There is more to dance than just exercise. Every time your child takes a dance class, a vast combination of complex learning and development occurs. This includes habit-building, teamwork, and accountability. Many studios offer some of these health benefits. However, the right dance studio can empower your child with growth that will endure long after the music stops.
This article explores ten benefits of taking Hip Hop dance classes and how the right teachers in the right dance space can optimize your child’s experience.
1. Improving physical health with movement and style
Whether they’re bouncing, grooving, or sliding to the beat, dance is a full-body workout. It does wonders for your child’s physical health. It’s an exercise that motivates them to stay active. It improves their flexibility, range of motion, strength, and stamina – all while enjoying the up-tempo beats of Hip Hop music.
Learning, repeating, and drilling a dance routine increases their cardio and heart rate. It also improves muscle tone and joint flexibility. And with the right approach and effort, contributes to weight loss and stress relief.
For these reasons, this benefit tops the list.
2. Building good habits is part of the process
The right dance class and teacher can instill self-discipline and time management in your child. When they actively engage with the class goals, they cultivate a sense of dedication and focus. This transfers to their studies, work, and other aspects of life.
3. Healing the heart and mind
The combination of music, movement, and a sense of belonging can decrease anxiety and depression. The joy of dance fosters not only physical health. It also encourages emotional expression, boosting your child’s self-esteem and confidence. Dance is a therapeutic outlet that affects their mind, body, and spirit.
4. Teamwork makes the dream work
Dance is a social activity that teaches teamwork, trust, cooperation, and accountability. Your child can practice and explore these concepts in a supervised setting. This, in turn, can be applied to other non-dance experiences.
5. Socialization beyond the classroom walls
A dance class is a safe space to express themselves while developing good social skills. Time spent working on a dance routine is time spent away from potential trouble.
That hour or so of dance is a prime opportunity to bond with peers who share similar interests. These bonds evolve into friendships. And in many instances, can last for years into adulthood.
Is fear holding your child back from trying a dance class? Fear means that they care. Here’s a thoughtful article about Overcoming the Fear of Trying New Things.
6. A positive role model in their dance teachers
Not all dance teachers are created equal. The right teacher can do more than teach fun dance moves in a class structure. They have the power to motivate your child to be more than what they see in themselves. The right dance teacher becomes one of the role models that inspires a positive path for your child. They do this through words of encouragement, welcoming and safe energy, and making your child feel seen in class.
7. Empowering dance moves
Certain moves and choreography bring out a sense of strength in your child. Dancing alongside their peers to some of their favourite Hip Hop tracks boosts their confidence. It also brings shy children out of their shells. And when all of that hard work and practice culminates on stage, positively rewarded with roaring applause, your child can carry that confidence out into the real world and manifest friendships and opportunities with that empowerment.
8. Built-in self-expression and creativity
The dance teacher is not always calling the shots. There are moments within the class and even within the dance routine where your child is allowed to decide what moves to perform. This is in the form of improvisation, or freestyling. Dance, regardless of style, stimulates creativity and self-expression. It promotes imagination and critical thinking. This is crucial during early childhood for developing creativity. In certain instances, they can develop the creative confidence to choreograph their own dances, leading to personal discovery, with a significant number of students becoming dance teachers as well.
9. The fun and freedom of it all
Dance classes, in the right setting, aim to provide a fun and freeing experience. The shows, competitions, and recitals provide a goal. The dance routine and choreography provide the structure to get there. However, within those weekly classes, moments of laughter, joy, and camaraderie help them get to the finish line with positive experiences to carry them through.
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10. Finding themselves through danceFinally, combining all of these reasons is a recipe for your child to find themselves in a structured environment. Dance is a rare activity that offers health benefits for the mind, body, and spirit. It also develops a good work ethic, habits, and social interaction. Plus, it finds good role models who encourage creativity, fun, and freedom. These aspects ultimately become the building blocks for your child to find themselves as they grow and evolve towards adulthood.
I have been a Hip Hop dance teacher for more than 20 years. I've taught students in many cities and studios, enjoying every moment. Maybe it’s just me and my personal teaching style, but I can attest to these benefits, as I have personally witnessed my own students evolve into adults, starting families, becoming amazing parents, and embarking on their careers. They have cited the life lessons learned in their dance classes as an integral part of their growth and have such fond memories whenever they look back. |
Finding the right teachers and studio that can provide most, if not all, of these benefits, is a big part of the equation. That’s why PULSE offers an abundance of classes every day. They are taught by a blend of up-and-coming and world-renowned teachers. From classes for kids as young as 4 years old to adults, beginners to advanced, technique classes to drop-ins, and recreational to competitive, there is sure to be a handful of classes that will resonate with your child (and maybe even yourself!). Learn all the styles within the Hip Hop dance umbrella from Calgary’s best.
To explore PULSE’s entire dance schedule, jump to the schedule section of our website.
