Ballerina Kids

Overview

Ballet is one of the most beautiful forms of dance and art globally, and it has been that way since the olden times. The history of this elegantly beautiful dance begins at around 1500, so it has been there ever since. As the world progresses and changes have been constant, ballet dancing was also able to move through modernization. People and dance experts were able to develop different ways to teach them and put up classes for children, including the little ones.

If you are one of those parents who are planning to enroll your child on some dance lessons or ballet classes, you have come to the right page. This article will be mainly about the benefits of ballet for kids, the requirements for age and body type, and lots of other things that you might want or need to know.

Ballet dancing can indeed play a significant role when it comes to your child’s overall development. Primarily, ballet can greatly contribute to your child’s physical development, but it does not stop there. Enrolling your kids in ballet classes and other dance lessons can also help them understand the value of discipline, focus and even understand how a team works.

How old can a ballerina be? – The best age for your kids to start ballet

Technically, finding out the best age for your child to start ballet lessons can be quite tricky. The most common reason why it can be difficult is that different ballet or dance schools have varied age recommendations for their classes. However, we can offer you a guide on how to determine if you should already be enrolling your little one in one of those prestigious ballet dance schools. To give you peace of mind, there is no best age to start dancing; as long as their standing and moving with good coordination, they can be good to go. That means your kids will be able to start lessons as early as what age your chosen ballet school can offer them.

Ballet for toddlers

There are dance studios or ballet schools that offer pre-ballet classes that can include kids as young as four. Generally, pre-ballet is encouraged to be taken by kids who are between four to eight years old. Three-year-olds can also be enrolled in these classes if they have been proven to have a good attention span and good patience upon the teacher’s assessment. Another trait that should be determined is that if your child has been generally toilet trained or can be away from their parents for a certain amount of time.

Ballet classes for younger children are mostly focused on honing their communication skills, music appreciation and their ability to move with it, and the capacity to do the simplest ballet steps. In a baby ballet or pre-ballet class, the teachers will be doing their best to prepare your little ones if they decide to move on to advanced ballet training when they get older. A pre-ballet class is often considered to be a creative movement class since they serve as an introduction to advanced ballet. Creative movement allows younger children to explore a wide range of movements through music.

Enrolling them in pre-ballet will also help your child understand and appreciate the beauty of ballet and eventually help them decide if they want to push through or not.

When enrolling your child in pre-ballet, it is also important to ensure that the instructor or teacher is fully qualified and highly capable since they will be working with younger and smaller children. Toddlers do not generally need formal or advanced ballet training since they are not recommended to perform advanced ballet techniques yet. Doing advanced classes and rigorous training for toddlers can often cause injury or permanent damage since their bones and muscles are not fully developed yet. However, if you have chosen the right school with great teachers, there will be no need to worry at all.

Is my child ready for ballet?

We all know that every child is unique and different, and they can develop and grow at different rates. As mentioned, there is no perfect age for your kids to start ballet, but we believe that as a parent, you will be able to know. You will be able to observe if your child has been really enjoying music and moving with it; you will also be able to see if your little one is ready to spend time away from you and be with other kids on her own. If you are still unsure, there are tons of dance school and ballet classes that can offer trial periods for younger children so that they will be able to feel, go along, and eventually decide that they are enjoying and feeling ready to start with ballet or pre-ballet lessons.

Is ballet good for your child? – Benefits of ballet for children

For children, exposure to the arts, sports, and athletics can greatly help them become more disciplined and well-rounded young adults in the future. The arts include dancing or performing arts, and ballet is one of the greatest and the most classic ones. Ballet dancing is one of the best media for your little ones, and this is one of the best activities that they can be exposed to even at an early age. Here are the benefits of ballet for your children:

Communication skills

Being enrolled in a ballet class or many other lessons can greatly improve your child’s communication skills and even their vocabulary. Spending a certain amount of time without you will let them talk and communicate with other people such as their classmates, dance partners, and teachers. In ballet, your child will also learn a lot of new words that will be equivalent to some movements such as bend, scoop, skip, twist, and stretch. For pre-ballet classes and even ballet classes for older children, the teachers will try to make it a dance studio and a classroom. They will find the time to introduce new words and actions to your little dances while helping them develop important physical skills simultaneously.

Posture and flexibility

We all know how ballet can greatly improve not only your child’s flexibility but their posture as well. Getting them enrolled on ballet classes is one of the best and safest way for your little ones to learn how to become flexible. Their teachers will be able to supervise, teach, and show them how to be in good shape and be in the best posture to stretch safely and properly without hurting themselves.

Strength, health, and well-being

This might surprise some of you, but ballet is more than just being flexible; this dance will also require your kids to be strong and agile. Ballet classes also have activities that are focused on the development of muscle strength. This way, the lessons can encourage your children to exercise, and that will set them up for a healthier lifestyle in the long run. When combined with proper stretching, strength training can improve your child’s physical health and well-being.

Learning discipline and focus

Having your child enrolled in a ballet school will greatly expose them to activities and things to do that will require focus and discipline. Your little one will learn dancing techniques and develop their focus by paying attention to the teacher and being disciplined enough to wait for their turn or share space with other kids in her class. Also, in every class, some rules need to be set, and your little ballerina will also learn to follow them.

Confidence

Being taught with discipline and focus will encourage young children to do away with their bad habits, which can effectively boost their confidence through positive reinforcement. As a parent, you will also be able to observe that your child has gained more confidence by showing you their newly learned skills. Everything that they will learn in dance class will make them feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment, and this will boost their confidence and make them eager to learn more.

Respect, friendship, and teamwork

Ballet dancing is something people tend to learn as a group, and your children will be able to learn the value of friendship and teamwork in this kind of classes. Other than being able to learn dances and skills together, your child will also be able to spend a lot of time with other kids, making them learn how to make friends and interact with others. Through this, your child will also respect all the other people in their classes and not only their teachers.

Ideal body type for a ballerina

Anybody can dance, no matter what shape or size, and that is a fact; however, ballet can be quite different. Ballet dancers vary in shape, size, and body type, and certain characteristics make it easier for someone to become a successful professional ballet dancer.

The ideal body type for a ballerina can include long limbs, a strong back, straight legs, arched feet, a proportionate body, good turnout of the nips, slender frame, good muscle tone, etc. However, these characteristics can be identified after your children have grown to become adults or young adults. It might not be required for your children to have the ideal body type to be enrolled in ballet classes. It is important to remember that even without the goal of being a professional ballet dancer, ballet classes can truly be beneficial and rewarding for your kids. If you want to start them young, it is better to let your kids focus on learning and enjoying it rather than thinking about your child having the ideal type for a ballerina. Again, anyone can dance, and all body types can make any art form, especially the performing arts, a beautiful one.