Ballroom Dancing for kids

[san001]

when is the best time for kids to start to learn ballroom dancing?

[Chris Stratton]

When they find a teacher who can build long term skills while holding their interest ;-)

[dancer.only]

when is the best time for kids to start to learn ballroom dancing?
9-10 years is the best time

[Peaches]

Before they realize they're learning it? (With a question mark b/c I don't have kids and have never taught them.)

Seems to me, you can put ballroom music on and dance with them when they're little, and chances are they'll pick something up. Kids, generally, love to imitate their parents and do whatever "grown-up" things they see. I imagine they'd pick up a heck of a lot without ever realizing it, just from being around it.

(Sure, not finer points of technique, of course...but a lot of basic stuff that we take for granted could be picked up.)

[meow]

Take them to a kids social and see if they like it. If the kids enjoy the time spent dancing in a social for children then they will want to go back.
My kitten started dancing at 7 and no-one was going to stop him.

[lcdancesport]

I recently started teaching two 10 year olds and they really like it. The boy is more interested in it than the girl, at least he expresses it verbally more. He tells his mom he can't wait for the next class, which is pretty cool.

The girl is in ballet as well, so I know ballroom is a bit of a change for her, but they can do full routines, if you do it repetitively. I try to mix things up with social dances, like the Cha-Cha Slide.

[tangotime]

In the u.k.-- not uncommon at 4 and 5, some are competing at 8( in house )

[chado]

Ever seen the movie mad hot ballroom? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438205/ it's about how they teach it at elementary schools in New York grade 5's I believe (so 10?) Seems like a great idea to me, I am not sure there would be such a thing as too young...though I think that forcing it down their throat probably isn't best if that's not what they want.

I think the idea they portray in the movie is to help teach the young gentleman how to properly treat a lady, dance etiquette at a young age could really help combat the inappropriate behavior exhibited by some male 'role models' they may see on MTV.

My $0.02 :)

[meow]

In the u.k.-- not uncommon at 4 and 5, some are competing at 8( in house )

We are the same here but at 8 some are dancing in registered Am jeuvenile events.

[etp777]

Sister worked with program that inspired that movie when she was working in Chicago Public Schools. The kids loved it, (or so she said, and she's not even a fan of ballroom, only one in family who doesn't dance ballroom).

[fenixx]

I would say 10 is a little late... If you want you kid to have a shot at being a top competitor, probably 5 or 6.

[elle]

9-10 is too late, unless the kid really is crazy to start to learn. The best time is ealier, they just add steps and music to their world and enjoy it. Any serious learning is possibly only with a lot of support and interest from the parents. It takes discipline and true enjoyment from mom and/or dad to drive the kid to dancing in any weather and at any other situation, it shows a real priority and interest to the kid. This interest and encouragement for learning will soon become the kid's pride and interest, will become a true kid's DRIVE.
For boys, it's important to use the word "dancesport" rather than ballroom dancing, and in reality for many boys in dancing it is a SPORT (the efforts, sweat, sophistication of technique, and COMPETITION).

The advice to bring a kid to a kids' social and to see if he or she likes it does not make sense to me, since ballroom and such social belong to different planets. Plus we like something only through learning. We love to do what we know how to do it. The joy is in knowing something well today when yesterday it seemed so hard, and to believe that tomorrow the most difficult things will seem easy - but through work and concentration.

Play-play & fun-fun with crumbs of learning actually make kids drop dancing since they do not learn much and stop caring about it.
Many cultures now in the world have strong traditions of bringing kids into dancing at early age (Eastern Europe, UK, Russia etc), and it's opening of a lot of joy through learning and beautiful music & socializing with other determined and happy kids.

[lamboman]

I don’t think there is a magic number. I have seen a lot of kids that started very early but have been burned out because they feel unchallenged or discovered other hobbies or sports.

I can speak from my personal experience. My daughter didn’t start until she was 11 but she loves it and enjoys the challenge of competing for a boy partner against other girls that have been dancing for more than 10 years. She is one of the top girls in a studio that specializes in kids with over 200 kids.

I think it is more important to have an environment where there are a lot of others kids around because it creates motivation and a little bit of good peer-pressure. I have seen a few boys that took a long time to mature but have developed into top competitors. I think it all has to do with the boy’s/girl’s own maturity, discipline and of course what I offer which is financial support. Great coaching is expensive!

[meow]

The advice to bring a kid to a kids' social and to see if he or she likes it does not make sense to me, since ballroom and such social belong to different planets. Plus we like something only through learning. We love to do what we know how to do it. The joy is in knowing something well today when yesterday it seemed so hard, and to believe that tomorrow the most difficult things will seem easy - but through work and concentration.

Play-play & fun-fun with crumbs of learning actually make kids drop dancing since they do not learn much and stop caring about it.
Many cultures now in the world have strong traditions of bringing kids into dancing at early age (Eastern Europe, UK, Russia etc), and it's opening of a lot of joy through learning and beautiful music & socializing with other determined and happy kids.

I don't know what your 'childrens socials' are run like where you are but here a 'childrens social' is a structured class specifically designed for children. They do not play. They learn to do simple dances and have fun doing it.
We also have 'Tiny Tots' classes for little kids of 3 - 6 years of age who learn fun dances, and the beats of the music. They bring their teddy bears with them to 'dance' with, if they want.
No-one would dance if they didn't enjoy it, especially children. So it must be fun and engaging, mentally and physically. Once a child finds they enjoy dancing and want to learn more than they already are, that is when they are ready for some more serious coaching. I have seen some of these kids take up medals and then move into competition.

[tanya_the_dancer]

My son tried dancing when he was 9-10 and quit after 2 years. He said he did not want to have anything to do with "stupid girls chasing after him".

[elle]

Stupid girls chasing after a boy can be a problem... That's why it's very important to have the learning (and with some fun through learning) environment. Actually more learning will be, fewer kids will drop. Not to lose "the chasing" ones, maybe it's possible to organize a special group.... Or maybe the coach did not do his or her job properly in organizing the process so that there is no time for chasing....

It is the responsibility of the parent(s)to find the right coach and studio- when it's possible (especially in US situation with junior dancing). It is also a huge role of parents to find the right strings for motivation of the kid. In our case it was a demonstration of the full support for learning - in any weather, in any situation of tiredness of the "driver" and "supporter",. We always discussed even little results very positively, but at the same time together with the coach set a little bit more difficult goals. It made the process really interesting for the kid, she always felt proud of herself but learned to be critical to herself too and wanted to achieve more. There were days when things did not go well - especially in the situations when the kid had to catch up with a stronger partner. However we always try to recall similar days in the past and how in a very short time the hard things seemed very easy as a result of learning and trying, and definitely as a result of everyday help from the coach(es).

As to the starting age, older boys and girls become- more independent thinking and strength they need to resist the peer pressure. This is the case especially for boys. I would take his attention to the sport factor of the dancesport in the world, the level of its popularity among children and youth, medals, awards, the opportunity to travel internationally to compete with dozens and hundreds of junior couples (like in Blackpool or Dutch Open), and the feeling of achievement. It is also the only sport where a boy ALWAYS lead, and have a lot of responsibilities of a leader and the strongest person in the couple.

[elle]

Stupid girls chasing after a boy can be a problem... That's why it's very important to have the learning (and with some fun through learning) environment. Actually more learning will be, fewer kids will drop. Not to lose "the chasing" ones, maybe it's possible to organize a special group.... Or maybe the coach did not do his or her job properly in organizing the process so that there is no time or environment for chasing....

To make a kid determined (and this is what kids need to have to succeed in ANYTHING in their life), it is the responsibility of the parent(s)to find the right coach and studio- when it's possible (especially in US situation with junior dancing). It is also a huge role of parents to find the right strings for motivation of the kid. In our case it was a demonstration of the fullest support for learning - in any weather, in any situation of tiredness of the "driver" and "supporter",. We always happily discussed even little results, but at the same time together with the coach set a little bit more difficult goals.
We never-never set a goal of winning a comp, but to dance better at this competition than at teh previous, and also to show as maximum as possible what the couple has learned.

It made the process really interesting for the kid, she always felt proud of herself but learned to be critical to herself too and wanted to achieve more. There were days when things did not go well - especially in the situations when the kid had to catch up with a stronger partner (a very challenging situation for both parties!). However we always tried to recall similar days in the past and how in a very short time the hard things seemed very easy as a result of learning and trying, and definitely as a result of everyday help from the coach(es).

As to the starting age: older boys and girls become- more independent thinking and strength they need to resist the peer pressure. This is the case especially for boys. I would take his attention to the sport factor of the dancesport in the world, the level of its popularity among children and youth, the friends (in US and internationally) they will make, medals, awards, the opportunity to travel internationally to compete with dozens and hundreds of junior couples (like in Blackpool or Dutch Open), and the feeling of achievement. It is also the only sport where a boy ALWAYS leads, and have a lot of responsibilities of a leader and the strongest person in the couple.
For parents: kids are busy, they are in a great, safe, intelligent environment, with a dedication which will protect them from life stresses, doing-nothing, drugs etc. It will definitely teach them to manage time, to better at school, to build priorities, goals etc. The risk of injuries is much less than in many sports... This is the sport which teaches manners, "class", communication, being sensitive to others (to "hear" the partner at every step) etc etc etc

[etp777]

I wish I had more stupid girls chasing after me. :)

[tanya_the_dancer]

I just want to clarify one thing here. The group class my son was taking was for kids age 5 - 11 (elementary school age here, grades K - 5). There were 4 kids in the class (there is a certain lack of interest in ballroom among parents in Midwest, I spoke about it before) - 2 boys and 2 girls. He was the oldest (5th grade), the other boy was 2 years younger than he was, and the 2 girls were 4 years younger than he was. 4 years difference at this age is a lot, I mean, what self-respecting 5th grader would enjoy spending time with 1st graders. I know I did not enjoy spending time with 6 year olds back when I was 10. So I can't really blame him for not wanting to dance with 6 year old girls.

[elle]

I absolutely agree with you. Age group 5-11 is doomed to be really a bad exoerience for everyone in this group. Maybe next time with a little bit more promotion (zillions of videos, youtube website etc to show great level of dancing kids worldwide) it is possible to have groups with more appropriate age limits?

[biggestbox]

i wouldn't start ballroom esp latin until the child is older, there is a lot of muscular development that hasn't happened yet. I would begin with classical dance--ballet mostly. If the child can learn about his center, his turnout, his spot then he will be a strong dancer whatever the discipline. Gymnastics is also good for coordination and physical development. Once you have this foundation, ballroom and latin will be easy to learn.

[lcdancesport]

I'm not sure about starting a child out on ballet, because then you have to break a lot of habits they were taught (pointing, straight legs). I never did ballet myself, but is there any partnership in the dance when you first start?

Gymnastics would be good especially with using new muscle groups and gaining balance and flexibility.

[Cat123]

I did ballet between the ages of 3 and 9 and started ballroom & latin when I was 19. If I hadn't have done ballet before lord knows how bad I'd be now!! I don't htink kids need to jump into B&L straight away, but some kind of dance from a young age to teach them things like coordination, rhythm, listening to music etc can't be a bad thing! I'd say 12-13 for B&L, I'm not sure I like little kids doing it!

But I'm not a parent, so disregard everything I just said ;)

[lcdancesport]

No I agree, it would probably be best to start a child off in something more social such as ballet or gymnastics, it just makes more sense. When I think of childhood activities, I don't think of ballroom dance right away, but again I don't think it is as mainstream in the US as it is overseas.

I guess it depends if you want your child to compete or just do dance for a life skill and have fun with it.

[Cat123]

Even some competitors didn't start stil their early teens. Granted, they're not world champions, but....

[lcdancesport]

Oh how I wish I started dance sooner :)

I suppose it depends, but I wonder what age a dancer would typically peak at.

[lcdancesport]

Welcome to DF Cat123, didn't realize you were new :D

[tangotime]

I
But I'm not a parent, so disregard everything I just said ;)


Well I am-- I personally started when I was 3-- my kids started around 6 yrs old-- caveat-- has to be with their consent-- one cannot force this type of activity on children, particularly boys.

Out of my 2 boys and one girl , one boy didnt care much for it and that was o.k..( 2 did teach for a short period of time, in later life , till going on to other careers ) .

If you were to see the # of children competing on any given Sat. at many different locations in the u.k., you might be surprised at their skill levels ( for 6-9 yr olds ).

Many do not transition beyond Juvenile division, but at least they have developed skills , which will stay with them for a very long time .

Looking at past world champs. who started competing as children-- ---

Hiltons, Hurleys, Hilliers , John Wood, and more .

[BM]

Even some competitors didn't start stil their early teens. Granted, they're not world champions, but....

I think Carmen started when she was . . . 17? Correct me if I'm wrong. I also know that we have DFers who started in college and grew into very accomplished dancers.

[Cat123]

Welcome to DF Cat123, didn't realize you were new :D

Thankyou! :D

Carmen didn't start til she was 17? Wow. That's pretty impressive. Then at the other end of the scale, didn't Hanna Karttunen turn pro when she was 19?!