Empowering Mainstream Students Through Dance: Fit Hop NZ's Impact at Waitakere College

For the past four weeks, Fit Hop NZ has been part of the Waitakere High School education curriculum, delivering dance sessions for the students. This is something outside of the usual schedule for them, and it was a massive step for many of the students to find the courage and confidence to participate.

As a teenager amongst peers, it can be difficult to put oneself out there in a dance class setting. Fear of judgment and lack of self-confidence are two main contributing factors to their hesitancy. Unless a student has prior experience in dance and some comfortability in moving their body in a creative way, it's like anything brand new - uncertain, unfamiliar, and physically challenging. I, as a dance teacher of over 15 years, see the quiet desire in many students to give it a go, but also see the inhibition they face when confronted with something so far out of their comfort zone. Therefore, I have employed various activation methods that help each and every one of them find dance and movement in their own way.

I have found that the best way to start a large class of over 40 students, who may not particularly want to be there, is in a circle. This gives everyone 'even standing' with a clear view of me, the teacher, to follow along with the movements. I can gauge my class's attitude at the start and see where to go from there. Some Waitakere College students needed the extra push to get moving, so a simple layout with everyone traveling around in a circle is a great place to start. The fact they are in a circle and everyone is moving to the right or left lets them know they must move with the flow or hold up the people behind them and ruin the exercise. It gives them accountability to the group they are in, knowing that they must travel in the same pattern to keep up with the class. This 'first steps' approach shakes off the frozen body that would not jump straight into step touch or step kick; it just gets them moving in a natural way that is, most importantly, familiar to them. When they realize they are moving, the progress starts from there.

The next movements I will demonstrate are simple: step heel, step touch, knee lift, punches, kicks, etc. This is one level up from walking in a circle, and again, very simple everyday movements.

Today, for example, I met the students where they were. It was their physical education period, where they would usually be playing basketball, rugby, football, and the like. Knowing this information helped me communicate dance to them in a simple way they could understand. I took generic movements from a range of sports and gave them an intention and a rhythm to the music, showing the students that dance stimuli can be found literally anywhere. I did the same thing for another class, where I asked them to create their own movement choreography. Now, using these technical terms feels daunting, and some students revert back to "I don't know how to dance, I don't know how to make up a dance." Then I confront them and take a simple pedestrian movement they are currently doing while standing there telling me they can't dance, and I perform it back to them with intention and rhythm. For example, a student became shy and put his hand over his mouth and chin. I took that movement and bopped side to side with the same hand gesture, and it became some swag hip-hop rapper kind of vibe move. Another student wrapped her hands behind her back, very shy and unsure of what her dance move could be. Again, I performed it back to her with intention and rhythm, first grabbing hands behind my back, then grabbing again in the front. It became beat hits that, with added bounce movement, turned into another great dance move.

This exercise helped the students recognize pedestrianism as a stimulus for dance and realize that there is no limitation to the type of movement you can create with your body.

After the first 10 minutes of class, the students are visibly more comfortable with trying new movements. We previously activated arms and legs with basic steps. When I see they have achieved that, I then start to introduce more dance-like movements that initiate from the torso, spine, and core. This is the groove that is achieved, and instead of simply scooping arms above the head, then dragging back down the body, we add the spinal articulation of a body roll type move. The students follow along and do it, realize what their body just did, and explode in a joyful reaction—seemingly surprised at themselves as well as checking their friends' reactions to see if they are being judged or if their friend is having an equally good time moving that way too.

Another exercise we do is to demonstrate how dance is so effective in memory retention. In a circle, each student says their name, breaking down each syllable and putting a movement to it. My name SON-YA, having two syllables, allowed me to create a two-hit move, e.g., elbow-PUNCH! Each student took their own name and designed their movement to it. With each new introduction of name and movement, we returned to the start person and practiced everyone's moves in order, adding on the next person each time. At the end of this exercise, the students could see that the physical movement helped the vocal retention of remembering names, and I, being the newcomer, was able to remember all their names—sometimes marking their movement to help jog my memory. I told them to use this technique in study for exams! Create movement around information you know you need to remember, then to recall that information, perform the movement, and it will all come back to you. Dance for memory retention is a powerful tool.

I love to challenge my students to discover their creativity and to begin building confidence. I put them into small groups where they must use collaboration and teamwork to develop a sequence of dance steps into a choreography that can be counted to the beat and repeated in a mini performance. I will go around each group and help them find their movement and structure it to the beat. Once they've got it, each group gets to perform what they have made up to the rest of the class. I see such an incredible sense of achievement when this task is completed, and closer bonds between group members as well. The rest of the class is so supportive, clapping and cheering for the group that gets up each time and showing their appreciation and hype.

The students who started off dragging their feet into a scary new space end up leaving the class smiling, laughing, and hugging each other. High fives all around for a great achievement in developing self-confidence, creative movement, and the ability to work well with their peers.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Waitakere College Mainstream students and look forward to our continued dance delivery in 2026.