Ballet or other dance classes

DD who will soon be turning four has been saying she wants to learn ballet for some time now. I am not sure where the idea came from, probably from the older girls at pre-school. She is musical and dances around the house a lot, so this might be a good fit for her. But that also would be true for other kinds of dance too.

DS has followed her lead and also often dances saying he is doing ballet. He is probably even more musical than DD. I am thinking about looking for an option that they could do together, at least while they are so young. We only have one free afternoon with their pre-school and my work schedule, and as they are separated at pre-school and for convenience I would prefer they take classes (if any) together for now.

Is four a suitable age for dance or ballet (I know schools around here will take children as young as 4)? When did your children start, did they stick with it, did they enjoy it?
What do I need to look for when looking at ballet classes/schools?
Are there methods that are specially suitable for young children?
Are boys welcome at ballet classes or would it be better to look for other dance options?

I would love to hear from anyone whose children did or do ballet or other types of dance.

 

Most of the dancing schools near me do a combo ballet and tap class for the little ones. Most start around age 2/3. I have see boys in the class as well as girls

My girls started dance at age 2: lasted 3 months, then they got kicked out. We did a makeup class on a different day. That class was much more structured than the class they were enrolled in (like the parents in the normal class stayed in the room, in the make up class the parents did not). the studio actually refund our money for the month which shocked me.

Then we did a pretty hard core ballet at 4 almost 5. Girls loved it till their teacher got fired and the school decided to use their class to try out new teachers.

We then found a new studio and the girls at age 5 did jazz. Last year at age 6 they did jazz and combo ballet /tap. this year (age 7) they are doing hip hop and acro.

 

Here, all dancing schools offer basic dance for 3-4 yr olds. Basically, kids will learn how to move their bodies with music. It's also pre-ballet class. But all boys and girls take te class. When they are bigger, they can take ballet, hiphop or tap dance classes depend on what they like. I planed on sending my kids. But they have day camps in summer. So we will wait until fall.

Also, you can't send them any time. It's usually 10/12 week program in summer. In fall, the program starts from sept to may. However, YMCA doesn't require basic movement. And it does offer ballet, tap and hip hop. But if you want her to be serious dancer, I would suggest professional dancing schools. They are more strict about everything: schedule, uniform,.. And kids will learn better. Gl

 

My DD did ballet/tap starting at 3. While it was open to boys, I haven't personally seen any boys in the younger classes. The hip hop classes seem more geared toward both. That said, it's one school, and I'm sure a lot of schools do have more boys.

 

We started my girls when they were 4. Best decision ever. It really helped to teach them structure and discipline.....not to mention they were the cutest things ever. They had a great teacher who didn't let them just run around, but actually made them listen and learn. Their first class was a ballet/tap combo. My girls are still taking dance, but Sarah loves jazz, while Allison as chosen to stick with ballet. We also take dance at an actual dance school, yes, there are boys. Especially in the older classes. Most boys the girls' age (7) tend to lean towards hip hop.

 

For me I let the girls pick what they want to do dance wise I have never forced them into anything. I am not a fan of parents forcing their kids to do the dance type that they want them to do, it makes me said to see the little girls that hate ballet being forced to do it bc that is what their moms want them to do.

Allison started at 2 1/2 at a studio that was more fun. That place then turned into more of a competition place (think the tv show dance moms) and we ran quickly from there. When she was 7 we found where she is now and it is all about technique and form. She goes twice a week and does ballet with 30 minutes of tap. It costs more than your average place, but we rent costumes (not buy), they are never allowed to wear any makeup and you are never allowed to cat call or any of that crazy stuff that was happening at the other place she was at. It is a non for profit.

There are boys that go there, not a ton but a few. Allison had 2 in her class last year. I think there is absolutly nothing wrong with boys in ballet at all.

Zoe has been in ballet, tap, tumbling, gymnastics, back to ballet, soccer, legos and now is just taking some time off

 

I started dance when I was 3. I danced for 15 years. Loved it. I would take an adult class but I do not have the time.

I actually believe ballet is good for boys and girls. Each teaches body placement awareness that is a great foundation for sports later.

 

My girls started ballet at 3. It was more of a Creative Movement class for the first couple of years but since parents like to see the word 'Ballet' and their kids dressed up, so the class was called Pre-ballet and there was a dress code. There was a lot of skipping, hopping, improv (pretend to be a fish, a bird etc), some gentle stretching, lots of music, sometimes props like fans etc. The class was open to girls and boys.

Look for a class where the kids are obviously having fun but the teacher is still in control and understands kids. No running around madly and aimlessly, kids listening well and paying attention and following directions. At that age there should not be any barre work or anything formal. You might hear of methods like Vaganova, RAD, Cecchetti (sp?) but it doesn't matter right now. Real ballet training shouldn't start until around 6/7 or even a little older.

At this age it doesn't matter much about anything except that they have fun in a safe, fairly controlled environment. Of the dozen or so 3-4 year olds who started with my girls, they are the only ones who are still taking ballet 5 years later (now 8 yrs old). Most dropped out after the first annual recital. The kids who started later (around 6 yrs) have continued longer.

 

My girls started ballet/tap last fall at age 4. Its a 3-5 group so not too much is expected at that age. Even though they are shy they love dance class and do actually learn moves, etc. But its not all super strict. They have their end of year recital coming up and have already asked to do dance next year. Oh also there are a couple little boys in the class as well.

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

I have seen quite a few pre-ballet classes around and I know of one more general dance place for children so I will have to talk to a few places and try to get a feel for what they do with the little kids. One of the things I am concerned about is that sports tend to be pretty competitve even for the pre-schoolers around here and I really want them to do something in a friendly though structured environment just for fun because they enjoy learning and using their bodies.

 

My daughter started a dance school in the fall, her classes are more general dance and broken down to half tap and half jazz. I know her dance school does have classes for boys but they are separate.
One of the things I've liked about DD's school is that your involvement is week to week, you are not required to do the end of the year recital and they have 3 teachers to help out with the girls. I have found that the teachers are very patient with the girls, especially in the beginning when a few girls were very nervous about getting out there and doing the steps.
I feel like DD's school wants the girls to learn in a low pressure situation. I had no experience with dance prior to this and I was terrified it was going to be like Dance Moms.

 

My girls dance studio is a little of both. It so depends on the teacher and the mix of moms in the waiting room. Wednesday when my girls are in hip hop, the only other moms that are in the waiting room are the moms from the K and 1st grade ballet tap class. Thursday for acro it is some crazy dance moms, kids on the competition, moms and daughters (k-2nd grade) are there for hours. I know I liked it bettter when my girls went for 2 hours once a week instead of 1 hour twice a week. Now it is almost enough time to get somewhere then rush back for them.

 

My daughter has done tap and jazz since she was 2, with one year of ballet a couple years ago. One of my boys just started dance this year. He's in an all boys class of tap and hip hop. The two of them tried out for the Nutcracker last fall and both got parts. My son was the only boy, out of 87 kids, to try out. The ballet school that held the auditions about fell over themselves trying to recruit my son to their school.....because he's a boy and they have so few boys doing ballet.

I love that dance has given my daughter the confidence to get up in front of large crowds and perform. I have seen this confidence carry over to several areas in school. For my son, it's simply something he just loves to do and I love watching him do something he clearly loves doing!