So, maybe we should think about some dance lessons.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I post a picture and just a few words.
Zoe has loved to dance for quite some time now, although she's never had any formal lessons. She just kind of does her own thing, and I've wondered for a while if some lessons would really blow her hair back.
The other afternoon, she got this all set up so she could watch a Russian ballet perform Swan Lake on YouTube. Lisey and Sonia aren't interested (They are mainly horrified at the idea of men running around in tights with no pants. Hee.), but Zoe watches all the ballerinas with rapt attention.
So, maybe we'll think about making a little room in the budget so Zoe can give it a try.
I have a dancer in my family. She was always an agile little girl who loved to move. She took dance classes all through her childhood, then moved into tournament soccer teams. In college she came back to dance as a major. And she still takes classes today while preparing to enter a professional program to become a physical therapist.
Dance is such a beautiful art form.
That's a fantastic idea! I wish there'd been room in our budget when I was a kid to continue taking dance lessons. I adored it. Hope it works out for her!
My two big girls both take dance. For my oldest, it is a fun expressive activity. Will she do it until adulthood? I doubt it, but it makes her happy now. For my middle daughter, it is one of the two activities that she has expressed passion and interest in. She shows off dance steps everywhere we go. For now they both love it. When one decides it isn't fun anymore, she'll stop.
Your daughter may only do it for a short time or it may be something she carries into adulthood. Either way, for her to truly have the chance to decide that she does want to dance for a long time, she should start as soon as she is interested. Dancing requires time to build skills. That way, it is less about what others can do that she can't and more about the experience and how dancing makes her feel.
Lots of dance instructors have summer dance camps that are anywhere from one day to a week. They often have themes and other activities to reinforce skills and have some extra fun bonding. It offers you an opportunity to: 1) see what type of dance she is interested in and 2) (more importantly) find a place that fits what you are looking for in a dance school without a one year commitment. Because it is hard to move mid-year.
My daughters went to one place where they had lots of fun but didn't learn much. I felt like it was mostly a waste of money. I was looking to switch when we moved. The place they take lessons at now has much more structure but is still a lot of fun. They are learning so much more about dance. They are engaged and excited about dance. I feel like I am getting my money's worth. And the price is about the same.
Good luck.
I was Zoe's age when I started dancing. 22 years and 2 babies later, I still dance and teach ballet! I hope she has a great experience. I always say, there's no friend like a dance friend. Enjoy!
Swan Lake is a beautiful ballet! And the harp parts, well, those blow my hair back when my daughter plays them at home. Loveliness all around! Perhaps attending a local performance could be a great introduction to seeing a ballet up close and personal. Christmas time abounds with local Nutcracker performances.
Such a sweet picture. Great idea!
Such a cute picture 🙂 My girls feel that way about gymnastics, so we've been considering whether there's room in the budget for them to do a class!
That is called 'delight based learning!' Sounds like a winner for your daughter!
I love that phrase...delight based learning!
I LOVE her make-shift way of watching the video. Very resourceful!
If you possibly can, please see that she at least tries it out for a few lessons. You never know what might just be the thing that gives her life meaning! I love the picture....she is spellbound!
Yeah, that's what I was thinking...just try it out and then see how it goes. It's the only way to know!
Check out some studios buy you. Sometimes they offer a trial class.
Our oldest daughter,3, loves to dance too. When I play some songs on youtube she can't herself not to move her body and she has her "own moves" too. It's really nice to encourage kids' talent at a very young age and to do what they love.
We have been thinking the same for Anna. She puts on a show for us every night after dinner. She has also been wearing a tutu over her clothes for 2 days straight everywhere we go. She wants to wear it to bed, too. 🙂
How sweet! Considering her age, I'd see if your local community rec dept offers classes. I find that they're not for kids who are advanced, but they can be a seriously great cheap way to get her feet wet. My local dept (nowhere near you 🙂 ) offers summer classes for kids her age for $26 for a 6 week period.
If she is watching ballet on her own at her age, I'd say she would definitely benefit from dance classes.
When I was in high school I volunteered at Girls Inc. teaching dance classes. I remember the classes were very affordable. It may be a great way for her to start out without breaking the bank.
The Non-Consumer Advocate brought me here! Your picture reminds me of me at that age ---I saw Swan Lake on TV and asked my mom if I could have ballet lessons. I started studying it seriously at age 10 with two wonderful teachers. I danced through my early 30's in musical theatre. Dance taught me the love of music, fine art, self-discipline, self-respect, poise and confidence. People I encounter in my life and career compliment me on these traits to this day (and I'm 46). Studying dance proved invaluable to me!
Check community centers and churches. My kids don't go, because the timing doesn't work for us, but there's a dance program that runs classes out of our church (and a couple of other places in the city) for $30/month. Something like that might be a good way to see if it's something she'd enjoy investing more time and resources in.
I enrolled the kids in a Music Together class this fall and it's a bit pricey, but we've kept them in for two more semesters, because they (and me, and now Thomas, who the teacher lets join us as a helper) just love it so much and it's a great program. I'm pretty picky about the activities we do, like I know you are, but this for us was definitely one worth the time and money.
Take her to a professional ballet! One of the highlights of my childhood was seeing the Peter Rabbit ballet. There are magical children's ballets: Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker (at Christmas), Midsummer Night's Dream, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty. Before you go, read the story together. Make it into a school activity? Or as a special present? Like opera, ballet is more accessible when you know the story-line. In Los Angeles, performances often offer ticket specials during rehearsals (previews) and, some have free lectures before/after the show where the cast answers questions.
My girls have gone to one since they were little. The oldest two no longer take dance (mostly because they are too busy with other stuff), but little Nettie still loves it. Message me if you want details on where we go. The instructor is a believer and her tuition is the best you'll find around here.
I did ballet as a child - I absolutely loved it and my enjoyment of ballet continues as a viewer when I can afford the tickets or find online videos. I hope she can give it a try - but do make sure you get a good teacher, when I moved I suddenly found all the other girls at my level where a good few years younger than me even though I'd started at the same age as them, because my teacher hadn't progressed her pupils at the normal rate. Having danced elsewhere, I now believe she was more interested in making money than advancing us through the levels. For example, she made us take both an assessment and exam at every level, when I afterwards found out that you are only ever supposed to do one or the other. This added about six months to each level I passed through - hence why I was so far behind.
From a fellow ballet fan, a few suggestions of clips you might like to share with her.
One of the best scenes and I suspect most difficult to dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YSlk9l1qKg (The story of the whole ballet is not brilliantly suitable for young kids but this is such an expressive pas de deux and just happens to include my two favourite ballet dancers, Sylvie Guillem and Jonathan Cope)
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - a very interesting comparison to the more traditional Swan Lake versions. Female ballerinas capture the elegance and aloofness of swans, while the male dancers convey the strength and aggression of the birds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvZO-UYsehs
And finally, a full-length ballet. Romeo and Juliet has always been one of my favourites, and the music/story are very accessible. There's a great version here, the two leads are two of the best and most famous dancers in the world. (Sorry if you are already familiar with these names, just in case)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUIhgDR4EfM
http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html
This is a wonderful online resource to get her to learn some of the ballet movements ahead of time. I recommend this to all new students at our dance studio for ballet. It helps to be able to recognize the steps when they see them in class. Go for it! Keep us posted on how it goes.
Oh, how lovely! I wish I had had the chance back in the day and since she is so interested, it would be good for her.
It sounds like my four year old. She spends hours looking at the pictures in her ballet books and then positioning her body in the various positions. She has been dancing for us since the moment she could stand up. We are considering dance lessons after she starts kindergarten next year.
Check the Just For Kix website to see if there's a program near you. It's a national company that helps dance instructors start programs by taking on most of their cost which means lower tuition costs for the parents. They also keep costs down with only having to purchase one uniform for the year and there's no recital to pay for. They do have at least 2 or 3 performances every year but they use that one uniform. It's a great learning program that not only teaches dance, but also teamwork, discipline, and confidence. It's a bigger program in the northern states and is starting to grow in Texas where I am. I looked into starting a program in my area. Check out http://www.justforkix.com
When we were young, my sisters and I took dance lessons at our community center when money was tight for our family, and I treasure those memories and experiences. I highly recommend involving children in the arts 🙂
If you do decide to sign your daughter up for dance lessons, be sure to ask about recitals. Would she be required to perform, and what are any additional costs associated (costumes and class photos can be quite expensive).
My parents had a good rule when we started activities: If you started a year, you finished it and you didn't miss a class unless you'd missed school that day.
There were three of us, and some things stuck for difference kids. We wanted to try *everything* and we did. We were all brownies/girl guides. Dance stuck for my younger sister, my older sister liked hockey, I played basketball. No one did more than a year of karate. But we attended every karate class that year, and it taught us something about fulfilling commitments.
Extracurricular are big commitment for a child, but they can also be rewarding experiences and teach valuable lessons.