WHEN AND WHY SHOULD MY CHILD START BALLET?

At what age can my child start ballet?

This is the most common question dance teachers are asked to answer. A child can be gradually introduced to the art of ballet through music and motor education from the age of 4. In this lesson he will come into contact with music and its basic principles combined with the movement of his body, through simple exercises in the form of a game. At the same time, he will gently exercise his body to the extent that his age allows. After he has been properly prepared, he will now be ready at the age of 6 to start ballet where he will begin to learn simple steps. A 6-year-old child is more mature psychologically, mentally and physically to perceive and enjoy the benefits of ballet.

So we move on to the second most common question of parents.

Why should my child start ballet and what are its benefits?

There are many kinds of benefits that come from ballet. Let’s start with the physical. The child acquires a correct body posture, which prevents him from experiencing pain in various parts of the body such as the knees and the waist. He also practices his balance and flexibility, elements that are also useful in his daily life, even in any other sports activity he decides to follow. It improves the way they walk thus helping their body not get injured. A very important benefit that also helps to avoid injuries is the harmony of movements and body control that the child acquires. Finally, ballet, in addition to being an art form, is also considered an excellent way to exercise the body.

Doing ballet also contributes to the child’s behavior. He learns to express his feelings, thoughts and ideas more easily and in various ways thus exercising his imagination. He learns the concept of teamwork as he works with other children to achieve the same goal under the guidance of the teacher. It also acquires discipline not only in the form of obeying instructions and rules within a social group, but also personally. More specifically, since ballet is a fairly demanding, physically, art, the child learns to set goals and to be disciplined in them until he conquers them. Engaging in any art or sports activity usually positively shapes the child’s personality by also making it quite a social event that will help him later in life, so that he has friends and social interactions that can offer him a lot, such as knowledge, opinions and ideas.

In ballet too, children practice their memory through the many exercises and choreographies they are asked to remember. Through this process, their combinatorial thinking is also sharpened as they are often asked to compose their own small exercises. Music is an integral part of ballet and the teachers place special importance on the children’s practice of ‘listening’ to it. They are taught from a very early age to count, so musicality is another skill they acquire from ballet.

Finally, the benefits are many on a personal/emotional level as well. The child gains a sense of self-confidence/self-esteem by seeing himself day after day making even small steps of improvement in such a physically and mentally demanding activity. He gets in touch with his feelings, channels them into his movement and in this way releases them, even if he often fails to express them verbally. Ballet also motivates the child to live a healthier lifestyle as he will slowly discover on his own that this way will make him feel better and cope with more energy. This results in treating their body with love and respect and will want to take care of it and protect it from injury, something that teachers also try to instill in them from a very early age.

For any of the above benefits and if you think they are important and your child needs, it is worth it to do a test.

If you decide to try it, here you can find what you need for your child.