SOFT SKILLS ENHANCES THROUGH DANCE EDUCATION

Abstract

Attached

Sri Lanka is one of the developing countries having a lot of manpower prosperity but it is not being duly availed. The younggeneration is having appropriate aptitude and a valuable percentage of adolescent are getting good job opportunities also. But the exception which is on the average level is just having the dream of getting an employment Employers advance to hire and enhance those groups of persons‘who are resourceful, ethical and self-directed with good soft skills. Hard skills and experience are not enough for the opening and escalation in the corporate world. Inspire of such great significance of soft skills many institutions are indisposed to include soft skills training in the curriculum. Soft Skills are behavioral competencies. Also known as Interpersonal skills, or people skills, they include proficiencies such as communication skills, conflict resolution and negotiation, personal effectiveness, creative problem solving, strategic thinking, team building, influencing skills and selling skills, to name a few. The purpose of this paper is to examine how dance supports enhance soft skills within the classroom and across the dance education. This topic has the potential to further the prevalence of dance in public education, and can guide educators in the way they choose to instruct dance whether as its own subject or as an integrative method.In order to achieve the goal of the study, the survey research designed within the framework of qualitative approach was used in a sample of 25 dancing teachers, hundred secondary students, and seven principals from 25 Sinhala medium schools. Questionnaires, study privileged student’s own accounts of their experiences, through interview and videotapes of their choreography. All major data sources come directly from the student and teachers. Classroom observations were the major data collection instruments. Further, reports, handouts and curriculum related to the programme were also studied. Dance education has the ability and flexibility to support student learning in an onward model. Dance curriculum allows for exploration and awareness of social justice issues, it encourages and enhances critical and creative thinking, and it encourages student self-dependence as well as soft skills.