"Dance to a Healthy Beat" Programs
After three years of serving students in after-school programs, THE DANCE CAPITAL is now developing its own dance programs, which are offered in several partner locations throughout Southeast Michigan. The programs are founded on the originating three principles of THE DANCE CAPITAL: Art, Awareness and Affordability. Its initial program, “Dance to a Healthy Beat,” began in January 2010, and continues throughout the calendar school year from September to June, with summer camp in July/August each year.
”Dance to a Healthy Beat” is a new and innovative dance program founded on the premise that all children should have the opportunity to lead a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity. The program is dedicated to offering the children of Detroit, Michigan and the surrounding area quality dance instruction at low cost. Through “Dance to a Healthy Beat,” THE DANCE CAPITAL serves the community by providing professional instruction from top qualified teachers while developing the craft in its students and educating the masses on the art form of dance and health benefits of dance. It also offers scholarship programs to eligible students.
The key problem that THE DANCE CAPITAL is trying to address through the “Dance to a Healthy Beat” program is obesity in children due to lack of exercise and improper diets. By offering low cost dance training to these vulnerable student populations, the goal is that educating of the students on the importance of proper diet and exercise will result in a significant decrease in obesity in this population along with a significant increase in the knowledge of the students in the areas of proper diet and exercise.
The key project components are health classes to educate the children on proper food choices and the importance of food to a person’s overall health ranging from Health Basics, Fitness, Yoga, and Kickboxing; as well as a wide offering of classes in various genres of dance including: Tap, jazz, hip hop, modern, African, liturgical and more. This dance component will include instruction on how exercise of all kinds affects a person’s overall health.
The intended results of this program are to thoroughly educate the youth participants on the health benefits of proper diet and consistent exercise and, as an organization, to be able to demonstrate that the participants have benefited mentally and physically from the program.
The intended audience for the programs is all-school-aged children from local schools, churches, and community centers in the Detroit, Michigan area.
