Defining Contemporary Ballet

Over hundreds of years since its inception, classical ballet changed very little.  As a dance form, it was very specific in what movements, or pointework, it allowed.  But through the last several decades, many people decided to push the boundaries and explore what was possible by combining the classical art of ballet with more modern dance styles.  This creative exploration became known as contemporary ballet.

Contemporary ballet is a combination of classical ballet and modern dance.

Just as there are many different types of dance, there are also many different types and styles of ballet.  Traditional, or classical ballet, has origins going back several centuries.  Hundreds of years of focus on the classical style of formal dance makes it one of the most established forms of dance in existence.  In comparison with classical ballet, contemporary ballet is a little bit more flexible—combining the traditional form of ballet dance with components and aspects of other modern dance influence.  Depending on who is setting the definition of contemporary ballet, it can be either very true to its classical roots with just minor exceptions, or it can be much more lenient and reflective of modern dance.

Contemporary ballet can influence one’s mind and body with movements like never before.

Either way you look at it, ballet, in both its traditional and contemporary forms, is quite an impressive form of dance when it comes to the way mind and body come together to make the dance movements possible.  While classical ballet remains very formal, and in some ways even limited in the way it can be performed, the flexibility and modern nature of contemporary ballet allows for an entirely new range of possibilities.  Impressive new art dance movements are wholly possible in contemporary ballet that would never be available through the more traditional form of ballet.

Contemporary ballet goes back years in its own regard.

Now the concept of contemporary ballet itself is becoming more and more deeply rooted in tradition.  This modern form of ballet can be traced back many decades.  So even as the idea of contemporary ballet was once all about adding new freedom and flexibility to a tried and true classical art form, the standards and traditions of even modern ballet are becoming more and more set in stone in what we call contemporary ballet.  That’s not to say that skillful and creative ballerinas won’t continue to push the boundaries of the dance form—but it will in all likelihood continue to become another new form of ballet on its own.

It’s true—so many sports and activities these days are laser focused on just one thing…competition.  And while a healthy sense of competition is never a bad thing, sometimes have a full common sense approach of balance is even better.  And for that matter, dance really is just about the last activity out there for kids that is truly inspiring in a very balanced way.

Dance inspires teamwork, discipline, cooperation, exercise, participation, competition, athleticism, and the development of new skills.

* Teamwork: Solo dance is always an option, but the majority of dance is performed with a team or at least a partner.  In fact, without full commitment to teamwork, you end up with a less than inspiring phenomenon—one person dancing and the other stepping on feet.  Bottom line?  Dance requires teamwork and is a great way to develop it.

* Discipline: It takes a lot of commitment to show up to dance classes on time and prepared.  It is challenging to learn something new and continue to work at it as progress becomes mastery.  The common thread is the discipline to keep at it and persist until perfection is achieved.  Dance is discipline.

ü Cooperation: Much like teamwork, there is a whole lot of give and take involved in dance.  It’s never just a one way street.  And this is what cooperation is all about—learning how to work together, and being able to give and take appropriately.  Dance requires significant cooperation.

* Exercise: Dance is one of the very best activities out there that promotes healthy whole-body exercise.  It’s cardio; it’s strength-building; it’s flexibility inducing.  It’s even great mental exercise.  There’s no doubt that dance is fantastic exercise.

* Participation: It all goes hand-in-hand.  Along with teamwork and cooperation, dance requires kids to step up and participate at the level they’re comfortable with.  And all the while, it also helps build confidence to be able to step it up to the next level of participation.

* Competition: Yes, dance is competitive.  But not to an extreme like some sports and activities.  Dance encourages kids to succeed and be great at what they do, by all means.  But it also promotes a spirit of camaraderie that crosses the boundaries of competition.

ü Athleticism: Dance is cross-fitness at its very best.  Not just building strength for playing a single-task role in one sport, but rather, improving the coordination, flexibility, endurance, and strength of the entire body.  And that is pretty much the definition of athleticism.

* Skills Development: Dance helps kids push the boundaries in healthy ways.  No matter how good you are at dance, there is always a new style or a new skill that can be learned and added to the repertoire.  Consistent improvement and building upon existing skills with new ones is what dance is all about.

The Dance Studio – A Community Inside A Community

The dance studio is really a close, smaller community found within a greater community.  It’s people coming together to share through a common interest.  And through community, dance has interesting ways of connecting with people.

Dance Studios Are Affordable And Family Oriented.

Just as there are all kinds of different styles of dance, there are also all different types of dance studios out there.  Many are geared towards advanced students and can be quite exclusive or elite in nature—however, the great majority of dance studios exist to help ordinary people learn the art of dance. In this regard, the dance studio is a very affordable and family oriented place by its very nature.  It’s a place where learning and social community is encouraged.

Dance Studios Allow For Communities To Come Together To Help Others.

Because the dance studio tends to be a tight knit community within a larger community, there are many social and community driven activities that revolve around the studio’s social circle.  It’s not uncommon at all for dance groups to get together to participate in fundraisers and other important civic events.  Within the dance studio community, there’s a special good nature and goodwill that naturally happens.  Support for others and charitable organizations is just the norm.  Community spirit is clearly present at the dance studio.

Dance Studios Are Filled With Young Ones To Help Achieve The Most Out Of Dreams.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way.  The dance studio is a place where the young and young at heart alike come together to explore their creative sides through the expressive art form of dance.  It’s a place where dreams are explored and it’s a place where dreams can come true.  A sense of hope and desire to achieve success in dance is always present at the dance studio.  But just as important, the dance studio is a place where people converge to have a great deal of fun doing something they love.  Friends coming together to dance, to improve their skills, and to enjoy each others’ presence in doing so is a very central theme at the dance studio.  It’s a close community.

Dance Studios Allow Communities To Reach Out To Others For Help And Guidance.

Because of its community-based nature, learning dance at the dance studio isn’t just an individual task or a one-on-one task between student and teacher.  But rather, it’s the greater dance community that helps each other learn and experience what dance is all about.  Kids teach each other in group dance.  Adults taking dance classes also benefit from the community-based learning environment found at the dance studio.  A healthy community helps make learning dance more effective.

Would you agree that effective time management is one of the most important skills to be developed in life?  At any rate, time management skills are very important for sure.  When you think about it:

ü Time management is the basis for getting things done, at work and in our personal lives as well.

ü Time management is an important part of being successful in business.

ü Time management is vital to earning potential at work.

ü Time management is one of the most important things that makes a person considered trustworthy and reliable.

ü Time management is something that goes a long, long way in life.

Yes, effective and well-honed time management skills are quite essential to success.  And what is just as important as this?

Well, it’s just as important that we teach our children about the virtues and benefits of being great managers of their own time.  Because it’s one of those skills that is truly long lasting in life, the earlier that it can be learned and developed, the better off kids will be.

So how does this skill development happen?  Well, fortunately, there are lots of different ways to encourage kids to pick up on good time management abilities.  From expecting discipline, to encouraging personal responsibility and beyond, kids should also be learning effective time management skills at school (but we can’t always count on this to be the case).

One easy way to help our kids to learn how to manage their time appropriately is to keep them busy in their young lives.  Not busy to the point of burnout or anything that extreme, but rather, busy enough to have to develop some decent level of discipline to be able to make it all happen without dropping the ball.  In other words, keep them busy rather than allowing them to be lazy.

And a healthy level of busyness for our kids happens when we allow and encourage them to pursue fun activities that they like and want to be a part of.  Dance classes, sport activities, music activities, and other fun, wholesome activities all happen to be wonderful examples here.  Learning how to balance one activity to the next, learning how to keep up with  the school work while still having time to do well with the extra-curriculars and the practice that goes into being good at them is the key.

When it comes down to it, the truth of the matter is that kids who are busy learn time-management skills that are long lasting.

Dance for kids is one of those activities that maintains a healthy sense of balance.  Dance lessons are indeed geared to be challenging; but they’re not meant to be so difficult that they end up becoming discouraging.  Dance classes are designed to expect kids to give it their very best effort; but they are not so demanding that it’s impossible.

After all, lessons and classes are all about learning.  And really, when it comes right down to it, learning is about constant encouragement and nurturing.

Learning At School

In school, good teachers strive hard to explain the lessons through and through to the kids—to actually teach them what they’re supposed to know.  And then there are assignments, exercises, tests, and yes, plenty of homework that go into mastering a lesson.  These are all taken for granted as staples of receiving an education.

But there’s also the human side of the education equation that comes into play.  And that side is nurturing and providing steady encouragement.  After all, without these important aspects, what worth would school children find in the lessons they are supposed to be learning and skills they are supposed to be developing?  They have to have a reason—and although it is subtle enough, nurturing and encouragement is where that reason resonates.

Learning At Dance

Just the same as a good school teacher, every good dance instructor knows and understands that assigning a good challenge is important to help kids push themselves to the next level.  And they also understand and respect the fact that kids are kids and like anyone else, they are going to need a good deal of nurturing and encouragement to reach the level of success that they are fully capable of.

What happens when there is no healthy level of nurturing to balance the challenges?  Well, the results are discouraging to say the least.  Kids tend to simply give up completely or really level off at a certain level that is nowhere near their true level of ability.  It’s human nature to self-impose boundaries or barriers in our minds—things like, “Well, I’m already good enough, so why try to be better?”  Or even worse, there’s the idea of “It’s impossible, I’ll never be that good myself.”

It is negative thoughts like these that ultimately serve as discouragement.  This happens with too much challenge and not enough encouragement.  And maybe that’s what is so great about dance as an activity for kids—it’s certainly challenging, but it’s very nurturing at the same time.  It just has a nice level of balance for a kid’s activity.

Start Your Child In Dance…They’ll Love It!

Kids who start young in dance are able to pick up the skills quickly and effectively.  Children can learn anything, and just as expected, the sooner they begin an activity like dance, the more time they’ll have to become proficient.  For this reason alone, why not start your child in dance as soon as possible?  Kids of all ages love dance!

Dance is a healthy activity for even young children because it promotes coordination and all-around fitness. Obviously, young children don’t need the same kind of strenuous workouts that we adults need from time to time to stay fit and in good shape.  But kids do need some exercise—to burn off some of their energy in a healthy way and to develop healthy fitness habits for the long haul.  Dance is one of the best activities there is when it comes to promoting all-around healthiness and whole body and mind wellness.

Dance is an affordable extra-curricular activity for your kids to be involved in. It’s true, when compared to many sports and extra-curricular activities out there for kids these days, dance ranks up there with the more affordable ones.  It won’t cost you an arm and a leg for dance lessons—and contrary to the popular myth, costumes for dance recitals and performances aren’t all that expensive either.  All things considered, dance is a very affordable activity for youngsters and not-so-youngsters alike.

Dance promotes self-respect, confidence, and teamwork. Kids that stick with dance become very well rounded individuals.  As a healthy activity, dance is also demanding of good character traits like self-respect, respect for others, strong self-confidence, and the ability to work well in a team setting.  Character development is every bit as important as any other educational opportunity or leisure activity—and the good news is that dance is an excellent way to develop character.

Dance is a fun and exciting creative outlet that most children really take a liking to. When it comes down to it, what good is an activity if it isn’t fun and entertaining?  No one wants to be a part of something they find boring or overly-demanding.  Fortunately, most kids really do love dance when given the opportunity to try it out.  It is fun and challenging at the same time, but should never be the source of too much pressure for kids.

And hey, even if kids don’t end up taking a liking to dance at all, at least they (and you) can say they gave it a fair chance, right?

Dance is a fantastic extra-curricular activity for teenagers to participate in.  While the list of reasons is substantial, for starters, here are 6 noteworthy benefits of dance for teenagers:

One – Dance is an all-around healthy activity. We all need a little bit more exercise in our lives…teens included.  And when it comes to getting some much-need cardio, dance delivers very nicely.  Plus, dance is also an excellent way to build an all around fit body.

Two – Dance is a great way to meet people with similar interests. Sometimes the teenage years can be challenging socially, to say the least.  It can be hard to meet new people who teens can really identify with and make lasting connections.  Dance is a great way to connect with a diverse group of other teens who all come together for a similar “cause.”

Three – Dance provides a way to get off the street. Many teenagers desperately need a place to go and an activity to participate in that is wholesome and can provide a healthy outlet to escape from the challenges and pressures of everyday life as a teen.  The dance studio makes a fantastic escape from harsh realities and helps promote a positive outlook.

Four – Speaking of positive outlook—dance is a great way to help teens develop better self-confidence. The teen years are a trying time in life…there’s peer pressure and many other things that are at the forefront of concern, day in and day out.  Fortunately, dance provides an excellent dose of self-esteem, self-respect, and self-confidence through its opportunities for learning and making notable accomplishments.

Five – Activities like dance help teens perform better at school. Maybe it all connects back to the increase in self-esteem and confidence that extra-curriculars like dance provide for teenagers, or maybe it’s even from the brain stimulation that dance and music are proven to promote.  Either way, the results are attractive—having an activity like dance in their lives very often correlates to achieving better grades in school.

Ballet Helps Kids Build Great Body Posture

Dance is one of the best ways to understand how the body works.  And in particular, ballet tends to be one of the most challenging, yet graceful, forms of dance.  Ballet is an art form that requires a heightened sense of body awareness and a fine level of control.  As such, learning ballet helps kids build great body posture.

Ballet helps promote flexibility, coordination, and agility.

As one of the fine forms of dance, ballet is all about smooth, graceful body mechanics.  Advanced ballet is quite difficult and requires a great deal of coordination, flexibility, and agility.  As the basic and intermediate levels of ballet build up to the advanced level, it’s only natural that these skills and qualities become more and more fine tuned and developed.  And when it comes to body posture, flexibility and coordination are key components.

Ballet is a great way for kids to meet friends to have fun with.

They say practice makes perfect, and it’s true.  But there’s another side of ballet that has a way of helping kids build great body posture.  This side comes from the social confidence that dance lessons encourage kids to develop.  When kids are having fun, and more importantly, when kids find confidence among their friends and peers, they have a natural way of “holding their heads up high.”  In other words, great posture is very often found in having great self-confidence.

Ballet can help with the posture of children during classes.

Some of the lessons that are specific to the ballet style of dance revolve directly around good posture.  Posture is an integral part of the art of ballet.  Because of this, many lessons will work directly on building great body posture for the kids in the ballet classes.  As a primary component of the art, proper posture is a direct focus in addition to the other more incidental ways it is improved upon through dance.

Ballet helps teach body awareness to children to help support posture.

Being able to follow very structured ballet dance routines and learning each tiny part therein is a great way for kids to learn about the fine movements and overall sense of body awareness that must go into achieving great results.  Dance as a whole is very much an art of being aware of the body and how to control and maneuver in the most skillful ways.  The keen sense of body awareness that ballet and dance promote also goes a long way towards supporting proper posture.  Kids who have a grasp of it are also more self aware of great body posture and how natural it actually feels once attained.

It’s important for kids to feel safe and secure.  As parents, we generally strive to provide our children a healthy, nurturing environment.  But sometimes, it takes more than that alone.  There are plenty of times and instances when kids just need an outlet—a safe haven to rely upon in a crazy, hectic world that we all live in today.  The dance studio is a perfect example of one of these types of safe havens.

What Makes The Dance Studio A Safe Haven?

ü It is an outlet. Unfortunately, many kids just have no place to turn.  But for those active in dance, the dance studio is a perfect safe haven for them because it is a place where they can go and release some pent up energy in a positive, creative way.  They can have fun, learn, and express themselves in a safe environment at the dance studio.

ü It provides a healthy environment. The dance studio is a place for healthy behavior.  Confidence and respect are developed through learning and fitness.  It is in this way that the dance studio truly does provide a healthy environment as a safe haven for kids.

ü It is a place to go. There are always activities going on at the dance studio.  Between lessons, practicing, and the recitals, in many instances, the dance studio is a place where kids who dance can just go to hang out and just be themselves.  Kids need a place where they can feel safe—and the dance studio provides that place to go for so many of them.

ü It is a place where friendships flourish. Having a group of positive peers is one way to build friendships that flourish for a lifetime.  The dance studio, and it’s creative, expressive, and team-oriented environment is a very ideal place to build and grow these kinds of positive, lasting friendships in life.  Being a safe haven with safe friends is what a dance studio should be all about.

ü It serves as a place where kids can find a positive example. It is vitally important for children to have positive role models to look up to.  Dance instructors definitely serve this cause at the dance studio.  First and foremost, they’re teachers who have the kids’ best interests at heart.  And it is at the dance studio that kids are able to connect with many other positive role models and mentors that will help them grow and prosper in a safe environment.

We all know how important it is for kids to feel safe and secure.  The dance studio is an ideal safe haven environment that promotes healthy lives.

Lasting Friendships That Are Formed At The Dance Studio

There’s no two ways about it…having great friends is one of life’s finest pleasures.  And so many of life’s long lasting friendships are started and grown from the youngest years of life.  The term “lifelong friends” makes a pretty strong statement—one that is certainly meaningful.  And on that note, it’s very true that lasting friendships are made and prosper at the dance studio each and every day.

When you think about it for a minute, what better place is there than the dance studio to launch successful friendships?

Dance Studio Friendships Share A Common Bond.

Friends that have a common interest at stake tend to be closer friends and lasting friends.  In our case, having a common love for dance is almost a universal common bond—one that is easy to understand and one that is eager to develop into lasting friendships.  And it shouldn’t come as a big surprise or anything; after all, dance is just a great activity.

Kids That Take Dance Meet A Broad Range Of Peers.

Kids that take dance meet lots of other individuals their age—many of whom will end up becoming really great friends over the years.  Those that stick with dance all the way through the teenage years usually end up forming a particularly tight knit circle of friends.  Either way, the friendships made at the dance studio cross all kinds of socio-economic backgrounds, and when children start dance young, it usually helps them form a sense of community with other kids who maybe don’t go to the same school or participate in other activities together.  The dance studio is a place of true community spirit.

Adults Taking Dance Lessons Will Makes Great Friends Too.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget, but the truth of the matter is that dance is not just for kids.  Adults who take dance lessons are bound to make new friends at the dance studio as well.  Many adult dance classes end up taking the camaraderie to outside-the-studio casual gatherings and get togethers.  And what better way to get together and have some fun—at these social gatherings of friends, all will be ready and willing to have fun and enjoy some dancing for sure!

In the end, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it—lasting, quality friendships are formed in the dance studio, and quality friends are something very precious in life.