You probably have friends that take their kids to dance classes or even seen ads for a dance studio in your area. Maybe you thought it was just another activity & never really took the idea of your own children dancing seriously. But did you know how beneficial it could be for your child??
Dance is a fun learning activity and at our studio, even our youngest students start learning terminology and the basic core steps of dance. We know children are like sponges and while we don't expect our youngest students to execute the steps perfectly, we do want them to have a fundamental understanding of dance technique while still letting them be children!
Sure there is the cute dancewear, adorable little shoes and who could resist the enchanting tutus, not to mention just watching a little preschooler attempting the moves, but what are the real benefits of putting your child in dance?
Good posture & graceful movement. 50 years ago, young adults went to etiquette classes & finishing school. Who talks about posture anymore?? Dance teachers, that's who! Standing up straight, learning how to control core muscles and move your body without tripping over your own feet is absolutely essential in dance.
Motor skills. Can your preschooler skip yet? It's a skill they test for when they enter Kindergarten. We start working on this skill on their first class. Dance also helps promote other finer motor skills ... standing on one foot, manipulating their muscles to make the taps on their tap shoes make noises, controlling the muscles in their arms & hands to turn them into beautiful ballerinas.
Rhythm. There is a running joke that dancers can only count to 8, but that's because dancers are so good at counting music & knowing the rhythm of the steps they are doing & the music they are dancing to.
Listening skills. Dance is not learned by vision only. Dancers have to learn to listen & make corrections as they dance. When young students aren't listening, it may be necessary to say their name to get their attention. This is normal & so common and yet most parents think of it as a bad thing that their child's name is being said, but that's how they learn!
Social skills. This may not sound like such a big deal, but you would be surprised at how easy it is to tell which preschoolers have never been to daycare or which elementary kids are home-schooled. Dance is a great place for students to gain these skills if they have never been in any other school setting. They learn to take turns, stand in line, and to interact & be accepting to the other students in class.
Self Esteem. It's very gratifying to be able to learn to dance and especially to master difficult technique & steps. And it is SO self satisfying to be able to get out onto a stage in front of hundreds of people when it's time to perform.
Discipline. Not only do dancers have to learn disciplining & critiquing from their dance teachers, but it takes a great deal of self-discipline to accomplish new dance skills and to become more flexible.
Peripheral vision. Dancers develop their peripheral vision because they use it so much more than the average child! A dancer must be aware of the space and people around them as they dance while keeping their focus forward, which forces them to use their side vision more!
Teamwork. Dancers learn to work together when they have small group parts within a dance, when they have partnering steps and group lifts, and just by being together for their class. A good choreographer can make any dancer look good, but they can do so much more with the dance when the group works together, pushes each other to be better & works as a team. And a student of dance learns most sports much faster for this reason!
Fun & Creativity. Let's face it, dance is just fun! There are a lot of acting skills involved in dance too as dancers portray a character such as a cowboy/girl or butterfly or as they act out the lyrics of a song. Who wouldn't have fun doing that?? And it's an activity they can do with a friend, which always makes it more fun. Plus there's the cute dancewear, the cool shoes & awesome costumes. ;-) And it's something anyone can do. They don't have to have any experience, but they can't dance if they don't start!
