With scheduling for next year being finalized, many students have an empty block period due to scheduling problems. Some students will use this block period to do a necessary class, like personal finance or a world language. However, some students do not have a necessary class they can take for that block. This leaves an open block for a student that might not know what to do. That student should consider all options, and one of those options should be Dance.

In 2008-2009, 12% of secondary schools offered a dance course. We are one of those lucky schools, and students should take advantage of that. These are six reasons why you should take a dance class at HHS.

1. You become more comfortable with your body.

From my experience, I have met many high school students who don’t feel comfortable moving their bodies in new ways, or they don’t feel comfortable with their bodies at all. Dance 1 has changed that. Throughout my Dance 1 course, my classmates and I learned more about what our bodies can do, and what our bodies can work on. We learned that not everything about your body is going to be perfect, but that’s okay if you love your body and you try your best.

2. You learn to appreciate dance more.

Before I ever liked dancing, I thought that it wasn’t entertaining to watch. I thought that dancing like ballet dancing was boring and that it shouldn’t be appreciated. Our first unit in Dance 1 is ballet, and ballet was admired more by my whole class after that unit. The intricate detail required by every dancer is extraordinary. The beauty of ballet is that it looks easy, but in reality requires a lot from the dancer’s body because they have to maintain perfect posture while having their legs and arms moving very quickly. All in all, ballet was seen as the hardest dance style after my class finished that unit.

3. Dance is taught by a super dedicated teacher.

Dance classes at HHS are taught by Amber Corriston. Corriston is one of the most dedicated teachers I’ve ever met. She not only watches every single one of her students for their technique, but also for their personal lives. She’s a supportive and understanding individual who helps all students appreciate dance more at HHS. For example, she strongly encouraged student Jane Wyatt to go to college doing what she loved, which Wyatt thought she would never go to college. From Corriston’s dedication, Wyatt will now be going to JMU to study dance.

4. You feel more comfortable performing on stage.

Many students have never walked across our stage. However, dance class changes that. The dance classroom is the stage, and it becomes a more familiar environment for students who are in dance everyday. Whenever a dance student comes on stage, their presence is natural and calm due to their familiarity with the stage and everything that comes with it.

5. You learn more about health and body parts.

One of the course focuses in Dance 1 is body and health. From this, you learn about important body parts, like your femur and your achilles tendon. You also learn the proper ways to do simple things. For example, you learn about how your knees should go over your toes, and other important teachings that will affect your body in upcoming years if you don’t do them right.

6. Dance relieves stress from school.

In dance, the classroom feels more calm and enjoyable than the regular classes at HHS. Every warm-up in dance involves simple breathing that relieves the brain and body. Throughout stressful times, I find dance class as an escape from school and I think that many other students think that too. Throughout finals weeks, dance has been the one thing that students look forward to. In Dance 1, there are only 11 homework assignments throughout the entire course, and the tests are mostly about your opinion on certain dances. All in all, dance takes out stress through its movements and it doesn’t add extra stress to daily school.