CASE STUDY 1 Folk studio “Rūta” Introduction Alytus Youth Centre is an institution providing a wide range of non-formal education activities and additional occupations. AYC is a basis and place of experienced, talented, creative and motivated staff and teachers offering new opportunities and initiatives. We try to prevent young people from harmful habits, educate their personal and social competencies, prepare them for life by providing professional knowledge, motivating to choose, study and achieve results. As a partner in COURAGE project, Alytus Youth Center has chosen a dance theme to help teenagers and young people to start positive changes in their lives, keep them safe and self-confident. There are so many evidences and opportunities in choosing dance as an extracurricular activity.
Friendships Being active in dance classes, or on a competitive team helps young people to build meaningful and
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| The COURAGE Project
respectful friendships. Young people spend a lot of time with their dance partners having fun and sometimes going through tough times, too.
Self-confidence There are so many issues that the teens face today: from boyhood troubles to self-image matters, and even pressures of deciding what their career will be in 10 years. Therefore, the dance provides them with a place to forget the stress and focus on building self-esteem and self-confidence. It gives dancers an opportunity to build their skills and accomplish their goals in a fun environment.
Why dance? A case – study in AYC is based on Rokas. He is a teenager, attending folk dance studio Ruta at AYC. For centuries, many cultures have used dance to communicate, show emotions, share stories, and provide physical and emotional healing. Use of dance as a type of physical therapy and psychotherapy goes back to the 1940s. Nowadays dance
