Folk dances, as part of the cultural dances, have been an essential component of culture that put into a brow thought, values, traditions and history of the different society. Therefore, through embracing folk dances in schools, many children get creative platforms as well as understand cultural differences in the society. The rationale behind including folk dances in the process of teaching is that with different schools and classes getting more diverse, students will learn to respect each other and only appreciate the differences.
The Cultural Significance of Folk Dances
Folk dances are interrelations and reflection of cultural heritages of people. They share histories, past events, triumphs, worshipped spirits, and the general ethos of the people. Every one of these dances is characterized by a specific style as a reference to the area or nationality that it belongs to. For instance, the Turkish Halay, the Spanish Flamenco or the Indian Bharatanatyam each of these depicts certain cultures and feelings. One cannot dispute the fact that when students perform such dances they get knowledge on the cultural values that support the choreography of a dance or even a beat.
Through our own practice of including folk dances in schools, the students are given a personal touch on cultures of other people. Through such activates they also get to understand the histories, beliefs and the general structure of societies in different parts of the world. Such a close interaction can promote understanding and acceptance of people’s diversity, thus eradicating prejudice or prejudice beliefs.
Building Cross-Cultural Understanding Through Dance
Folks dances in schools help enhance cultural exchange as speeds one of the main advantages it has been established as being. Being one of the non-verbal means of communication, the dancing detaches with the children of different cultural backgrounds giving them the opportunity to be creative. Like folk dances witnessed in class or any other, one does not need to study a given culture to perform or watch the dance.
This is because when students perform or observe folk dances from different cultures they get to learn different values and perception from them. This exposure may assist in increasing the empathy and understanding of the many diverse cultures that are present in today’s society. For instance, children discover the Maori Haka, the New Zealand native’s traditional war dance, which can be a springboard for discussion of indigenous Australians’ rights and identity. Likewise, the graceful movements associated with the Brazilian Samba may well foster an appreciation of why dance underlies of social and religious activities in Brazil.
However, dancing together helps in removing barriers that are social hence bringing students together. Students develop rapport and synergy especially when they are teaching each other new dance steps and its corresponding rhythm. Such an idea enables the promotion of diversity and makes students embrace their classmates from different background.
Practical Implementation in Schools
In order words, it is beneficial and compulsory for teachers and school administrators who intend to include folk dances in the academic calendar to do so with a lot of considerations in mind. Below are some strategies for incorporating folk dances into the school environment:
1. Cultural Workshops and Performances: It can be organized in such a manner that cultural experts or dancing teachers are invited to schools where students are taught typical dances. These workshops can be followed by the lessons that explain the origin, meaning and purpose of the dance, as well as introducing cultural aspects of it to the students. Another interesting is that schools can arrange programs with students’ performance of the dances they have mastered. These performances could be done during cultural fairs or during assembly then the students showcase what they have learnt to fellow students.
2. Interdisciplinary Approach: For the information, folk dances can be also introduced within a number of subjects, which are history, geography, and social sciences. For instance, while understanding the history of a given territory, one can come across the dances that belong to the folk tradition of the territory. This goes a long way in enriching the learning process because it incorporates an interdisciplinary feature in the teaching process in that it introduces the practical or the physical application of the content being taught.
3. Celebrating Multiculturalism: Some of the ways that schools can embrace multiculturalism is by organizing special days or weeks of cultural festivities whereby students are encouraged to dance for instance, the traditional dances for various world cultures. These events can be used to teach the students on the importance of being united as well as make them understand different cultures around the world which they have an opportunity to experience.
Benefits for Students
The potential benefits of including folk dances in the process of schooling of learners go far beyond the goals of globalization and multiculturalism education. Dance has physical, emotional and cognition gain as well as it has several other advantages that I will be listing out. It is useful in enhancing co ordination, balance and flexibility that assists in promoting fitness at an enjoyable way. Dance as well works as the activity for personality development, as well as for expressing the thoughts and feelings into the non-verbal project.
Also, when learning folk dances, one is able to exercise discipline and also work in groups. Timing, rhythm, and responsive movement are also an issues students need to address in concern to interacting with the colleague. Another aspect of dance that is clearly cooperative is the endure, tolerance, and communicate.
Conclusion
To assess the impact of folk dances, research has shown that it can be incorporated into school curriculums thus enhancing the aspect of cross cultural understanding alongside development skills of social health, creativity and physical health. When learners participate in international dances, the understand that cultures around the globe are different and develop a sense of carrying for others. In an ever shrinking world such lessons of cultural values cannot be overemphasized in preparing students who are tolerant, receptive to change, and conscious of the world around.
For this reason, folk dances have become very important in bringing together peoples of different cultures and embrace the efforts of diversity, therefore it economically wise to include it in school curriculum.
