Every year, dance communities across the globe come together to celebrate Love Your Body Week, an event that encourages dancers of all ages to embrace their bodies, promote self-acceptance, and move with confidence. This year love your body week is November 17-24, 2024 Whether you’re teaching young children, teenagers, or adult dancers, this week provides an incredible opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness of every body and foster a positive body image in the dance world.
In this article, we’ll explore what Love Your Body Week is all about, share activities and prompts that you can use in your studio or classroom, and discuss ways to foster a culture of body positivity both in dance and beyond.
In This Article:
- What is Love Your Body Week?
- Why It’s Important to Celebrate
- Love Your Body Week Activities for Young Children
- Love Your Body Week Activities for Dancers Ages 7 and Up
- How to Keep the Spirit of Love Your Body Week Going All Year Long
What is Love Your Body Week?
Love Your Body Week (LYBW) is an initiative created by the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) and the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) to encourage dancers to embrace their bodies and celebrate the beauty of movement without focusing on appearance or societal standards. The week is filled with movement activities, discussions, and journaling prompts designed to foster body positivity and self-love.
While this week is geared toward dance students, the message of LYBW transcends the studio and aims to inspire participants to appreciate their bodies in all aspects of life. It’s an opportunity to recognize that every body is unique, capable, and worthy of care and respect. LYBW aims to break down harmful stereotypes in the dance world about the “perfect body” and instead focuses on self-acceptance, growth, and inner strength.
Why It’s Important to Celebrate
The dance world has long been associated with unrealistic body standards, often leading to negative self-image and unhealthy comparisons among dancers. Love Your Body Week combats these narratives by encouraging dancers to focus on what their bodies can do, rather than how they look. This positive messaging is crucial, especially for young dancers who may be grappling with self-esteem or body image issues.
For teachers and instructors, LYBW provides an excellent platform to introduce conversations about body diversity, encourage dancers to appreciate the functionality of their bodies, and help students develop healthier relationships with themselves and their movement. It helps create an inclusive environment where all dancers—regardless of their shape, size, or ability—feel valued and empowered.
Love Your Body Week Activities for Young Children
Young children are still in the process of developing body awareness and self-concept. During Love Your Body Week, teachers can use playful and creative activities to foster a positive connection between young dancers and their bodies. Here are a few activities designed for younger dancers (ages 3-6) that celebrate body positivity in a fun and interactive way:
1. Dance and Mirror Game
Have children pair up and face each other as “mirrors.” One dancer moves slowly, and the other tries to copy their movements exactly, like a reflection in the mirror. This game encourages body awareness and teamwork, while showing that all bodies move differently but are equally beautiful.
2. Body Parts Warm-Up
Use this warm-up as a fun way to teach children to celebrate their bodies. Call out different body parts (e.g., hands, feet, elbows) and have the dancers explore moving those body parts in different ways—wiggling, shaking, reaching, and more. Each child gets a turn to “lead” the group, helping to instill confidence in their movements.
3. Gratitude Dance
Gather the children in a circle and ask them to share something they love about their body or something their body can do. After each child shares, invite the group to come up with a movement that expresses that idea (e.g., if a child says they love how they can jump high, everyone does a big jump). This simple exercise helps children connect movement with gratitude and positive self-expression.
Love Your Body Week Activities for Dancers Ages 7 and Up
For older dancers, activities during Love Your Body Week can dive deeper into self-reflection, body appreciation, and mindfulness. These dancers are more aware of societal pressures, so it’s important to foster a safe environment for open discussions and body-positive exercises. Here are a few suggested activities for dancers aged 7 and up:
1. Body-Positive Journaling
Encourage your dancers to reflect on the strengths of their bodies by keeping a journal throughout the week. Provide prompts like:
- “What is something my body does well?”
- “How has my body changed over time, and how do I feel about those changes?”
- “What makes me feel strong when I dance?”
Journaling allows dancers to articulate their thoughts and feelings about their bodies, helping them develop a positive self-narrative.
2. “Power Pose” Choreography
Introduce a movement activity where dancers create their own choreography based on “power poses” that make them feel strong and confident. You can start by teaching basic power poses, like standing tall with arms stretched wide or doing a strong lunge. Then, let dancers develop sequences of movements that reflect strength, confidence, and positivity. Encourage dancers to focus on how the movements make them feel rather than how they look.
3. Affirmation Circle
End a class by gathering your dancers in a circle and having each dancer offer a positive affirmation to themselves or the group. Examples could include: “I am strong,” “I am capable,” or “I am proud of my body.” After sharing their affirmation, each dancer can take a bow or perform a movement that represents their affirmation. This simple but powerful activity fosters a sense of community and body positivity.
How to Keep the Spirit of Love Your Body Week Going All Year Long
While Love Your Body Week is a fantastic way to kickstart conversations about body positivity, it’s important to continue fostering these ideas throughout the year. Consider weaving elements of body-positive language into your regular classes, reinforcing that all bodies are strong, capable, and deserving of care.
Regularly check in with your dancers on how they feel about their bodies and how those feelings might affect their dancing. Be open to having honest discussions about body image when it comes up and create a supportive, safe space where dancers can talk freely. By reinforcing these values year-round, you can help your dancers build lasting, positive relationships with their bodies.
Encouraging Growth and Empowerment
Love Your Body Week is a meaningful opportunity to uplift dancers of all ages and encourage them to feel proud of the bodies they have. By celebrating what their bodies can do and fostering a positive atmosphere in the dance studio, dancers can begin to let go of harmful societal pressures and build confidence in their movement. Whether you’re working with preschoolers or pre-professionals, this week—and the lessons learned from it—can have a lasting impact.
If you’re looking for more ways to inspire your dancers, I encourage you to check out the many movement activities and discussion prompts available through the National Honor Society for Dance Arts and the National Dance Education Organization. Let’s celebrate every body and keep moving with love, strength, and confidence!
Related Articles for More Inspiration
As you continue to foster body positivity and growth in your dance journey, be sure to check out these related articles for more ways to stay inspired and focused:
- Winter Break for Dancers: Find the Best Winter Intensives for 2025: Explore opportunities to stay active and engaged over the holiday season with top winter dance intensives.
- Dance Goals for 2025: The Importance of Setting Goals as a Dancer: Setting goals is key to improving as a dancer. Learn how to set SMART goals to stay motivated and on track.
- Affirmations for Dancers: The Power of Positive Thinking: Embrace the power of affirmations to cultivate a strong, confident mindset both in and out of the studio.
These resources can help guide you as you continue to build a positive relationship with your body and reach new heights in your dance journey.
Happy Dancing!
