To the Pointe: Choosing Dance for Your Kid

South Florida is in love with dancing and dancing instruction.  The opportunity of finding a dance school or dance academy that will be just right for your kids is greater here than in most areas of the country.  There are more listed dance schools in directories in the state of Florida than in the state of New York!  And our local professional dance companies are rapidly gaining the recognition they deserve.  True, sometimes you may have to drive a bit to get exactly what you want, but the choices are out there… from top of the line competition dance schools, to family fun oriented ones, to pre-professional classically oriented ballet schools, a little research and phone calling will make your daughter or son’s experience in a dancing environment a rewarding one.

A structured dancing routine and curriculum is not for every kid, however.  Some do not like it!  What you have to consider first and foremost is “will he or she want to dance? Or would she or he rather do something else?”    While letting the kid decide for you is sometimes an easy way out of a decision, parental guidance and support is warranted in any activity that will contribute to discipline and character formation.  The final choice between activities will be determined by the child’s interests, but the satisfaction derived by the whole family from the chosen activity will be a direct result of parental commitment to this activity and its formational impact on the child. Here in South Florida you have the opportunity to have your kid in a great character building activity: dancing!

To those who say “but she will never be a professional ballerina” or "I don't want him to be a professional dancer!"  I have to respond by saying that a dancing career is not the only product from a dancing experience.  I have not met many dedicated dancing student who was not also in the top ranking of their class at school.  The physical discipline, mental concentration and structured routine required to maintain an after school dancing activity creates the habits for success in many fields.  Future business lawyers, medical therapists, media producers, high level teachers, institutional managers, as well as—of course—dance professionals, started their careers going day after day to dance class, and year after year to recitals and performances (some beginning at three years of age… others at fourteen), afterwards using their experience for career advancement.  Other professionals learned their habits for success from the early discipline and interaction learned in dance school.  Many continue or go back to dance class as adults as a way to participate in a stress reducing activity that requires physical stamina and is a disciplined workout.  All benefit from learning to appreciate a complex art form that spans from popular to classical styles.

If you are thinking of dance as an activity for your kids, you may want to take advantage of the season and register them in one of the many summer programs around to explore this option.   Many of the local civic centers and gymnasiums have classes for which you can register on a weekly basis.  Local dance academies have summer camps, programs and other activities that can let you see if these are the right places for your son or daughter.  Regular day and sleep away camps usually have dance schedules and performances as additional activities.  After summer, joining a dance academy, dance club at school, or taking dance as an elective in some of the local schools are additional options. Some of the local academies have performance schedules that showcase the talent of our young dancers in the area.  Look for performances in venues such as Bailey Hall, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Township Center of Coconut Creek, Coral Springs Center for the Performing Arts, Hollywood Center for the Performing Arts and others where you and your family can enjoy and be surprised by the high quality of the local talent in formation. There are many ways to be part of dancing in South Florida!

Carlos Rangel has been involved in the arts for the last 10 years and recently opened Attitude Dancewear & Art in Coral Springs, a dancewear store catering to all sorts of community interests related to dance.  He has a network of dance information and is involved in supporting community outreach dance programs.