Social/Kiddies
‘We Use Dance To Inspire Youths Positively’
Dance is a series of steps and movements of the body that match the speed and rhythm of a piece of music. Earliest findings have attributed the origins of ancient dances in old India or Egypt .However, Radcliffe-Brown in 1994 defined dance as a cultural practice and social ritual with a means of aesthetic pleasure which is good for establishing ties and specific structure in community.
According to Deanna Frazie,’’Life is a dance, you learn as you go. Sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow”. Top ten types of dance include Ballet,Tap Tap, Jazz, Modern, Lyrical, Hip Hop,Contemporary, Highland Dancing and Traditional Dance.
Over the years, youths have been inspired through dancing. This had led to local youths using dancing to inspire other youngsters. For instance, youths were inspired by the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson, artistic work as he stood out the most with his unique and interesting style. This inspired these young people to take a journey into dancing and travelling through communities in America using dance and creative arts in order to inspire and uplift the lives of cast down youths.
Here in Rivers State, Nigeria, a Rivers based dance group, Grace Factors which is into dancing also, but with a different mission of inspiring children, teenagers and youths and also evangelizing for the Kingdom of God.
Grace Factors,which started in March,2021 was formed from a non denominational fellowship-”The Inspired” -a christian fellowship.
The group is composed of seven members,six males and one female aged between 15 and 26 years. Speaking in an interview with The Tide, leader of the group, Mr Geoffrey Emmanuel, a private School Teacher said that the group was formed owing to the situation many youths have found themselves . Many of them are depressed because of the situation of things in the country.
”Last year, after a youth programme with the theme,”Ablaze” by a church in Port Harcourt, five of us came together to form Grace Factors. We dance at events.We are working hard on our dance and hope to start our own live programmes. We would also do video recording to inspire the young people through our dance ; he said . He further stated that they would communicate to the youths the emotionas from the dance which would change their attitudes towards being good citizens.
Another member of the group, Mr Promise Orolisen, a student of the department of Physics, Rivers State University, and a member of Christ Embassy Church joined the group after the youth programme last year.
According to him,” I got to know about the “inspiredprogramme through publicity and I attended and was blessed. At the end of the show, I met the leader of the group who Harcourt studying Physics/Electronics Technology was encouraged by the leader of the group to join them through his expressions at the programme.
According to Frank,” I love dancing. Dancing makes me feel inspired to feel among and be happy. It makes me forget worries. Dancing with the group does not affect my studies in any way because we do rehearsals during weekends. Saturday by 12 noon and Sunday by 3.00pm.
The only female in the group,Miss Esther Bobmanuel,a student of Rivers State University studying Business Education said,she joined the group because her uncle,who was the host of the youth programme “inspired” at the Baptist Church encouraged her to join the group.
She further stated that,dancing was her hobby.” I love dancing and this is an avenue to express my dancing skills to inspire and encourage other youths. I feel happy and fulfilled that I am actually doing what I want to do apart from academics. It is not affecting my academics. My parents know that I come for practise and they allow me to come . I’m sure our group with actualise the dream of wining souls for Christ . For good rhythm, we pick songs from Nigerian and foreign artistes and create our dance steps”, she added.
All over the world, dancing has been recognised as having the potentials of initiating positive changes, especially in the lives of youths.
Dancing is life itself says Havelock Ellis.
However, according to research findings, introducing dancing early in life to young people is very important. This could start by playing music to your baby during pregnancy. This act can help stimulate the baby’s brain and can start as early as five months before birth. Users have been reported feeling increased movement or “dancing” from their belly. Research also proves that babies are actually born with the act to move their bodies in response to music . Because of this, creating musical situations and encouraging then to dance is a wonderful way to help children and young people develop their personality and foster social interaction.
Dancing is very good for children and young people . The movement involved is a powerful brain development tool. Dancing has been proven to stimulate the vestibular receptors in the brain,which are nerve endings located in the inner ear. Almost any movement can stimulate the brain through these receptors and active vestibular systems helps set the foundation for all learning. Also, dancing at an early age helps children develop spatial awareness and learn more about their body’s movement abilities. This in addition would improve their hearts, lungs and bones and also increase their strength, stamina and flexibility.
The physical movements of dance have been shown to reduce levels of stress, anxiety and depression. This helps to elevate dopamine and endorphins, two neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness.
By: Ibinabo Ogolo
It is the idea of God that family should exit. Children form part of the family. God loves family so much that Jesus was born into the family of Joseph.
Everyone’s family is good and important. Children should not look down on their family whether they are rich or poor.
Children should respect and honour their family and foster love among their siblings. They should work together and make peace in the family. They should always stand in the gap. It is good for family members to carry all along since everyone may not be doing well.
The Christianity that children learn is practised in family. Faith-based organisations do a great job in moulding children’s character. Those are the behaviours that children exhibit towards siblings in family.
Every child born in a family is there for a purpose. A baby born into a family is supplying something. It may be joy, wealth and so on. Everyone is important in a family.
Adolescents who have graduated from school but may not be contributing financially can do one or two things at home. You can engage in preparing meals at home while parents are away for a job or business. Contributing in house chores will go a long way to relieve parents of stress after a day’s job.
What do you contribute to your family, especially during holidays both in nuclear and extended family?
The family you were born is constant but friends are temporary. You can decide not to continue in friendship but you cannot cut off your family. No matter how bad you think your family is and you decide to leave home, you must surely return. Your friends can harbour you for a while.
The child’s first identity comes from the family. What the child learns first comes from the family.
Family is the centre of love and care. People have started playing down on marriage because of neglect on basics of family. Marriage starts today and and the next few months, it is threatened. Respect for family plays a crucial role in marriage.
No child grows without parental control and influence. If a child refuses to grow without taking instructions from parents, he may grow up being wild. There are consequences when children do not obey their parents. There are those who want to be rebellious against their parents. They should know that their length of days are tied to their parents.
Your bioligical parents know you more than every other person. There is the wisdom and knowledge your parents have that you do not so it is proper to listen to them before choosing carriers both in academics and job. A young man or woman can choose who to get married to, but a greater role in the choice of who to marry and the marriage proper comes from the parents.
They know what is best for you. No matter how modern trends will influence you and prove it wrong, parent is the key. No one can love you more than your parents because they are your blood.
A lot of parents have been traumatised due to the fact that children they nurtured and trained turned their back on them at older age. Children should not abandon their parents for any reason.
As you grow up, situations may arise in marriage when you decide it is over with your spouse, but no matter the level of provocation with your parents, they will not despise you. Parents will also play a role in that regard. Problem arises in every family but how it is handled matters a lot.
Some children honour their mentors more than their parents. Although there are parents who shy away from their responsibilities. It is important that parents take full responsibility of their children. You cannot bring a child to the planet earth and refuse to perform roles as a parent. But parents may not quantify what they spent from childhood to adolescence. That is a blessing children cannot get from another person.
There are people who have attributed their failure in life to the fact that their parents, especially mothers are witchcraft. It is wrong to feel that your mother is instrumental to your failure in life. The only way to success is hardwork.
Let money not determine the level of love for your parents. Wherever a child goes, family is constant.
Eunice Choko-Kayode
Naturally, when a child is born, it is the role of the father and mother to decide a suitable name for the child. The husband and wife normally discuss and suggest the English or vernacular name of the baby.
But sometimes, when a baby comes into a family, grandparents hearts are usually filled with joy to the extent that they want to answer present, by giving their own names not minding the fact that the biological parents have given theirs.
This happens mostly when the marriage is an inter-tribal one. It also happens even in intra-tribal marriage. Grandparents want equal representation as far as naming a child is concerned. They also have special names as a result of circumstances surrounding the birth of the child.
This is still happening till date.
A lot of people have viewed this in different ways but there is nothing wrong about it. The most important thing is that the child bears as many names as he or she can. But one thing is certain, the child must bear one name in school.
Should circumstance determine a child’s name?
Women who are more emotional are always eager to name their children considering the circumstances surrounding the child’s conception and arrival.
The issue of grandparents naming a child comes up mostly when it is the first of the family.
In naming children by some parents in the olden days, they named their children according to the days in the week in which they were born, like Sunday, Monday, Friday and so on.
You may be shocked to hear that whether a child is given 10 names by parents or grandparents, when he or she grows up, will decide to change. There are several cases where some persons decided to change especially when they feel that the names given by their parents and grandparents do not give them joy. If they are not doing well in life, they may claim that their misfortune is caused by the name their parents.
Competition among children in schools be it primary, (kindergarten) and secondary come in different forms. It can be Mathematics , debate, quiz, spelling bee,competition, from organisations like Cowbell, multi-national companies, faith-based organisations among others.
They are organised mostly for selected intelligent ones, the best among their peers to represent a class, school or group. Prizes are normally set aside for the best as well as consolation prizes for runners-up at the end of each session.
The question is, are children willing to accept defeat when they fail? As parents, guardians, can you encourage your children or wards to accept defeat instead of shouting and comparing them with others who may be performing better either in schools or outside.
Some parents may be blaming their children for not doing well in competitions. They will like to tell their children if others who may perform better have ten heads. Those group of parents blame their children for every failure.
For your children to do better in competition, the parents too must have emotional intelligence. When you continue to blame your children for failure, how intelligent are you?
Some parents always want their children to be in the 1st position and unhappy whenever they secure 2nd position. There were instances where children smashed their trophies because they never got the position they wanted to get and their parents supported them.
Children should be able to accept it whether they win or not. They should be encouraged for every performance. Discourage the issue of “shame, shame, shame, shame”.
A parent says she always tells her children to win even if they will fail. Always give them the mentality that they can win. Children should be given the impression that they can win prizes and laurels in every competition.
Parents should not isolate their children from others in the neighbourhood. Allow them to play with others. Don’t threaten your children that you may not pay their schools fees if they fail. Comparing them with others may encourage or discourage them.
Coming first or getting award as a first class student from the university sometimes does not mean that the person is the best. And if the child does not merit any award in the lower classes, does not mean that he can not merit first class also.
It should be noted that coming first in academic competition may not really mean that the competitor will be the best at work place or business.
Accepting defeat is a way to move higher. Even if a child who competed with others did not come first, there are consolation prizes for runners-up. When you advise the child to accept defeat, you are encouraging her to win in next competition.
Remember all children cannot be on the same knowledge level Their learning abilities defer.
Eunice Choko-Kayode
