Co-curricular dance activities should complement the required dance curriculum. Dance organizations provide performance, choreographic, and production opportunities not generally available in the classroom. However, they should never take the place of, or be substituted for, the regular instructional program. Substitutions should not be permitted for student enrollment in marching band, ROTC, drill teams, cheerleading, team or individual sports, vocational subjects, or any other curriculum. Such substitutions deprive students of the educational benefits of a comprehensive dance education program.
Adequate facilities meeting safety guidelines are essential for all dance related activities.
A designed classroom with a resilient, floating sub-floor and an appropriate surface will allow safe, free movement and full development of the body. At each grade level, dance students should be involved in creative processes which increase their rhythmic ability, fitness level, and movement proficiency. Fitness, one valuable aspect of dance education, does not comprise the dance program in its entirely. Students' thinking and expressive capacities can be improved through opportunities to transfer skills and knowledge into efficient, accomplished movement. Understanding and appreciation of aesthetic, physical, cognitive, and emotional experiences are fostered as an effective way to know and function in the world.