Coping with stress and anxiety through informal, social ways is preferred by many students in place of help from school counselors or mental health professionals. according to an article in EdSource.
Dance and Dialogue, a Southern California arts program, is an alternative to counselors and professionals – though their skills are not to be dismissed. Dance and Dialogue recruits dance instructors and youth wellness experts to teach movement-based activities, artistic expression, social-emotional skills.
During an eight-week summer residency at the Pasadena Boys and Girls Club, students participated in a course that uses movement, storytelling and social connection to help students build confidence, empathy and stronger relationships with one another.
“We talked about things that we wish we would have changed in our life, and I shared something a little more personal to me that I don’t really tell people,” says Emilia Marie Cabrales, a junior at Pasadena High School who enjoyed the program. “I think it was the last step to really opening up to them.”
Rising anxiety and stress among teenagers has schools looking for new ways to respond. Programs such as Dance and Dialogue – and others–teach students social-emotional skills through comedy or visual arts. The program used at Pasadena High School this summer has engaged more than 40,000 kids in grades three through 12 via school residencies, leadership programs and community workshops.
Many students learn good ways to grow and get along with each other by the end of the eight-week summer program, says Eli Kelsch, an assistant instructor at Dance and
“They seem happier, more open, less shy. The hoods come off, the hats come off, sunglasses come off, and the personality comes out,” Kelsch says. “They’re not afraid to share who they really are in a space that will allow it.”
Arts education can become high-pressure and competitive at most high schools, with students mastering techniques, trying to pass auditions, and traveling to perform in local and regional competitions. Research shows intensive training, particularly in dance, can create new sources of stress, anxiety and fear of failure.
“When (students) have anxiety, they need to know that they can find a light way to address what’s going on with themselves,” says Ricka Kelsch, executive director of Dance and Dialogue. “And so they engage much more quickly.”
“I like the idea of including both sides — a deep conversation, but then a really rewarding, fun experience — so that you don’t feel like the deep conversation is that deep,” says Emilia, the Pasadena High School junior. “It’s normalized.”
California has invested $4.9 billion in part to hire more school mental health support staff, but many students still feel more comfortable in informal, social environments than in a counselor’s office.
During a typical eight-week residency, activities and conversations are aligned with a theme or skill that anchors each class. For the “listening” class, students practice conversational skills to become better listeners to friends and family. As they progress, so do their movement. They may begin with desk drumming, then finger-tutting (a style of street dance), then body percussion, and move to stepping, stomping and eventually into hip hop, says Kelsch.
“Sometimes they can’t find the words to express what they’re having to say,” she says. “It’s an evolution, as they feel safe, that helps them to have creative outlets so they can fully express themselves in a holistic way.”
Students work together to find the right dance moves to convey narratives through film, audio or music, Kelsch says. For example, students choreographed pieces to a film soundtrack about the abolitionist movement along with a documentary film about the lives of foster youth.
Emilia says the program gave her a unique chance to make new friends and learn more about herself.
“It’s really important to have this,” she says. “I think it’s good to let kids unwind, and we have such a big problem with not knowing everyone and being really scared to get to know people. And this was the perfect opportunity.”
EdSource
