Valentine's Dance

Valentine’s Day is a holiday always filled with laughter and love. On Friday, the students of SUNY Cortland held a Valentine’s Day Dance for the community to share that laughter and create many new memories. The Valentine’s Dance was organized by the adapted physical education department and invited any adult in the community with a disability to come and have a good time.

There were many physical educators volunteering their services at the dance to help the event run smoothly. We helped decorate the dance room with lights, streamers, and hearts to make it an inviting and warm environment. We also learned several dances before the party started which we used to help teach the guests. The guests loved dancing with us to their favorite songs and they really enjoyed learning new dances that they could move too.

Dancing is one of the best ways to stay physically active. Dancing involves vigorous movements and teaches footwork as well as rhythm. The constant movement is a great work out for everyone and it is also a fun way to stay physically fit. For some people, participating in athletics is extremely difficult and not possible due to their disabilities. Though everyone needs physical activity, and everyone can dance, which is why it is such an effective way to keep everyone active.

I had a great time at the Valentine’s Dance; moving and dancing around with all the guests and my peers, we never wanted the night to end. I also thought it was a great experience to work with adults that have disabilities and to motivate them. I learned so much from that one night about adaptive physical education and the various ways in which I can help my future students and inspire them to be physically active. 

(Photo Credit: Google.com)