NDEO鈥檚 Guest Blog Series features posts written by our members about their experiences in the fields of dance and dance education. We continue this series with a post by Lan Zhou, PhD in Psychology/Dance Education Research Director, Hangzhou Red Little Dance Star/Guest Professor, College of Education, Capital Normal University.聽 Guest posts reflect the experiences, opinions, and viewpoints of the author and are printed here with their permission. NDEO does not endorse any business, product, or service mentioned in guest blog posts. If you are interested in learning more about the guest blogger program or submitting an article for consideration, please click here.听听听听
Cultivating Joyful Dancers: When Dance Classes Begin to Shape Children's Character and Well-being
What comes to mind when you think of children's dance classes? Standard postures, precise techniques, or flawless performances?
For decades, dance education has emphasized technical mastery - and for good reason. Skills matter. But in the pursuit of perfect form, what often gets lost is the child's inner world: their joy, their confidence, and their innate love for movement.
As a PhD candidate in psychology and dance educator, I began to wonder: could we find a teaching approach that trains the body while simultaneously nurturing the heart?
At Hangzhou Red Little Dance Star, I developed and implemented a new teaching model based on positive psychology - the science of well-being, resilience, and human strengths. Our goal is simple yet profound: to make dance a vehicle for children's holistic development.
Why Positive Psychology and Dance Are a Perfect Match
Positive psychology focuses on what makes life worthwhile: Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (the PERMA model).
Dance is inherently fertile ground for these elements. It combines physical expression, artistic performance, and social interaction, offering:
- Joy through rhythm and music (Positive emotions)
- Flow state while learning combinations (Engagement)
- Connection through coordination and teamwork (Relationships)
- Self-expression through artistic storytelling (Meaning)
- Growth through mastering dance phrases (Accomplishment)
Our teaching model integrates this connection into every class through four core pillars:
- 聽Positive Goals: We set objectives that go beyond technical aspects - such as effective collaboration with partners, quick recovery after mistakes, or expressing specific emotions through movement.
- Strength-Based Content : Choreography is designed to let each child's unique strengths shine. Some may become the team's rhythm keeper, while others excel at leading creative narratives.
- Empowering Teaching Methods: We avoid criticism-based correction, instead employing mirror feedback, peer guidance, and immersive games. The teacher's role transforms into that of a facilitator of positive experiences.
- Holistic Assessment System: Progress isn't just measured by standard dance postures. We comprehensively track children's growth in confidence, creativity, and collaboration skills through reflection records, teacher observations, and parent feedback.
Our Findings
In a six-month case study involving 10 young dancers, the results were inspiring:
- Children's self-reported emotional regulation and resilience improved by over 40%
- Teachers assessed creativity and improvisation skills as improved by 48%
- Parents observed nearly 50% improvement in their children's daily confidence
But more valuable than the data was the transformation in classroom atmosphere. The fear of making mistakes disappeared, replaced by a supportive space where children encourage each other, bravely experiment, and genuinely enjoy the dance process.
They not only became better dancers but grew into more confident, cooperative, and joyful individuals.
Dance Education That Respects the Whole Child
This isn't about lowering technical standards, but about enriching the learning experience. By integrating positive psychology into dance teaching, we create classrooms that don't just teach dance steps, but help cultivate resilient, expressive, and well-rounded individuals.
After all, the true value of dance lies not only in the movements we perform, but in the better people we become through learning them.
Lan Zhou is a PhD candidate in Psychology at Durham University and currently serves as the Dance Education Research Director at Hangzhou Red Little Dance Star in China, as well as a Guest Professor at the College of Education, Capital Normal University. She is also the author of the dance education monograph "Lighting the Lamp Within". Her work focuses on integrating positive psychology into children's dance pedagogy to support holistic development. She is a current member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO).
-------------------------------------------------------------
麻豆视频直播 NDEO鈥檚 Dance Education Blog聽
The 鈥淒ance Education鈥� blog is brought to you by The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), a thriving non-profit membership organization that supports YOU as a dance educator! NDEO works with and for dance educators of all backgrounds and in every setting and genre. We work for equitable and accessible dance education for all through advocacy, research, and support for the dance educators who are making a difference for their students. As a membership organization, we rely on dance educators like YOU to join us in this important work! When you become a member of NDEO, you align yourself with our vision of dance education for all. We invite you to become a part of our vibrant community that offers support, resources, advocacy, and research you need to make a difference for yourself and make an impact on our field. Now more than ever, we need to come together to celebrate and share the dynamic, affirming, community-building, transformative power of dance. Join the movement - become a member of NDEO today!
All photos courtesy of Lan Zhou