Ballroom dancing for children benefits and harms. Should I send my child to ballroom dancing?

Sooner or later in the life of every parent there comes a time when you need to make a decision about where to send your child to study - to a theater studio, a sports section or an art school. Are you the parents of a girl who dreams of becoming a princess? Or do you have a beautiful, but shy and insecure boy? Then you are advised to consider how a good option – sports and ballroom dancing for children.

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Photo gallery: Ballroom dancing for children

Sports ballroom dancing is great for romantic and young people, because they develop plasticity very well, they teach not only to listen to music, but also to feel it. Boys in the studio ballroom dancing most often brought by mothers who want to grow comprehensively developed real men from their children.

Dance training has a very favorable effect on general development child, representing excellent tool moral and physical education. In addition, she reveals the whole child very well. creative potential.

As mentioned earlier, ballroom dancing contributes to the physical development of the child - they strengthen the respiratory and cardiovascular systems of the child's body, train and strengthen various groups muscles. The child will be able to master his body perfectly, use it to convey his feelings and emotions. In addition, dancing has a beneficial effect on the emotional background of the child, and also teaches you to control your emotions.

Ballroom dancing for children - yes or no?

Ballroom dancing looks very beautiful. But before you rush to enroll your child in the nearest studio, you need to determine exactly whether you are ready for your child to study in it. So what needs to be considered?

Ballroom dancing is an art, but at the same time, it is also a sport. Yes, ballroom dance Sport officially recognized as a sport. Therefore, dancers are considered not only artists, but also athletes. So the children who are engaged in sports ballroom dancing develop artistry and Creative skills as well as stamina and agility.

It is worth noting that, as in any other sport, there is a great spirit of competition in ballroom dancing. Therefore, he actively participates in the formation child character, teaches to be hardworking and purposeful, to achieve goals, in a word, contributes to the development of a purposeful and strong personality in a child.

Due to the fact that ballroom dancing is a real sport, like all other types, it requires a serious and responsible approach. If you chose professional ballroom dancing for your child, then, as in other sports, be prepared for the fact that success can only be achieved through frequent and lengthy training, as well as a very serious attitude and approach to business, not only from the side of the child, but also from the parents.

Shoes and clothes for ballroom dancing

When deciding to introduce ballroom dancing into your child's life, one cannot but take into account the financial side of this issue. Ballroom dancing is one of the most expensive sports. It's not just the cost of learning to dance, although it's not cheap either. But the most expensive are children's costumes for ballroom dancing.

In addition to the fact that the child will definitely need a pair of training shoes and at least two tracksuits, there will also be costumes for the performance. You can buy such suits for training in specialized stores. Things will be a little more complicated with costumes for performances - they are sewn only to order. This applies to both boys and girls. Moreover, the cost of a ballroom costume varies quite a lot - starting from a few hundred dollars. I would like to note that the article refers to children who are engaged in ballroom dancing, so parents should take into account that such a costume for a performance will last no more than a year. Indeed, unlike adults, children grow up very quickly, growing out of expensive costumes.

In addition to the nuances listed above, you should not ignore the upcoming costs of traveling to competitions. In addition to the fact that you will need to pay fees, you will need to pay for the road to the venue of the competition, as well as food and accommodation. So it's not a small amount.

At what age is it better to go to the floor?

When the decision is made in favor of ballroom dancing in the life of your child, the next question arises - at what age should a child be given to ballroom dancing? It is rather difficult to answer this question unambiguously. On the one hand, to achieve good results, as in any other sport, a child must be brought from an early age. On the other hand, it will be quite difficult for children who have not reached at least five or six years of age to evaluate and correctly perceive the requirements of the coach. There are also ballroom dancing studios in which children begin to practice from about four years. But before you enroll your child there, you should realistically assess his strength. Do not rush things by sending your child to a ballroom dance studio if he quickly gets tired, is not able to coordinate movements and concentrate his attention. However, if your baby is well developed enough to accept the coach's commands, has a good ability to coordinate his movements, has ear for music And good memory, then it is quite possible to try to record it for ballroom dancing. But still, experts say that the optimal age for dancing is the age of about five to six years.

The principle of the coach's work with children

Of course, every parent is interested in how they work with children in ballroom dance studios. Let's say your child is already enrolled in a dance studio, what's next? At the beginning of training, the trainer usually conducts Parent meeting, which tells about what will need to be bought for the child for further classes.

During the first year of training, most often, children dance alone. They gradually learn the basics of dancing and their secrets. At the initial stage of training, the trainer tries to teach children basic movements in ballroom dancing, as well as the basics of choreography and rhythm. Children learn the basics of major dances such as slow waltz, cha-cha-cha, quick-step, jive and auxiliary dances such as disco, polka, blues.

By the second year of training, when the children reach six or seven years old, the coach puts them in pairs. In the classroom, children learn to perform the movements that took place in the first year of study, but already in pairs. Already in the second year, children begin to participate in their first ballroom dancing competitions.

Of course, not every child who comes to the ballroom dance studio can bring up a future champion, but in any case, such dance lessons will not be in vain for the child. Thanks to its grace and elegance, your child will always be in the spotlight!

In the life of any parent, sooner or later there comes a time when it is necessary to make a decision about where the child will be engaged - in the sports section, theater studio or in art school. Are you the parents of a beautiful boy, but a little shy and insecure? Or is your child a girl who dreams of becoming a princess? In this case, you should consider such an option as sports ballroom dancing for children.

Surely everyone, without exception, at least once in their life saw the performance of dancers. Agree that this is a very exciting sight - the flexibility, plasticity, grace of partners cause sincere admiration. But all the stars of ballroom dancing began their journey to the pinnacle of success precisely at a young age, when a ballroom dance school for children opened its doors to them.

Sports ballroom dancing is ideal for young romantic persons - after all, they develop plasticity in a wonderful way, they teach not only to hear music, but also to feel it. Many girls, having watched the performance of couples on TV, are completely delighted with the surroundings surrounding ballroom dancing - music, whirling couples, beautiful dresses. Few of the girls can leave this spectacle indifferent - therefore, almost all of them visit ballroom dance studios with great pleasure.

Boys are most often brought to the ballroom dance studio by mothers who want to grow real all-round developed men from their sons. And this is quite true - not only is ballroom dancing for children a serious physical activity that will help the boy maintain an excellent shape, they also remarkably socialize a person in the future. Believe me, a man who knows how to dance well will feel comfortable in any company.

Dance training also has the most beneficial effect on the overall development of the child, being an excellent means of both physical and moral - moral education. In addition, it wonderfully reveals the entire creative potential of the child.

In addition, as already mentioned, ballroom dancing helps the physical development of the child - they train and strengthen the most different groups muscles, strengthen the cardiovascular and respiratory systems of the child's body. The child learns to master his body perfectly, to use it to convey his feelings and emotions. In addition, ballroom dancing has a positive effect on the emotional background of the child and teaches him to keep his emotions under control.

Ballroom dancing - to be or not to be?

Ballroom dancing is very, very beautiful. However, before you rush headlong to the nearest ballroom dance studio, you need to determine exactly whether you are ready for your child to study in it. So what needs to be taken into account?

Ballroom dancing is a real art, but at the same time it is also a sport. Yes - yes, sports ballroom dancing is recognized as an official sport, so dancers are not only artists, but also athletes at the same time. And children involved in ballroom dancing develop not only creativity and artistry, but also dexterity and endurance.

In addition, in ballroom dancing, as in any other sport, the spirit of competition is very high. That's why he plays enough serious role in shaping the character of the child, teaches him to be purposeful and hardworking, set goals and achieve them - in a word, helps the child grow into a purposeful and strong personality.

Since ballroom dancing is a real sport, like all other types of it, it requires a fairly serious approach. If you want your child to practice ballroom dancing professionally, be prepared for the fact that, as in any other sport, the price of success can only be frequent and lengthy training and the most serious approach and attitude to business, both on the part of the child and and from the parents.

Of course, before deciding to send your child to the ballroom dancing section, you need to know exactly what they are. So, ballroom dancing is divided into two programs:

European program. The European program includes such dances as Foxtrot, Slow Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Tango, Quickstep.
Latin American Program. The Latin American program is the most incendiary and includes such dances as cha-cha-cha, Rumba, Samba, Jive and Paso Doble.

In addition to these two areas, there is also sports rock and roll - a rather heavy and complex dance, a kind of mixture of the most complex sports exercises with elements dance moves. In addition, there are also elements of folk ethnic dances.

Why is ballroom dancing recognized as a sport?

Not so long ago, ballroom dancing was considered only one of the directions in art, and today it is recognized as an independent sport. Why did this happen? This fact is explained very, very simply. Ballroom dancing requires dancers to display exactly the same qualities that are inherent in real athletes: dexterity, endurance, determination, daily hard work and the like. Below are the main criteria that made it possible to recognize ballroom dancing as an independent sport:

Physical strength.

In ballroom dancing there is great amount a wide variety of complex supports, similar to those that can be seen in figure skating. By the way, it was from ballroom dancing that many of the main supports used in figure skating were borrowed. And for their successful implementation, remarkable physical strength is often needed.

Flexibility of the body and coordination of movements.

In order to move freely on the parquet without getting lost when performing dance lines and figures, the partners must have well-developed coordination of movements and flexibility of the body. By the way, these qualities are necessary in most sports, and not just in ballroom dancing.

Musical ear and sense of rhythm.

Since we are talking about dancing, it is quite natural that both partners should have an ear for music and a sense of tact. Otherwise, they won't be able to interact properly.

Endurance.

Endurance is very important for dancers. And this is not surprising - all ballroom dancing competitions are held in several stages - from the qualifying round to the final round. And in each round, the performing couple must perform five dances, which last an average of two minutes each. Agree that it is easy to imagine the level of stress on the body of the participants. But the life of dancers is not only performances, it is also regular exhausting hard many hours of training.

Strict discipline and ability to work in a team.

Ballroom dancing, by the way, is command view sports. Moreover, the team can consist of not only two partners. The largest ballroom dance team consists of 16 people, that is, 8 couples. Judge for yourself what the level of discipline of dancers should be in order to successfully interact with all members of the team at once.

Clothes and shoes for ballroom dancing

When deciding whether or not to have ballroom dancing in your child's life, one cannot ignore such an aspect as the financial side of the issue. Ballroom dancing is one of the most expensive sports. And it's not even about the cost of ballroom dancing, although it is not cheap enough. However, the most expensive are the ballroom dance costumes for children.

In addition to the fact that the child needs at least two training suits and a pair of training shoes, they also need performance suits. You can buy training costumes in stores specializing in the sale of dance clothes. However, with costumes for performances, the situation is a little more complicated - they have to be sewn only to order. And this applies to both boys and girls. And the cost of such a suit can vary greatly - starting from several hundred dollars.

And since in our article in question about children involved in ballroom dancing, parents should be reminded that the performance costume will last for a maximum of one year. After all, children, unlike adults, grow up very quickly, growing out of expensive costumes.

In addition to all the above nuances, one should not lose sight of such an expense item as trips to competitions. Not only will you have to pay fees, you will also have to pay for travel to the venue, accommodation and meals. And this is also a considerable amount. It is much wiser to assess the financial capabilities of the family in advance than to inform the child later that you have no money. Believe me, this will be a severe disappointment for him and with a strong blow on the child's psyche.

At what age to go to the floor?

So, the decision is made and there will still be ballroom dancing. And here another question arises - at what age should a child be sent to a ballroom dancing studio? It is rather difficult to answer it unambiguously. On the one hand, in ballroom dancing, as in any other sport, in order to achieve results, it is necessary to bring a child at the most tender age. And on the other hand, for children who have not reached at least five or six years of age, it is quite difficult to correctly perceive and evaluate the requirements of the coach.

There are ballroom dancing studios that accept children from about three to four years old. However, before you take your baby there, really evaluate his strength. If the baby is not yet able to concentrate his attention, coordinate movements and gets tired quickly, you should not rush things and give him to a ballroom dance studio.

However, in the event that the child is developed enough to perceive the coach's commands, has a good memory, the ability to coordinate his movements well and has an ear for music, you can try and give the baby to dancing. However, experts still say that the optimal age to start ballroom dancing is six years old.

The principle of the coach's work with children

Of course, parents are interested to know how the work with children is carried out in the ballroom dance studio. So, your child has been accepted into the ballroom dance studio - what's next? As a rule, at the beginning of training, the trainer will hold a parent meeting, at which the parents will be announced a list of what the child needs to purchase for further training.

During the first year of classes, children most often dance alone. Children are initiated into the basics of dance secrets. At this stage of training, the task of the trainer is to teach children the basics of rhythm and choreography, as well as basic movements in ballroom dancing. The basics of the main dances are studied - Cha-cha-cha, Slow Waltz, Jive, Quick Step, as well as some auxiliary dances, such as Blues, Polka, Disco.

In the second year of study, when the children are 6-7 years old, the coach puts the children in pairs. In training, children begin to learn to perform the same movements that they learned last year, but already in pairs. It is in the second year of study that children begin to take part in the first ballroom dancing competitions in their lives.

Ballroom dancing competition

In the second year of study, when the children are already placed in pairs and go to their first competition in their lives, they begin their performances in the “Beginners” category. Judges of the competition have a little more leniency towards such kids than towards the rest of the participants - after all, they are not only beginners on the floor, but also the youngest in age.

In the event that the year went well, and a couple of young dancers showed good results, she is assigned the dance class "E -4". In this class, children take part in four ballroom dance competitions: Quick Step, Slow Waltz, Jive and Cha-cha-cha. Children's dance couples who have been assigned such a class are already considered full-fledged athletes. They participate in various types competitions, both in class and in open groups at children's competitions in ballroom dancing, in the group Children - 1.

In the event that in the current year at least one of the dancers in a couple turns ten years old, the couple automatically falls into the next age group "Children - 2" in order. In this group, the competition is already much more serious than for kids. Moreover, those couples who, by the time they move to the group Children - 2, have reached class D, which means that children dance not four, but eight dances at the competitions, have a great advantage: 4 dances from European program- Slow and Viennese Waltz, Tango, and Quick Step, and 4 dances from the Latin American program - Rumba and Jive, Cha-cha-cha, Samba.

Children take part in ballroom dancing competitions in the class Children - 2 only two years old. As soon as one of the partners in a couple turns 12 years old, the couple is automatically transferred to the dance group Juniors - 1. In this age group children dance ballroom dancing almost like an adult dance program. And the requirements of the judges for such couples are also very strict - as for adults. In addition, in this age group, the requirements for appearance dancers - to their shoes, costumes and hairstyles.

Of course, far from all the children who come to the ballroom dance studio, Alexander Berezin or Victoria Rudkovskaya will grow up. However, in any case, ballroom dancing lessons for children will not be in vain. The elegance and grace of your son or daughter will allow them to always remain in the spotlight!

Sports, of course, are very important for the proper physical and mental development of the child. In addition, a sports section or club can become a launching pad for a future champion. Of course, not everyone dreams of a great sports future for their baby, but all parents want to see him healthy, happy and successful. And then the family gets up difficult question: which sport to choose? In some cases, the answer is found quite quickly if the baby is already showing interest in something specific. And if not, what to do? In many cases, dancing can be an excellent choice. This article will focus on their specific form - ballroom dancing. We will talk about what is needed for ballroom dancing, at what age is it better to start ballroom dancing for children, how to choose the right dance school, clothes and shoes, etc.

Ballroom dancing (more precisely, sports or sports ballroom dancing) includes two programs: "European" and "Latin American". Each of them includes several dances. First: quickstep, foxtrot, slow waltz, viennese waltz and tango. Second: drive, rumba, cha-cha-cha, paso doble and samba.

According to choreographers, ballroom dancing for children under 6 years old is often too difficult, kids can be given to rhythm or children's choreography. Classes in sports ballroom dancing are best to start at the age of 6-7 years.

Benefits of ballroom dancing

Arguments in favor of dancing include:

positive impact on the health of the child;
the baby will become more plastic, learn to control his own body, get rid of "tightness";
posture improvement;
habit of discipline;
dancing ennobles, teaches respect for opposite sex, girls turn into feminine girls, and boys into gallant gentlemen. It is not for nothing that dances and music from time immemorial have been an indispensable part of educational program aristocracy;
Dancing develops not only the body, but also the soul. Children learn to be more creative, open, perceive the world more subtle;
any kind of dance increases self-confidence;
teaching ballroom dancing to children (as well as adults) necessarily includes participation in various competitions, which means that your baby, firstly, will learn to win and lose with dignity, and secondly, will become more independent, because competitions are held in different cities.

Arguments against ballroom dancing

Like any other activity, ballroom dancing has its downsides:

risk of injury. It is easy to slip in the dance (especially in the wrong shoes), stumble or fall unsuccessfully;
compulsory participation in competitions often has to be paid for (as well as travel to the city where the competition is held and, if necessary, hotel accommodation);
high-quality shoes and dance costumes can be quite expensive. Decide whether the family budget can withstand the appearance of such an item of expenditure;
ballroom dancing is dancing in pairs. And this means that no one has canceled the problem of choosing a partner, and your child will have to learn how to find mutual language with him (her). And it just seems that in children's couples everything is simple, peaceful and no one ever swears, and if he swears, then “not really”, these are children, they quarreled and made up. You will understand the gravity of the situation when you face it in life. Small grievances that accumulate over the years can significantly spoil life.

What to look for when choosing a school?

Choosing a school is an extremely important and responsible decision. Indeed, the attitude of the baby to classes largely depends on whether the trainer can find an approach specifically to your child: someone will happily wait next lesson, and someone will trudge to a dance school, like hard labor, just because their parents paid for an annual subscription. So you can't choose a school proximity to home, or to send a child to a certain school just because it is on the way to work. From time to time all schools do "Days open doors”, when you can freely come to the school, talk with coaches and administration, see the classes of groups, clarify all questions of interest (cost, schedule, etc.). Of course, you can go to school and find out everything on any ordinary day, when it is convenient for you.

Of course, the administration and coaches are interested in recruiting students and will try to convince you that their school is the best. To determine if this is true, talk to the parents of several children who have been there for years. Perhaps they will open your eyes to some aspects of the school, and to ballroom dancing in general.

You are at a crossroads: which sports section, circle or team to send your child to.

You have a quiet and shy boy, you understand that he is a creative person, but at the same time, he lacks physical fitness.

You have a girl who, to the question “who do you want to be?”, immediately answers: “of course, a princess!”

In this case optimal solution there will be ballroom dancing. After all, it is a complex of various dance styles and directions where each child can choose what he likes. Sports ballroom dancing includes the following programs:

European. This includes areas such as slow waltz, Viennese waltz, tango, foxtrot, quickstep.
Latin American (cha-cha-cha, samba, rumba, jif, paso doble).
Sports rock and roll.
Some directions of folk dance

Developmental features of ballroom dancing

In addition to the intellectual and creative education of the child, ballroom dancing is also a serious exercise stress. Dance exercises develop all muscle groups, have a beneficial effect on the cardiological and respiratory systems of the body, and correct incorrect posture. Dancing helps to feel your body, control it, use the plasticity of your body to express your emotions and feelings.

Children who regularly take part in competitions become more responsible and collected, learn to make decisions, help others. Ballroom dancing, as a kind of physical training, also has a positive effect on mental and emotional processes, positively affects the development of a child's personality.

Price

Before giving a child to ballroom dancing, you should know that this is a very expensive type of dispute. The bulk of the costs here are related to the high cost dance costumes and special shoes. The costumes themselves, as a rule, are sewn to order in specialized ateliers. Shoes are also required high quality and quite expensive. In addition, regular contributions are required for participation in competitions, etc.

Workout

As in any other sport, dancing requires regular training and serious attitude. This is especially true of the period of preparation for the competition, when the absence of training sessions is unacceptable.

Conclusion

Ballroom dancing is the most ideal sport for girls. They teach to hear music, develop a sense of rhythm. And what an entourage! Beautiful dresses, swirling couples, Beautiful music. Every girl deep down dreams of being a princess and dancing at the ball.

Boys are brought here, as a rule, by romantic parents who want to raise a real prince. Ballroom dancing can hardly be called a courageous sport (despite the very serious physical exertion), but in the future they will serve the boy well. He will be able to show off his skills at the disco, and he will also feel confident with the opposite sex. After all, no girl will refuse an offer to dance.

Your child has a musical ear andgood sense of rhythm, it is mobile andartistic? It's time to think about how to identify him in a dance school for children.If you opted for ballroom dancing, think carefully, weigh all the pros and cons of this sport.

If the child's eyes light up, if everything works out in a new field for him, if he is cheerful and satisfied, then the right choice has been made.

Ballroom dancing is a combination of art and sport. Dancing classes develop aesthetic feelings in children, the ability to perceive music, an ear for music, teach them to control their bodies, train motor skills and coordination of movements. Ballroom dancing contributes to the development physical strength child, endurance, improve the functioning of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, improve posture, strengthen muscles.
Compared to other sports, ballroom dancing has an important advantage - it is less traumatic. Pair dances also teach the culture of communication between girls and fingers, between athletes of different ages.
Children who attend dances are more active and collected than their non-choreographer peers. In its turn physical development stimulates intellectual development.
Being engaged in ballroom dancing, children are already in early age learn to achieve the goal, but not because “you have to”, but because “you don’t have to, but you will definitely succeed!”, and this a big difference in posing the question.
Dancing classes, participation in various competitions develop a child's resistance to stress, internally organize, help to solve many problems with complexes, self-esteem. And these problems, in turn, can cause retarded development and unwillingness to study at school.

Cons of ballroom dancing

If you are raising a little dancer, be prepared for the fact that not everyone will be sympathetic to the fact that your wonderful boy is dancing, and not a "male" sport.
Ballroom dancing takes a lot of time, physical and mental strength from a child, that by loading him with something else other than school, you will simply ruin his childhood.
Ballroom dancing is an expensive sport. You will have to pay for group classes, individual lessons and participation in various competitions, buy or sew custom-made costumes and shoes for dancing. It's worth it to evaluate your material possibilities, so as not to cause stress in the child due to the fact that after several painstaking months of classes you will no longer be able to understand the child's passion.
An important drawback of ballroom dancing: if one partner stops classes, then it is extremely difficult to replace him, the couple can simply break up. In addition, partner boys are always in short supply and it is possible that your daughter will have to dance alone for several years until there is a couple for her.

Who is ballroom dancing for?

Ballroom dancing - ideal for dreamy girls, dance classes develop plasticity and teach to hear and feel music. Enchanting music, beautiful children's dance clothes, whirling couples - in such an environment, the girl will feel like a princess.

Boys are most often brought to ballroom dancing by mothers who want to raise a prince and a gentleman. Yes, perhaps ballroom dancing is not the most masculine sport, despite the fact that a little dancer expects a serious physical load. However, dancing practice will definitely help your boy in the future: when he begins to be interested in girls, it will be easier for him to find an approach to the beautiful half of humanity ... After all, few women refuse an outstretched hand and the offer "let's dance."

Any decision of the parents should be based on the desires and preferences of the baby - that's when it will turn out to be right. And do not be afraid of difficulties - they always go hand in hand with success.

Prepared by Maryana Chornovil