Why secondary schools across Dublin are booking Latin dance and Zumba workshops — and how they support Transition Year, SPHE and student mental health goals.
Student wellbeing has moved to the top of the agenda in Irish secondary schools. The Junior Cycle Wellbeing framework, the expansion of SPHE, and growing awareness of youth mental health have all contributed to a new focus on how schools can support students beyond academic performance. One of the most effective and enjoyable ways schools are responding is through Latin dance fitness.
Why dance works where traditional PE can struggle
Traditional PE has an inclusion problem. For students who are not natural athletes or who associate sport with competition and embarrassment, PE can reinforce the very anxieties schools are trying to address. Dance is different. There is no ball to miss, no team to let down, no score at the end. Teachers who have brought Susi's Latin dance workshops into their schools report that students who never participate in PE are the first ones on the floor.
The mental health benefits of Latin dance for young people
Research consistently shows that group dance interventions significantly reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms in secondary school students, with effects comparable to other physical activity interventions but with higher engagement rates. Physical activity releases endorphins, music reduces cortisol, and the social dimension of group dance builds connection and belonging — all of which directly address the core drivers of adolescent mental health difficulties.
A cross-curricular resource for Dublin schools
A single one-hour Latin dance session with Susi touches Physical Education, SPHE, cultural studies and Spanish language — making it excellent value for Transition Year programmes. Susi weaves the origins of each dance style into the session — the Cuban roots of salsa, the Dominican Republic origins of bachata, the Colombian cultural context — giving students geography and cultural context that is far more memorable than any textbook.
What Dublin schools say
Rachel, a teacher at Malahide Portmarnock Educate Together in North Dublin, describes the impact: "Susi did her class with our Transition Year students and they absolutely loved it! Some of them were a bit shy at first but with Susi's wide variety of Latin music and beats everyone was shaking their hips and following her instruction in no time." This response — initial shyness giving way to enthusiastic participation — is almost universal in Susi's school sessions.
Book a Latin dance workshop for your Dublin school
Susi Largo delivers Zumba and Latin dance fitness workshops for secondary schools across Dublin — suitable for Transition Year, PE, SPHE and wellbeing weeks, as one-off events or ongoing term programmes. Visit the schools and education page to find out more, or get in touch to discuss dates and group sizes.