and your mind.”
Molinari saw this approach in one of her own NHSDA officers this month when a high school student helped a younger child overcome her nerves ahead of class. “She came up with a lesson plan and offered to teach the beginner tap class because the little girl who was nervous seemed more receptive to someone closer to her age,” Molinari says. The strategy worked. “I was so proud.”
Community Engagement
NHSDA students earn points toward induction via a myriad of dance activities, including rehearsals, performances, and community service. Total requirements differ across the Society’s junior (middle school), secondary (high school), and collegiate levels, and all three groups can tailor the program to their schedules and interests. Additionally, all chapters have access to annual NHSDA sponsored events, like Love Your Body Week, Dance a Difference Week, Thank a Dance Teacher Day, and more.
Ford’s junior and secondary chapters, for example, celebrate Love Your Body Week each year. “We talk about what their body does for them, the way their bodies help them in everyday life, how to compliment other dancers, and how to compliment yourself,” she says. At the end of the event, the school joins in an NHSDA tradition by leaving sticky notes with positive messages on their studio mirrors.
Molinari says NHSDA encourages her students to connect with other dance schools across the globe. DanceMolinari has worked on a UNICEF fundraising campaign with a studio in Chicago, sent aid to Los Angeles dance studios affected by wildfire damage, and hosted a sister school from Italy for a week of international classes.
“We go beyond borders, we don’t isolate,” Molinari says—which is especially important for her students, who often perform on Broadway and don’t attend a conventional school for academics. “The kids learn so much about other teenagers from around the world. It’s enlightening to them to realize they’re all alike.”
A Self-Sustaining Program
Thinking of starting your own chapter? “Do it,” Ford says. “It can feel daunting, and it can feel scary, but once the kids make it their own, then it’s an entity that’s embedded in the culture of your school.”
When Ford’s chapters first started participating in Love Your Body Week, for example, she led the events herself using resources from NDEO’s website. The following year, the students jumped on it themselves. “They’ve been doing it ever since,” she says.
Molinari has seen similar engagement in her dancers. “The students become an active, invested part of the classroom,” she says. “They’re creating a program for themselves.”
Ready to start an NHSDA chapter at your studio or school? Click here to learn more and submit an application.
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