As a professional dance instructor, a favorite part of my job is the kids' lessons. Working with kids and teaching them the art, beauty, and athleticism of ballroom dance is so rewarding - and fun! If you have thought about ballroom dance for your child, the benefits are many.
Faster Learning
To start with, think about how a child learns. Children are so much faster at absorbing and demonstrating new information and skills than adults are. Youth is the perfect time to begin to introduce the somewhat complex principles of ballroom dance and get skills imprinted into young dancers' minds and bodies early. Ballroom is also wonderful for practicing the mental exercise of lessons learned in the classroom. Understanding of music and patterns will help your child with understanding math and also sharpening the mind for other studies
Fitness, Flexibility, and Fun
Ballroom dance is great exercise! In a dance class your child will be moving from start to finish and using different muscles in new ways - stretching and strengthening in every moment of dance. Dance is different from regular fitness training because although you are developing your body, in the moment, you are having so much fun that you may forget it is exercise at all! Yet dance is the most efficient way to full body conditioning - and that goes for kids and adults by the way!
Confidence and Social Skills
As a parent, you are probably always trying to think of ways to build your child's confidence and help build the people skills that will be needed in adulthood. Ballroom dance is a fabulous confidence builder for children as each week they will master new patterns and techniques. Through one-on-one interaction with a caring coach, they will receive the benefit of another positive role model in their life. And by dancing with other students, they will grow in partnership skills as well as develop stronger personal communication skills and practice etiquette.
Group Classes or Individual Training
Every Monday evening I hold a group class for several young students. These children learn new techniques and routines together and practice and perform. They have become a team and greet each other with smiles and laughs. They have become friends and it is beautiful to watch.
Some of these children have already fallen in love with dance and with their parents have decided to pursue a more focused program. I work with many children in private lessons and some of them are even competing. Children can compete in ballroom dance dancing with another student or with an adult instructor. Either way, getting to dance on a competition floor is a priceless and foundationally significant experience for any young student. They will never forget it! But just like adults, competition is not imperative. Just like music or cooking lessons or any other skill - you and your child will always appreciate that they learned to be a dancer at a young age. Dancing is a skill for life!
On January 30 I am proud to be taking several of my young students to compete at Denver Dance Jam. Please join me in wishing them a day of fun and success on the floor. And if you would like to learn more about ballroom dance for your child, please call me and we will come up with an approach that is best for your family.
See you soon on the dance floor,
Deannah
