Has your little one always wanted to be a ballerina?
Has your little one always longed to wear a frilly tutu and have her own satin shoes? If so, you might like to consider ballet as an enrichment option for her.
Ballet is one of the most graceful forms of dance. It has been around for centuries and has produced some of the most talented and awe-inspiring performers of all time – also called Prima Ballerinas.
If you watch a ballerina – not only when she’s performing, but offstage too – you will most definitely find yourself marvelling at her poise and grace.
Not only is ballet a joy to watch, it also has a range of benefits for those who take up this dance programme.
Ballerinas have amazing poise and grace – two of the first things little ones learn in ballet class
Age-appropriate ballet lessons are available and children can learn much more than just coordination and movement.
Physical benefits
Ballet is a wonderful way for young children to gain muscular strength, become more supple and, stay lithe and fit.
One of the first things little ones learn in class is how to stand correctly and walk gracefully.
These skills, learnt at a young age, stay with your child forever and help her grow into a limber and elegant adult.
Ballet will help kids to stay agile and develop strong muscles.
Once your child starts ballet classes, you will notice that their body awareness, self-control, coordination skills and balance improve tremendously. Bad posture among children who study ballet is usually unheard of.
The wide range of ballet movements like the heart-rate accelerating pirouettes and leaps improve cardiovascular health.
What’s more, a child who learns ballet from an early age finds it easier to adapt to other styles of dancing such as jazz and contemporary dancing.
Ballet is also a wonderful way for a hyperactive child to release pent-up energy in a way that is beneficial not only creatively and physically, but also emotionally and socially as well.
Emotional benefits
The benefits of ballet aren’t just physical. Children who study ballet develop emotionally in many ways too.
Many parents of shy children who study ballet say that they notice immense improvement in their child’s confidence.
This comes from performing on stage with other children and also performing alone. Children feel proud and accomplished when they perform on stage and this in turn boosts their self-esteem.
Kids gain confidence performing in front of an audience.
This self-esteem then extends to other areas in life and results in children being more self-assured right through their childhood and adulthood.
Such children also learn to express themselves better by using their bodies and facial expressions to narrate a story and express emotions.
Learning how to be expressive earlier in life helps hormonal teenagers better with the pressures they may face, and allow them to be open about their emotions with both their parents and teachers.
Ballet movements also require focus and concentration to complete and perfect. Children who acquire these skills automatically use them in their studies and in their daily lives.
Social benefits
Experts and teachers concur that children who learn ballet follow instructions better and know how to work better with teammates.
They respond more favourably to goals set, manage stress better and are more disciplined when it comes to their school work and other activities.
Furthermore, working in groups during ballet classes help children build trust and friendship with others and be more socially extroverted.
Ballet also involves a considerable amount of team work. Kids will learn to work well with others to pull off an amazing show.
Where can children learn ballet in Singapore?
Although Singapore has many ballet schools, few specialise in ballet programmes for young children. Crestar School of Dance (CSD) is one of the most established among them: their popular Bebe Ballet and Dancing Tots programmes for kids as young as 2½ years old have been stapled programmes for more than 35 years.
Crestar School of Dance is the largest private dance school in Singapore; it has the biggest pool of dance teachers, qualified by the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing (CSTD), Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) and Beijing Dance Academy (BDA).
The School gives its young ballet students ample opportunities to gain confidence through performances. These include charity and community events, as well as overseas dance exchange programmes.
You can start your little one on Ballet even as young as 2.5 years old.
An impressive number of CSD students have also gone on to enrol in established dance schools and colleges and have participated in big events such as My Singapore 2014: Moments of Love Charity Concert for President’s Challenge 2014 and 7th International Ballet and Contemporary Dance Competition Vienna 2014, among others.
Besides ballet, other dance courses such as Modern Theatre, Modern Jazz, Street Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Chinese Dance and Belly Dance are also available.
For more information on CSD’s dance courses, click here.
If you have not considered ballet as an after-school activity before for your child, we hope we have convinced you to let your little one give it a try!
If your child already attends a ballet class, please leave a comment below to let us know how your child has benefited from it.
References:
https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/multiple_intelligences/benefits-of-classical-ballet/
https://www.livestrong.com/article/205624-what-are-the-benefits-of-ballet-for-kids/
https://voxxi.com/2013/10/health-benefits-of-ballet-children/
