Your child wants to dance. Great!
Now comes the next question:
What kind of dance?
If you’re new to the dance world, a class schedule filled with different styles can be confusing. Here’s a simple introduction to several popular dance styles and what your child might experience in each.
Ballet
Ballet is one of the foundational forms of dance training.
Students work on posture, alignment, balance, flexibility, control, musicality, and precise technique. Ballet terminology and foundational skills can also support training in several other dance styles.
Your child might enjoy ballet if they: enjoy structure, music, detailed instruction, graceful movement, or want to build strong foundational dance technique.
Jazz
Jazz combines technique with energetic, expressive movement.
Classes can include turns, leaps, kicks, isolations, combinations, and choreography performed to a variety of music.
Your child might enjoy jazz if they: love upbeat movement, performing, learning combinations, and expressing personality through choreography.
Tap
In tap, the dancer becomes part of the music.
Special shoes allow dancers to create rhythmic sounds with their feet. Students develop timing, coordination, rhythm, listening skills, and increasingly complex footwork.
Your child might enjoy tap if they: love rhythm, music, making noise, patterns, or learning detailed footwork.
Hip-Hop
Hip-hop classes are typically energetic and rhythm-driven, incorporating movement and choreography influenced by hip-hop dance styles and culture.
Classes can help students develop musicality, coordination, confidence, performance quality, and personal expression.
Your child might enjoy hip-hop if they: love current music, high-energy movement, expressive choreography, and bringing personality to their performance.
What About Other Styles?
As dancers progress, they may also encounter styles such as contemporary, lyrical, modern, acrobatics, musical theater, or other specialty classes, depending on the studio’s programs.
That’s one of the exciting things about dance: students don’t have to stay in one lane.
A dancer can love the structure of ballet and the energy of hip-hop.
They can tap one day and take jazz another.
Exploring different styles can help students become more versatile dancers.
So Which One Should You Choose?
Consider four things:
Age: Some classes are designed specifically for particular developmental stages.
Personality: Does your child love high-energy movement or prefer something more structured?
Interests: What music and movement naturally get them excited?
Goals: Are they dancing recreationally, exploring an interest, preparing to perform, or interested in more intensive training?
And remember: you don’t have to figure everything out alone.
The D&T team can help your family identify an appropriate place to begin.
The most important first step is often simply getting your dancer through the studio door.
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