Reply to dance for 9 yo - ballet or jazz/contempo?

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[quote=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.[/quote]

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