The beauty of dance is that it is universal. While there are many dances’ individuals may choose to learn, the actual base experience of dance is not really something that can be taught in a classroom. The experience of moving to music is almost instinctive, and it is partly because of this that many individuals consider dance to be a universal language. There is no such thing as someone who cannot dance, and therefore a well-designed dance unit in instructional settings is one that can be adapted for all dancers no matter their skill level, age or physical abilities.

Our interactive learning resource explores a bit of this topic, discussing how a dance unit may be designed and adapted to accommodate ELL students. Dance instruction doesn’t necessarily require spoken words, making it an excellent choice for students still in the process of grasping a new language. Additionally, our first lesson contains an option for students to share their favourite music which could allow ELL students to share music in their native language and share it with their peers. Similarly, this unit could be adapted to suite hearing impaired students by adapting some of our lessons to rely on visual cues as opposed to verbal. If possible, music with enough base can provide deaf students with a similar connection to music as their hearing counterparts.

Students with physical disabilities can be adapted for as well, whether that is teaching dances using more isolated areas of movements (such as many popular TikTok dances that use primarily arm movements) or adjusting further to allow for more rhythm-based participation. A great deal of our interactive learning resource is dependent on what the students choose to do with themselves, such as creating their own dances. This allows all students to adjust to their comfort and abilities while still having a fun and impactful learning experience, no matter their knowledge, ability or experience.