For Parents That Are New to Dance

There’s something magical about watching a young child discover dance.  The shrieks of excitement as they experience the pure joy of moving to music.  The spark of confidence that begins to shine in their eyes.  The bounty of creativity and imagination that each child comes pre-wired with.  It’s an incredibly rewarding experience for a child to begin to feel mastery over their bodies and minds.  And it’s an exciting journey we make as parents watching our child grow into a thing of beauty, athleticism, and grace.  We applaud their accomplishments along the way and hold our breath for every missed step.  And our children dazzle us in the end as they dance into independence.

If you are just beginning your journey into the world of dance and music, know that it is a precious gift you are giving your child.  The list of physical and cognitive benefits is vast and well documented.  But the psychological benefit of possessing a great skill as an adolescent is priceless.  It is an anchor that lasts through high school and beyond, long past the days spent in the dance studio.  It carries over into adulthood as confidence, the ability to speak in public, and feeling comfortable in your own skin.

If you have never experienced a dance class before, here is what you can expect in a young child’s class.  Each class begins with a warm-up to prepare the muscles and the body for the work to come.  Traditional ballet exercises emphasizing proper posture are followed by stretches.  Jumps and other motor skills come next.  The final part of class is designed to encourage the young dancer’s creativity.  Each child is rewarded at the end of class, not just with a sticker, but with a sense of accomplishment.

If you have never danced before, you may hear your child talk about “plié” and “rond de jambe” and “dégagé.”  The language of dance is mostly expressed in French and today’s classes are a modern day version of what was taught more than 450 years ago.

Older students experience a similar format.  After a warm-up to prepare the muscles for the strenuous exercise to come, dancers do traditional exercises that emphasize proper posture, control, and develop grace, poise, and confidence.  Slow, exquistitely beautiful movements are followed by energetic jumps and turns and leaps.  Each class ends with a traditional “réverénce” where the teacher thanks the pupils for their work in class and the students express their gratitude to the teacher.