I participated in a 6-day community service from August 24, 2024, to September 15, 2024, as the Dance category leader, conducting dance lessons for more than 80 underpriviledged children. Within 12 hours, I taught four dance routines, making sure the children did not just learn new things but also had fun while doing so.

Purpose
As an avid dancer,I am always on the lookout for opportunities where I can learn and contribute to society at the same time.

This CAS activity was tailor made for me since it involved composing new choreographies and teaching them to children who had no experience in dancing at all. I did not aim to merely teach dance but also to enhance their confidence, inspire self-expression, and make learning enjoyable.


LO4 – Show perseverance and commitment in CAS experience
It was not easy to teach dance to more than 100 kids. Every kid learned at a different speed, and some struggled to learn the steps. There were times when I got frustrated, particularly when we had little time and needed to make sure everyone was ready for the grand finale. But I stuck with the process, adjusting my teaching method to suit varying learning speeds. moroever, I showed up on all 6 days, and improved on myself since this was an opportunity to reflect on me as well. In the end , even with the hurdles I was able to teach all the dances, and build enough confidence in them to perform in fornt of the remaining audience.

Collaboration and Communication (LO5: Working Collaboratively)
Because the children were from different backgrounds and spoke different languages, communication was a big issue. In order to solve this, I had to seek other means of communicating my instructions. Showing them steps visually became my main teaching method. Rather than using just verbal instructions, I employed the use of hand gestures, facial expressions, and rhythmic claps to take them through every routine.

In addition, collaboration with a team of student volunteers involved good teamwork. We organized timetables, ran groups well, and made sure that every child was given individual attention where necessary. This helped to improve my leadership and teamwork skills, further emphasizing the value of patience and teamwork in attaining a common objective.

Learner Profile: Communicator
This CAS experience greatly honed my skills as a Communicator. Being that I had to work with children who have different languages, I learned how to communicate using body language and dance itself as a means of communication. Words were replaced with actions, rhythm, and movement as our own universal language. This experience once again taught me that communication does not necessarily equate to speaking—it is actually about connection and understanding.

All in all, this experience was tremendously rewarding. It forced me out of my comfort zone and made me flexible, tolerant, and innovative in my teaching style. Seeing the smile on the children’s faces as they performed their last dance routine was a true indication of the positive change we had brought about. Not only did I learn to be a better dancer and educator, but I also learned to become a greater leader and communicator.