Today, I am sitting in my office, listening to the Level 1 ballet class start to stretch and warm up for the day. The little giggles coming from that room are my favorite. A ballet class filled with girls who are bubbly, fun, and at times the craziest little humans you'll ever lay your eyes on.
I started taking ballet classes when I was 3 years old. If you talk with most women, the majority will tell you that they have taken dance classes at one time or another in their young life. My mother was a dancer, as was her mother, and even my mother-in-law! I'm surrounded my strong, creative women who all danced at a young age. Whether they stuck with it in their adult years or not, they all look back on their dance memories with joy.
What is so special about dance class? What is it that draws us to put our sons and daughters in dance class at such a young age? I think I might have the answer!
A trained dancer has developed 3 major characteristics that benefit any career or lifestyle choice.
1. Intelligence
One of the most important components of dance class is memory. In ballet, memory is challenged in so many of its forms. A majority of class is based upon how well the students remember the combinations of movements that are given to them. They are given choreography, and they are expected to store it away in their memory, as well as be able to reverse the combination from leading on the right side to the left side. This kind of intelligence isn't always accessed in school, as it all has to do with mergence of physical movement and abstract thinking. They are also challenged in their language skills and vocabulary, as they learn French terms, and what they mean to describe different movements and positions. These dancers grow up to be independent thinkers, colleagues and students, and it's no wonder why! Imagine if every 3 year old started learning basic french and physical memorization before kindergarten years!
2. Discipline
In order to succeed as a dancer, there has to be a sense of pride in the work you are doing. If you go to class, but leave your excitement for ballet at the door, you will not improve nearly as much as you should in any given time. Dance takes dedication outside of the classroom just as much as inside. Students learn to practice choreography, stretch, and do strengthening exercises at home in order to come to their next class even more prepared. Basic dance skills like the splits, balances, and even correctly placed relevé need to be worked on more frequently than the allotted time in class. This kind of dedication trains any student being to develop excellent work ethic, and teaches them to devote significant time to improvement, rather than expecting to improve at the drop of a hat.
3. Creativity
All dancers learn to tell a story without words. Every time music is put on, and a dancer start to move, they begin telling a story through their physicality. This kind of expression is inherent to children, but we lose the freedom to move our bodies in whatever way we want as we grow up. We become self-conscious of our choices, and dancing becomes less fun, but instead embarrassing. By putting a child in dance classes, they are able to observe an adult teacher allowing them to create scenarios of imagination through music and movement. This develops a foundation of permissable imagination and creativity. As we get older, imagination and creativity are replaced with logic and intellect. Instead, the dancer learns how to mesh their intellect and imagination together, blossoming into a creative thinker, entrepreneur, or even activist.
Dance is such a beautiful art form, but an even better training ground. I know my kiddos (whenever they may appear) will all go through some sort of dance in their youngest years. The long-term benefits of dance classes are too amazing for them to miss out on!
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