dance for 9 yo - ballet or jazz/contempo?

[Anonymous]

Hoping for some advice from those who took a lot of dance classes when they were little. DD is headed to third grade turning 9, she's done 2 years of ballet so far (1 class a week plus some summer camps). Next year the ballet class at our studio is not compatible with our schedule. So we could do either jazz or contemporary instead, or try to find a ballet class that works at a different studio. I'd hate to interrupt the progress she's been building in ballet, but maybe it doesn't matter??

[Anonymous]

I think she's old enough to decide which she wants, and there's a big enough difference between ballet and jazz that they aren't just interchangeable.

[Anonymous]

I'd talk to the studio about it and also to your daughter.

One thing is that ballet training benefits work in all forms of dance. So the ballet she's taken so far will not be "wasted" even if she switches to jazz or contemporary.

Contemporary (sometimes this braod category is called "lyrical" at some studios) is more similar to ballet than jazz is but much broader and more free. While in ballet you work from a set of classical movemenst in contemporary there is freedom to move in lots of different ways (though they will also incorporate a lot of classical ballet ideas like plies and different types of leaps and turns).

Jazz is it's own thing with a separate vocabulary (meaning steps and movements) though many are related to classical ballet (for instance jazz has a series of foot positions that are essentially based on ballet positions but without turn out -- jazz first or parallel is just ballet first without turn out and same with jazz second for instance). Often jazz classes at studios incorporate Broadway style dance (which is most closely based on jazz dance) and that can be really fun for kids who love musicals and show tunes.

There's no wrong answer here. She could also try one this year and if she doesn't love it she could go back to ballet next year or switch to the other. Or switch studios. As long as you are working with good teachers who teach everything from a progression grounded in proper technique (so actually having kids practice the fundamentals and not just going right to "oh lets do this intermediate sequence and then focus on flexiblity and getting our jumps really high even if it looks messy") then you are fine.

[Anonymous]

At 9, I'd certainly be doing more than just one style, one class a week. It's hard to make much progress in 45-60 minutes/week.

[Anonymous]

This is a great age to switch to a different dance style. Pointe is terrible for girls’ feet. Let her choose her favorite style that works with your schedule and give a quick word of thanks that it was this easy to quit ballet.

[Anonymous]

Switch studios so she can keep doing ballet and experiment with another style.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PPs. That's helpful. I think contemporary might be suitable then.

I think she's fully capable of doing more but we have so many other extracurriculars. That's why I've sent her to dance camps where she can learn a lot in a concentrated way.

And honestly I am wary of the way the dance kids are so obsessed with their body shapes even at this age. DD comes home talking about how she wants to have hyperextension, be double jointed, have smaller thighs, flatter belly etc. The slightly older kids (still tweens) are obsessed with going on pointe. I feel like focusing so much on things you can't really change can't be healthy.

[Anonymous]

Switch your schedule so she can continue to progress where she us at. Dancers tend to bloom best where they are 1st planted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At 9, I'd certainly be doing more than just one style, one class a week. It's hard to make much progress in 45-60 minutes/week.

Depends on if she's doing it for fun or wants to pursue it at a higher level. But that choice should also be made clear to her -- if she dreams of dancing on pointe or performing at a higher level when she's in high school then you have to keep her in ballet even if it means changing studios.

Though if the whole issue is that her schedule is too full and the dance class is the thing they want to move around to accommodate other activities that apparently are more important then it's fine to just do one day a week and try another style. 9 and 10 is when many activities kind of force you to choose between pursuing them more seriously (usually multiple days a week) or more casually. You see the same divide with sports and music. But if your kid dances and plays a sport (or two) and does an instrument at some point you need to decide which of those activities is most important unless you are okay being a jane of all trades and a master of none. Usually kids want to reach a higher level in at least one extra-curricular that allows them to be competitive for spots on high school teams or a good position in the orchestra or get better roles in productions. And that means putting in the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Switch your schedule so she can continue to progress where she us at. Dancers tend to bloom best where they are 1st planted.

This just is not accurate because ballet skills are highly transferrable to other dance forms. Taking ballet can make it easier to learn tap or jazz later but the reverse is not necessarily true. I always recommend a kid interested in dance start with at least a couple years of ballet before specializing in anything else. Fine to take tap or jazz concurrently with ballet but I would never skip the ballet basics.

[Anonymous]

The problem with most jazz/contemporary tracks at this age is that they tend to lead towards competition teams. For that reason alone I would try to keep her in ballet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Switch your schedule so she can continue to progress where she us at. Dancers tend to bloom best where they are 1st planted.

This just is not accurate because ballet skills are highly transferrable to other dance forms. Taking ballet can make it easier to learn tap or jazz later but the reverse is not necessarily true. I always recommend a kid interested in dance start with at least a couple years of ballet before specializing in anything else. Fine to take tap or jazz concurrently with ballet but I would never skip the ballet basics.

How is this different than what I said. It says, stay where you are and change your conflicts.

[Anonymous]

Look for a hip hop class. Something she can use at every school dance, family wedding, and out at the club

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks PPs. That's helpful. I think contemporary might be suitable then.

I think she's fully capable of doing more but we have so many other extracurriculars. That's why I've sent her to dance camps where she can learn a lot in a concentrated way.

And honestly I am wary of the way the dance kids are so obsessed with their body shapes even at this age. DD comes home talking about how she wants to have hyperextension, be double jointed, have smaller thighs, flatter belly etc. The slightly older kids (still tweens) are obsessed with going on pointe. I feel like focusing so much on things you can't really change can't be healthy.

That kind of negative body talk was normal when I did very technical ballet about 25 years ago but is decidedly not normal now especially pre point. I would move studios over this to a more relaxed studio.

My DD recently tried out lyrical dance and loves it. You can probably find a trial class. If she is not looking to be a professional dancer or totally in love with ballet I would let her do what she likes.