Ballet is a time-honored dance art that brings together aesthetics, discipline, flexibility and strong body awareness. For children, it lays an excellent foundation for many sports and artistic disciplines.
What Age Should They Start?
The ideal age to start ballet is 5–6. Before that, children's muscles and bones aren't yet ready to safely carry the load that ballet technique demands. For ages 3–4 there are "pre-ballet" or "movement class" programs, which focus on rhythm and coordination.
Is Ballet Only for Girls?
Absolutely not. Training for male dancers (danseurs) is no different from training for female dancers. Lifting techniques that require strength form a separate part of male dancers' training. For boys, ballet is a uniquely valuable way to develop strength, flexibility and body control.
What Is the First Class Like?
In their first ballet classes, children start with barre work (holding on to the barre). The basic positions (first position, second position), plié (bending the knees) and relevé (rising onto the toes) make up the first month's content.
Physical Benefits
Ballet does a remarkable job of developing flexibility, core strength, balance, posture and body coordination. Children who train in ballet regularly have noticeably more upright, more conscious posture.
Discipline and Patience
Perfecting ballet technique takes years. This process gives a child a deep lesson in patience and perseverance. Gaining each skill slowly and carefully builds attention to detail and a strong work ethic.
Choosing a Ballet School
There are different methods, such as the Russian, French and English schools. At the beginner stage the difference in method doesn't matter much; what matters is the teacher's experience with children and their teaching approach.
Conclusion
Ballet develops a child's body and artistic sensitivity at the same time. This double benefit gives ballet a unique value that sets it apart from other sports disciplines.