Ballroom for children

[pygmalion]

This is somewhat related to the previous thread on the best age to start dancing. I'm just looking at the idea from a different perspective, now. Introducing very young children to a stringent ballroom dance training program is fairly common in European and other countries and is becoming more common in the U.S. what do you think of the idea? Good? Bad? Is there a balance? Can you make any personal observations?

[tasche]

Well I started ballroom at the age of 11 in a school settinf. I gave it up when I was 15 though. The training wasn't stringent at the beginning and I feel that the experience gave mne more interpersonal skills

I think more about this and post back later

[SDsalsaguy]

Personally I can't see any reason why not to provide early instruction.

[Porfirio Landeros]

Personally I can't see any reason why not to provide early instruction.

IT STUNTS YOUR GROWTH!

Or is that just powerlifting?

[pygmalion]

Actually, what was in my mind when I started this thread was stage moms.

[SDsalsaguy]

Actually, what was in my mind when I started this thread was stage moms.

... :headwall:

... aren't they just awful?

[jenibelle]

stage moms are like HOCKEY DADS!

ACK!

:headwall:

Jeni

[Porfirio Landeros]

stage moms are like HOCKEY DADS!

Hmmm, I've never seen a hockey dad... And I've never seen a frozen lake in SoCal either ;-)

My mom made me take tap lessons when I was 7, and I didn't object. I was excited to take them because she seemed excited that my sister and I were going to. I was the only boy in class of 12 or so kids. Makes you wonder why U.S. dads don't support dancing boys, eh :roll:

[IsaacAltman]

At my studio in Miami, we have been teaching kids now for 10 years. We start them out at 4 years old.

[virginiadancegirl]

I actually plan on staring my daughter very casually as I train...and she's two...amazing rhythm though! I'm certainly not going to push her, but just let her participate in my classes...we'll see where it goes in a few years.....

[pygmalion]

Cool. can she follow the step patterns, or does she just wiggle to the rhythm at this point?

[looyenyeo]

When I used to attend the comps like the Yorkshire open and the ones in Blackpool, the Juniors all seemed to dance alike. I think that the styling tends to do that until they mature and find a way of letting their personalities through.

Latin dancers always seemed on the small side. I don't know whether the comps selected for a more diminutive frame, or whether it actually stunted growth.

Definitely I enjoyed the late-starters categories and the varsity competitions more, because the couples were much more individual in their deliveries.

Loo

[tasche]

I'm not sure if latin stunts growth but when your short and small spinning and fast movement seem to be more natural. Its kinda like kids have the same amount of energy but when its in a smaller package its like a firecracker.

When I was a child we all used to have the same routine. It was the only way really

[pygmalion]

I have heard stories about gymnasts and other (especially female) athletes having stunted growth due to low body fat during the formative years. I can't imagine that would apply to ballroom kids, though. Or would it? I don't know. How stringent ARE the ballroom training programs for kids? It's impossible to tell when you live in the U.S. Things are relatively lax here.

[IsaacAltman]

Since working with many of the Russian kids and their coaches here in the U.S. and because of the huge amount of physical training, the body structure is comparitively smaller. I do believe there is a direct relation between the physical training and the growth.

[ShyDancer]

I actually plan on staring my daughter very casually as I train...and she's two...amazing rhythm though! I'm certainly not going to push her, but just let her participate in my classes...we'll see where it goes in a few years.....

I want to do the same thing! My daughter is 3 and loves to watch me practice, whenever I put on my music (yes she knows the tunes!) she grabs her dancing shoes (ie ballet slippers) and dances along. She has learnt the back and forward basic with me but thats all. If she asks to go to a class I will take her and see how she does.
She does ballet...she asked to do that after watching a demonstration at a kids fair. There is nothing structured there at her level, and I have no worries about it affecting her growth.

[pygmalion]

I saw a web site recently -- I think it's dancesport South Africa, but I'll check, which has a very good article giving advice to newbie ballroom parents. Lots of good advice about handling kids at comps, etc. But the best advice, I thought, was about keeping things in perspective and not pushing kids too hard. I'll see if I can find the link.

[pygmalion]

Ha! I found it. Here's a link to that article. Good advice for any stage parents, I'd think. Some of it is specific to South Africa, but a lot of it is universal, I think.

http://www.sadancesport.co.za/news/articles/FreestylePrep/Freestyle.asp

[ShyDancer]

Thanks for that link pygmalion :D

Had some handy idea in there!
My daughter Jemma has only been in one recital ... she didnt like being on stage at all so I wont be putting her in anymore unless she asks!

I reently found a dance studio that does ballroom dance for ages 3 and up. I might take her along and see how she enjoys it. Competition for her is a loooooooooooong way off if ever!

She just loves to dance, if theres no music she sings and dances to her own voice...very cute to see! Id prefer her to just dance for fun rather than compete, but as she can make her own choices, I wont be pushing her either way, just go along with whatever makes her happy!

[pygmalion]

Okay. So I have a group of three-to-six-years olds that I work with, and I think it would be fun to choreograph a little end of school year dance routine for them. Any ideas on what type of dance or steps to use? The youngest one of them just turned three. Cute! :D

[ShyDancer]

Any dance style??

My daughters class were all between 2 and 4 so it was really basic stuff, lots of arms... like raising them above their heads then tapping their knees. And some foot tapping and skipping. The teacher wanted to keep fotwork to a minimum because they were so little.
They did it to an animal song, so as the music sang about running thru the jungle with animals, they made the arm movements to go with it...eg for the bird the would flap, for running tehy would do an on the spot run.

You just have to find a good song to dance to. I dont know if you would have the song in the US..its an Aussie kids group called Hi-5 and the song is So Many Animals.

Good luck with it! They will look adorable!

[pygmalion]

Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking imitation merengue -- you know, march, march, march. The little ones may not get it, but the bigger ones will.

But I'll google that kids group of yours and see if I can find the music. Thanks.


And I'll definitely get video of them. It's going to be so much fun.

[FrancescaLee]

I have two children: a daughter who is 6 1/2 and a son who is 5. I've delibrately kept them from dance--ANY DANCE--as far as allowing them to participate at a studio...and I have good reason. You see, I've been dancing since I was 3. First ballet, then I added tap at 7 and jazz at 10. At 14, I began ballroom and rhythm. I was competing soon after, started teaching at 19, owned a studio by the time I was 21. I've never really known another life...until I met my husband and had children. That's when I realized that my motivations for dancing were always fueled by my EXTREMELY competative nature. I'm 31 now, and I'm finally in a place where I feel that I don't have to beat anyone to prove my talent.

At home, I am teaching my children to dance together, with me, and with their dad. Dancing is a form of fun for them...a game...and they look forward to our "lessons" together. If they ever choose to take lessons or compete because it "looks like fun"--then I'll jump in and encourage their progression! However, because I do not EVER want to be one of "those" stage moms, perhaps it's best I wait for them to approach me instead of pushing them where I might want them to go. I can't live vicariously through my children, no matter how much I might want to...oh, well.

Thanks for letting me rattle on so long. Keep dancing for your soul!

[pygmalion]

Hi FrancescaLee. Welcome, and thank you for sharing your story. May God bless you for helping other parents understand the need for balance. Thank you.


And welcome to the forums. :D

Jenn

[dancer21]

FrancescaLee,

Congratulations on the legacy that you are creating with your children. I am 8th of 9 children, growing up in a household of teenagers during the late 60's. There was always music playing at our house. My mother's favorite's were the Rat Pack, Doris Day, and the like... With out that casual influence, my life would have been a completely different . I am thankful that it turned out the way it did.

As to an earlier post on this thread. I was 1 of 2 boys in a dance class of about 10 maybe 12 students when my mother was finally able to afford me the lessons. I also grew up playing POP Warner football for 6 years of my youth and continued playing sports through my senior year in high school.

If anything it is the very idea of the "hockey dad" mentality that has set social dancing back in the U.S. as far as it is.

I have seen the Russian children compete. I was also fortunate enough to spend time with them in Ireland recently. Dancing means more to them as a sport than the 6 years of POP Warner football ever was to me. And they are learning not only the discipline of a sport but social etiquette as well. Cant say that about many sports. Most of these kids were cooped up in a hotel room or a ballroom for the better part of the week. Extremely we behaved. One set of chaperones brought 70 students with them to the comp.

Dancing is a requirment in their schooling as it was explained to me. They foster arts, sports, and culture at very young ages. ( dont think them that different from the U. S. kids though, I saw plenty of Game Boys in the ballroom being played between rounds but plenty of books being read as well.

[SDsalsaguy]

Welcome to the forums FrancescaLee! :D
Thanks for sharing your expereinces... quite telling indeed.

And thanks for the report regarding the Celtic Classic dancer21.

[Adwiz]

We never question whether young children should be playing baseball or soccer or hockey, but we are somewhat introspective about asking whether they should be dancing. Just an interesting observation I made reading this thread.

My youngest daughter started ballet when she was four. It has matured her as a person and developed poise and grace and confidence. Like any disciplined physical activity, dance provides a way for children to see progress in their development as it relates to health, strength and muscle control. I think that is always healthy.

Now 15, she competes in ballet and other dance forms. She started ballroom not quite one year ago and is doing great, loving every moment and excited about competing. The only issue we face is that of finding a partner for her, with the normal concerns dads have about pairing up an adolescent boy with my teenage daughter, if you know what I mean.

I got a kick out of the references to sports parents. That is a universal problem in all sports. It drives me nuts when parents scream suggested moves or styling suggestions at their Junior-level competitor children in the middle of the competition! Give me a break! Just let them dance.

[tangotime]

being from the u.k-- i was literally dropped off at a ballroom school aged four -- being a precocious child ( apparently ) it took like a duck to water-- nearly 70 yrs on-- I am truly grateful that my mother-- for whatever reason-- made that choice -- it is a tool which every adult should possess in his/her repertoire --- even if one decides to stay amat.-- think of all the endless hours of pleasure it would give you for a lifetime-- if everychild were taught how to dance to a competent level-- i sincerely believe there would be far less stress in the world-- Polyanna ?-- maybe--- but a nice note to close on .

[dancesportgirl21]

I started ballet and tap when I was 3 years old and then continued with that jazz, modern, and other styles. I've played almost every other sport, but always ended up quitting those after a few years to focus more on dancing. I started ballroom at 14 although I wish I had known about ballroom dancing earlier on since I love it so much. Growing up with dance has taught me a lot of self discipline and given me a very competitive nature and I thank my friends and mom for keeping everything in perspective.

[DancingMommy]

At my studio in Miami, we have been teaching kids now for 10 years. We start them out at 4 years old.

I'm in the C. Florida area - do you have anyone you can suggest for my 4 yo who is currently in ballet/tap? She knows Cha Cha rhythm, Rrhythm, Foxtrot rhythm, etc but our coach oesn't take them until they are older (say 8).

[chocolatchica]

I know of a great class in Downey that is deffinately worth the commute and its only $5. Its taught by a great instructor/competitor who wants to spread ballroom dancing among the oyunger crowd. Thats why the classes are priced as they are (usually lessons with her range a lot hire). If you want some more info please let me know!

[DancingMommy]

Call me ignorant, but where is Downey? I'm about 30 minutes from Daytona Beach...

[ChaChaMama]

I've been giving this a lot of thought because my daughter is 3.5 and is going to start a dance class in about a week and a half. (It seems to be more of a creative movement class than one in a specific dance discipline. The 6+ year old kids have choices including ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop.)

I would also like to start her in latin/ballroom, but am trying to figure out the logistics, as there aren't any kid group classes in my town. (A 50 min. drive to Baltimore might be a possibility.)

This might sound controversial, but it seems to me that latin/ballroom has more opportunities for a wider variety of body types than ballet (which I did from age 3 onward.) Ballet companies are looking for a very specific body type. Generally speaking, girls should be 5'3"-5'6", long-legged and long-armed, willowy, small-chested, maybe 115 lbs maximum. Many people--myself included--are not this body type.

Think of today's top amateur latin finalists. Most of them would not make the cut in an audition for a top ballet company on body type alone, even though many of them are slender and have great bodies. Standard may favor a somewhat more balletic body type, but even there, there are variations.

Ironically, so far it looks like my kid will be on the slender side, but I still worry about the culture of ballet studios a bit (relative to eating disorders). That's not to say I'm going to keep her out of ballet, but I want her to know that there are alternatives within the dance world and that she is free to try all of them!

:) ChaChaMama

[dancesportgirl21]

ChaChaMama- I agree! I've danced almost every style and I can tell you that ballroom (to be danced seriously vs. ballet) is probably better for one's self esteem. It promotes a healthy image and using your body type to your advantage and create a unique style, while ballet is more of conforming to a certain look which isn't healthy or even physically achievable for many girls. I'm not saying anything against ballet, but I've seen many girls take harmful measures to achieve the look they want. Jazz and modern styles are also less concerned with a certain look and are more about individuality. The great thing about ballroom is that working out and a good fake tan give you the desirable look rather than not eating ;)

[chocolatchica]

Downey is kinda an unknown city and I think its north :confused: . No wait.... honestly not too sure but I live in Orange County and it is about 30 min. My son loves dancing so I take him when I can. If you want I can give the intructors link and you can e-mail her about questions. She is so sweet and great with kids. Ok so its carinafourmyle.com

Good luck and Happy Dancing!:-D

[Nik]

I got made fun of a lot when I was younger for dancing. Not something that kids in todays society accept as something cool to do, not boys at least.

[chocolatchica]

Jeez what a shame. Dancing rocks! Those kids didnt know what they were missing. I bet they are taking ballroom lessons now. Lol. And you kick butt and they wish they could be good. Lol oh that was kinda mean but really, what they heck is wrong with dancing? I dont know why so many kids are made fun of for doing something so great!