Paul Henderson has spent two decades watching something shift in kids. Phones, social media and comparison culture – the cumulative effect of which, he said, has taken a toll on children’s confidence and mental health – have changed the way many young people experience the world. He and his wife Tiffany, co-founder of Twinkle Star Dance™ Academy, have long believed dance could be part of the answer. By Tamara Rahoumi
Studio Science: The Benefits of Dance for Kids
Paul Henderson has spent two decades watching something shift in kids. Phones, social media and comparison culture – the cumulative effect of which, he said, has taken a toll on children’s confidence and mental health – have changed the way many young people experience the world. He and his wife Tiffany, co-founder of Twinkle Star Dance™ Academy, have long believed dance could be part of the answer.
Tiffany felt like she wanted to go deeper. She enrolled in a Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania with her sights set on measuring what happens to a child’s mood inside a dance class.
“I did the online Coursera version for $79,” joked Paul. “I just wanted to be able to talk to Tiffany about whatever she was learning, but the course was sort of life-changing for both of us because it really helped us understand that what we were doing was really helping these kids.”
This isn’t just a hunch – it’s something supported by data. Tiffany’s capstone evolved into a peer-reviewed study published this year in Frontiers in Psychology. The study tracked mood changes in 251 students ages 5 to 17 across more than 4,000 class sessions. The findings were consistent and clear: nearly 86% of classes ended with students’ mood staying the same or improving, and the pattern held regardless of dance style, instructor experience or how many classes a week a child attended.
For Paul, the numbers provided evidence for something he’s long sensed but struggled to articulate.
“There’s something happening in your brain – developing those skills of learning quickly and retaining them – that is going to help kids for the rest of their lives,” he said. “When you get kids together, learning together and doing hard things together, that’s a great thing.”
When franchisees invest in Twinkle Star Dance Academy, they’re not just investing in a business – they’re investing in a brand that supports children’s development. At a time when children face increasing distractions and pressures, a studio becomes a place where positive growth can happen. Resilience is built, belonging is fostered and moods are buoyed – class after class, year after year.
Tamara Rahoumi