“When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way.” -Wayne Dyer
I love this quote from Wayne Dyer and his metaphor for a happy life. We could all “enjoy the journey” more and stay present throughout our day. Sometimes we miss out on a beautiful part of life if we are too focused on the end goal to enjoy ourselves.
In this new school year, my students are loaded with more homework than ever. High school students receive extra homework by text after school. I see the stress level of children increase each year and I wonder if the heavier workload and pressure to take higher level classes is worth the sleepless nights and emotional turmoil. Are kids developing a lasting love of learning or are they just completing tasks?
There is no doubt my students have a hunger for achievement and a commitment to excellence, but sometimes they forget that dance is supposed to be fun. It’s why they decided to dance to begin with. At times, dance becomes another item on their never-ending to-do list and another box to check for the day.
We want to change that mentality at ADC and bring back the fun. We want dance to help students escape from their school workload. We feel that this shift is so critical to the development of our students’ overall success that we have made our theme for the year:
This year you can expect us to keep reminding students of the great apects of life and the reason they love to dance. We will encourage them to leave the check boxes at the door and find their freedom in class. Enjoyment is as important as any achievement, AP class, or dance step and we hope to help students rediscover their joy through dance this year.
– Charlotte Foster Williamson, ADC Studio Owner