National Dance Association

The National Dance Association promotes dance education and focuses on health and reaches out to people of all ages.  Their vision/mission statement is: “The National Dance Association envisions a society where dance and dance education are an integral part of education and community life.  The National Dance Association (NDA/AAHPERD) leads in promoting and supporting creative, artistic, and healthy lifestyles through quality services and programs in dance and dance education.” (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreating and Dance, 2013) NDA has various educational programs and services.  They have the National Dance Honor Society, The National Dance Educator of the Year Workshops, Author Workshops, Let’s Move in School-Let’s Dance! Workshops, Page-to-Stage Workshops, Pedagogy Conferences, Dance Technology Conferences, Steps to the Future Workshop, PIPEline: Teaching Dance in Physical Education, Arts Advocacy Day, Continuing Education Units, The Choreography Evaluation Project, and Dance Education in America Exhibit.  They have also won numerous awards, such as: the Heritage Award, the NDA Scholar/Artist, Dance Educators of the Year, Student Awards, and the Student Literary Award.  This association is important to my industry because they educate people on how great dance really is.  They also inform people on how healthy and fun dance can be, which is very important, especially to children.  They promote and get the word out about dance education and they really narrow in on how important it is to have dance in the curriculum and to stay healthy.  They help my industry by creating healthier, more educated dancers.