Every Dance Genre Has It's Benefits

Well, I guess getting mean on the boards just doesn't pay off. Who woulda thought?

Anyway, here are my thoughts. Being trained in just one type of dance does not make you a well-rounded dancer, or an all around dancer. It means you are simply limited to your one style. Ninety-nine percent of dance styles have required technique. Most of the technique are difficult to master in a short time, but all dance styles benefit a dancer one way or another. No one dance is better than another.

Hard core ballet must be started from a young age. If a family chooses to put a child in hard core ballet, then they usually commit at least four days a week to ballet classes plus weekends for rehearsal or repetoire. It is difficult on the body for someone young to enter other forms of dance early on.

Ballet for the normal dancer with a desire to be an all around dancer: My advice, as thedancemom, is to get as much hard core training in ballet as possible, but once it becomes impossible to keep up with the schedule, start shifting some hours to other types of dance. IMO There is no substitute for hard core ballet training. Ballet is always stressed as the foundation of dance ... all dance ... and I believe that is true. It strengthens, stretches and controls the legs and arms. Hip hop dancers will find a better control of the legs and arms, tappers, jazz dancers and modern dancers will gain balance and posture.

Looking back on my daughter's training, if my desire was for my daughter to be an all around dancer, I would have started her in hard core ballet in the early years and then started moving her to other styles around the age of 8 or 9 while still trying to maintain the ballet as much as possible. This sometimes isn't possible because hard core ballet instructors don't want to teach someone if they're only going to be in class for two of the four days of training. Everything's a tradeoff! But if you start the all around dance later than 8 or 9, it's my opinion that it will be difficult to catch up with the other kids who have been doing all around training since the age of 5.

Tap helps a child learn rhythm, foot coordination, syncopation and precision. I have seen some ballerinas who could use some tap lessons and definately some tap dancers who could use ballet.

Jazz dance adds style and diverse movement and interesting shapes. Something that I don't often see in classical ballet. Jazz style can be choreographed into both tap and ballet.

Lyrical helps bring out emotional performance. Lycial dancers learn to use their faces and body movements to express emotions (sudden contraction, soft floating arms, hard, soft movement etc). Lyrical encompasses many forms of dance ... ballet, jazz, contemporary.

Hip Hop emits power. I think that hip hop teaches expression of aloof emotion and coolness. It is the complete opposite of "good ship lollipop". It teaches the dancer to take whatever technique they know and just dance. Hip hop does require a lot of technique, but at the end of the day, it must be "danced" .... nothing held back. The technique must be so precise that when the dancer lets loose, the dance does not fall apart.

Modern/Contemporary is said to be close in technique to ballet. Modern definately teaches shapes and body alignment. Controlled emotional performance.

Ballroom Latin/Rhythm teaches some amazing hip movement and also gives the dance world some of the most appealing sensual body shapes in both the ladies and the men. Quick footwork and legwork that is completely opposite of anything you'll find in traditional dance.

Ballroom Smooth/Standard teaches controlled legwork and footwork, posture, balance, breadth of movement. This is a great remedy for traditional dancers who have trouble with footwork.

There are so many other types of dance that I could comment on. But, that's all I have time for this morning. Thanks for visiting!