Back to school is around the corner and it’s time to start deciding what after-school activities to sign your child up for.

It can be hard to choose among the many sports and artistic practices that are available to children today. What activity will your child get the most benefits out of while coming home with a smile every day?

The benefits of ballet are numerous, and include physical strengthening perks as well as training for the mind and soul. If you’ve been searching for “dance classes near me” but aren’t totally sold yet, then this list is for you!

Here are the top five benefits of ballet worth knowing.

1. Discipline and Focus

One of the benefits of ballet training comes from its culture of respect and discipline in the classroom. There is a structure to ballet dance class from its authority figures to the very order in which actions are performed. And that order is important. You can’t do anything else in class without first warming up in plié.

It also requires a great deal of focus to remember combinations of exercises and choreography. As your dancer listens to their teacher giving instructions and then focuses on putting those instructions into practice, they’re strengthening their brains to make all kinds of connections and remember all kinds of information later on.

That discipline and that focus will carry on to all aspects of their lives and futures. A dancer is a person who listens carefully, attaching meaning to what they’ve learned, and goes forward making good decisions with that information. Plus, they’ll have the self-control to keep themselves devoted to a task while they do it meaning they’ll be more efficient and productive.

2. Flexibility, Strength, and Posture

Everyone knows about the ballet body, but the body a person receives in ballet dancing doesn’t just serve them in the studio; it’s a healthy body that helps them perform everyday tasks. Ballet specifically targets the areas of flexibility, posture, and strength.

Flexibility isn’t just for doing the splits. When was the last time you needed to reach down to get something and you were worried about putting too much stress on your back? Can you comfortably sit in a crisscross position for an extended period?

Once you start training flexibility, it’s easier to maintain flexibility later into adulthood. This means your dancer is more likely to have a large range of motion and comfort well into their life.

The same goes for posture. Countless adults wish that their posture was better if for no other reason than the health of their back. With the benefits of ballet training, previous dancers will maintain that healthy posture forever and not need to correct it later.

Ballet trains lean muscles, but just because they aren’t bulky doesn’t mean they aren’t strong. A ballet dancer needs to be able to hold their leg in the air, their hands above their head, and their core in. They’ll also be able to carry heavy groceries, go on long hikes, swim for long periods, and just generally be able to enjoy all that life has to offer.

3. Creative Expression and Appreciation

Ballet is first and foremost, an art form. Ballet dancers will learn to creatively express themselves within the structures of the dance. They will learn musicality in order to match the music of the dance piece. They will learn emotional expressiveness. They may even discover a love for the creative art of choreography. 

What’s the point? The ability to creatively express themselves will help in their interpersonal relationships. A dancer expresses emotion with the slightest body language and learns to read the body language of others. A creative and emotional vocabulary also leads to creative problem solving and empathy.

Your dancer will also develop a love for the arts! Ballet is visual, musical, and physical. The world of aesthetics will be opened up to them. As they learn what lines look good in their bodies, they’ll also learn what lines make a painting beautiful. They’ll recognize classical music and have a deeper understanding of the emotional life behind them.

A dancer is cultured, empathetic, and creative. What more could you want for your child’s future?

4. Social Skills

Dance class is a social extracurricular activity. A lot of the focus is on personal development, and it isn’t a team activity the way many sports are, but there is still an important social factor to take into account.

The friends your child makes in dance class will make long-lasting memories with them.

They’ll get to watch each other grow into stronger, more confident dancers, every day. They’ll joke in the dressing rooms and help each other with bobby pins. They’ll be the person your child celebrates successes with and the shoulder to cry on during setbacks.

There’s also a competitive quality to a dance class, there’s no denying it. But the best-trained dancers will learn grace, humility, and celebration over their classmates’ advancements.

Seeing your classmate perfect something before you is a valuable teaching moment in wishing others the best and admiration for friends. Accomplishing something yourself is a lesson in staying modest in your success.

5.Confidence and Fun!

What is the best benefit of ballet that your child will get out of class?

Fun! 

There’s nothing more fun than working up a sweat dancing and practicing your craft. Jumps are fun. Turns are fun. Learning a new dance combination is fun. Physical activity releases serotonin in the brain to keep you happy during dance and for the rest of the day.

Also, the more confident you become as a dancer, the more fun you have. The best dancers stop worrying that they aren’t good enough and instead put the work into getting better and enjoying the art. 

Your dancer will feel confident in where they are currently with their dancing ability, excited for the future of more difficult dance that awaits them, and overjoyed with the chance to express the fullest version of themselves through dance.

Benefits of Ballet for Youths

From the physical training benefits to the social skills to the artistic achievement that ballet can bring there are so many benefits of ballet for your child. Watch them grow into graceful, mature, productive, and most importantly happy dancers when you sign them up for a ballet class.

Interested in getting started with ballet? Take a look at our Youth Ballet Dance Class offerings to find the right spot for your little dancer.