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General Wolfe students Move for Mind Health

February 8, 2021

In terms of exercise, dancing is a great activity for both the body and the mind.

General Wolfe School explored that mind/body connection and the power of dance during its recent Move for Mind Health event.

The Dec. 5 event, which featured workshops with Legacy Dance Crew’s Olivia Sarmiento and SIKAT Dance Company’s Kerwin Perada, was held as a fundraiser for the school’s General Chaos dance team.

“Mind health is an important part of being a healthy and well-rounded individual. As dancers, we always want to make sure we take care of our bodies, but more than that, our minds as well,” said General Wolfe Dance teacher Kelsey McCall.

While dance has long been recognized as a great physical exercise, its mental health benefits are also important.

“Dance can be a way for us to express ourselves. It can be a support for many of us through our darkest days, and it can be a form of celebration in our times of pride and joy,” Ms. McCall said.

 


It’s no secret that dance is an enormously popular activity at the school; the demand amongst Grades 7-9 students has created a school schedule with nine full sections of dance classes.

“Even before I joined General Chaos, I had been dancing for a long time,” said student Alianna Chea. “I find dancing is a way to release all my stress and anger.”

When students aren’t practising with General Chaos, they can be seen dancing in the hallways, in “the pit” (a common-area at the entrance to the school) and on the school grounds.

“Dance, for many of the students at General Wolfe is a way of life. It helps carry them through their sometimes difficult daily lives, and gives many of them a sense of identity and belonging,” Ms. McCall said.

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Ms. McCall said the event was ultimately about bringing awareness and advocacy for mental health.

“We’ve prepped our dance students to be able to comfortably talk about it amongst each other, which will also allow them to talk about it with other people in their lives and other students,” Ms. McCall said.

“We want people to know that it’s okay to talk about these things…and we’re also training ourselves to let someone else know if there is a problem.”

Students said they appreciated having an open environment, where everyone can feel comfortable discussing mental health.

“I think it’s great when people are able to talk about their emotions and what they’re feeling,” said student Kaitlynn Teixeira.


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