Imagery in dance promotes learning new steps for children
Case grad student finds increase in enjoyment, attentiveness, achievement and more
November 9, 2005 | For more information: Susan Griffith 216-368-1004
Chances are if you asked 3-year olds in pre-ballet class to do an arabesque, they might look puzzled. But if you asked that little dancer to slide, stretch an arm and look at a bird that rests on the fingertips, the young child might complete the basic dance movements.
Tori Sacha, a doctoral student from Case Western Reserve University's department of psychology, reports that preschool children learn faster, have greater enjoyment and pay more attention in dance class when presented with pretend imagery to learn new dance steps. Her findings in the article, "Effects of Pretend Imagery On Learning Dance in Preschool Children," have been accepted for publication in Early Childhood Education Journal.
While many educators have used imagery to help children grasp new concepts and words, Sacha said this was the first time it was studied with dance and very young children.
Sacha, who had studied the impact of play in research projects with Case Psychologist Sandra Russ, hypothesized that it might also help preschool dancers learn faster by using creative imagery to advance the understanding of dance movement that are in French and in terms unfamiliar to many small children.
The researcher, who teaches dance at Studio 82 in the Cleveland area, studied dancers in her classes. She divided her students into four preschool classes that encompassed 32 children between the ages of 3-6 who were randomly placed in either a traditional class or one using the creative imagery. Her classes were videotaped for three weeks.
Two raters, who were blind to which class had the imagery and which did not, analyzed the videotapes and scored each class for recalling the dance movements from one week to another, speed of learning, attentiveness and enjoyment.
In classes where imagery was used, children scored higher in all areas.
"Using creativity is like a game for the children," said Sacha. "They come away having fun, which is an important part of learning for this age group."
She added that the class was not about "making perfect dance steps," but about their first experience with being in class with other students.
"It is important that they have a good experience to encourage them to stay with dance as they get older," she added.
She has used imagery in her dance teaching but had never known whether it really worked or not. "Creativity is important to children, and it does matter in the arts how we teach them."
Sacha also said what applies to dance has potential in teaching small children other large motor skills like ice skating and gymnastics.
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