Youth Dance Fundamental Movement Skills and Assessment

Abstract

This chapter concerns the development of the Footprints Movement Tool (FMT), a teaching guide developed by Footprints Dance Project in Calgary, Canada. We discuss the concurrent processes behind identifying Dance Fundamental Movement Skills (DFMS), developing the FMT teaching resource, and creating a quantitative assessment metric—the Dance Fundamental Movement Skills Assessment (DFMS-A)—to evaluate the skills taught in the FMT. The development of the DFMS-A is detailed through testing hypotheses and both practical and research applications. DFMS are discussed in the context of Laban movement theory, Bartenieff Fundamentals, and traditional sports fundamental movement skills. We further explain the broader context of how fundamental movement skills relate to physical and mental development in children and how they can impact participation and success in future physical activities such as dance and sports.

Appendix: Supplemental Material 1

Beyond the Physical

Andrea Pass, Artistic Director of Footprints Dance Project, Calgary, Canada.

As Nietzsche once quipped, “We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.” Today’s youth face myriad challenges brought on by our rapidly changing world: From challenging political, economic, and environmental change, to rapid technological evolution; from cyberbullying and Internet radicalization to increasing obesity rates, youth must adapt quickly or face issues unknown even a generation ago. With casualties mounting in the alarming proliferation of opioids and a lack of confidence in the world’s political authority, the manifestation of youth behavioral issues is significantly impacted. The most vulnerable of these exist in the low-income sector of the population. Here, parents working multiple jobs are often absent, and a void exists for positive role models and supervision to help guide youth into adulthood.

Authoritarian responses to youth behavioral issues are ineffective at treating the root causes. Dance and physical literacy can provide a range of benefits faced by at-risk youth. While often considered frivolous, Dance is a fundamental form of art and expression. Dance allows expression using the body and can help to form the foundation of confidence, resilience, self-advocacy, and social connectedness.

As humans, we strive to increase our well-being through social interaction. In turn, these connections foster coping mechanisms to deal with the complexities of our changing world. Participation in Dance offers the opportunity for social interaction, independence and autonomy. It improves our self-perception and the mastery of our bodies. For youth, taking part in dance improves self-efficacy (the individual’s belief in their ability to achieve goals). It influences and builds confidence and self-esteem. Dance provides many opportunities for socialization and allows socially isolated individuals the opportunity for increased social contact.

Given the many problems children face today in our modern world, we need solutions that aid in behavioral development and target root problems. While it’s long been understood that physical activity aids physical and social development through a range of mechanisms, a well-structured dance program provides all the health benefits while adding many psychosocial benefits. Not everyone can be an accomplished athlete, but everyone can benefit for the fun and social environment fostered by Dance.