The expressive arts play an important role in the education of all pupils. They encourage the exploration of values, foster imagination and creativity, develop practical and perceptual skills and promote intellectual an aesthetic development.

Dance is an area of the curriculum that all children should experience. It encompasses so many educational philosophies in terms of intellectual, social, emotional and physical development. Dance can be enjoyed, studied and appreciated in its own right, but it can also enrich and enhance other areas of the curriculum.

As a physical activity, dance also has a contribution to make to health-related fitness. It is particularly concerned with bodily control, mobility and flexibility, co-ordination, posture, strength and the use of energy.

Dance is fun, giving pleasure and joy: it lifts the spirit and stimulates the mind. Dance speaks a very special language which enables us to express thoughts and feelings, to communicate with others, and to understand more about ourselves and the world around us.

Young children dance naturally, responding to rhythm, music and mood. Movement precedes words as a means of expression, exploration and communication. Children enter school with a wealth of movement experience and the ability to express themselves through movement. It is their first language. From this natural start the teacher should provide opportunities for the children to explore and develop their own thoughts, feelings and ideas. A planned progressive dance programme should allow children to explore the expressive potential of dance. Progression will be made from natural movement to increased technical movement skills. Therefore this idea of development of technical movement will be the main focus of this unit.

According to David and May Ewart (1996) “Nowadays, even the small villages in Scotland hold Ceilidhs which continue to play a valuable role in social and community life. This style of dance has an enormous following from all age groups and it is easy to learn and can be danced enjoyably. There are numerous dances in existence; some of them imply complicated routines and others are easier. One advantage of Ceilidh is that most of the dance routines are repeated after a 16 or 32 bar sequence and, with the exception of set dances, all dancers will be performing the same routine at the same time”.