BALLET FOR CHILDREN - MORE THAN JUST A DANCE - by Ni Zain

The benefits of ballet dance for small children goes far beyond an physical exercise. Ballet, taught by a dedicated and well trained teacher can be of such high benefit for your child's developing, that you can see the difference to those children not doing ballet in many way.

Ballet is a very good physical exercise for children as it is one hour of moving and hopping. But there is far more to it than moving and hopping. If you do know anything about how the brain works, than you will know that we have two sides of the brain. One side is our rational, the other side is our emotional side. Each side has its own skills and duties. During developing age, children learn to connect those two brain parts. One part is a pure physical one, by growing nerve structures between the two parts of the brain. This happens via using the two brain sides and also via genetic and nutrition influence.

Unfortunately today for many children toxin and poor nutrition can easily disturbed these fragile process and the brain will not get enough input to stimulate the growth of those connections. Once school age has reached those children will have problems to catch up with the requested knowledge. If by than not the right action have been taken the child will never catch up again. Further school problems are almost for-programmed.

Ballet at a very little age will help those nerves to grow and connect the left and right brain. How is this working? During certain movements which only ballet provides in this way children have to move left arms and right legs in perfect harmony. If we take for example the curriculum of the Royal Academy of Dance, which has arm movements in first position up to fifth position, those movements are a very accurate movement of left and right arm and need a very strong concentration and co-ordination of arms.

Following movements of the entire body in different ways and certain schemes, will open connections in the brain which later will be used in academic education. Children as young as 1 1/2 years can learn to move in simple ballet movements and stimulate the brain to grow connections. In Body Talk, an exercise used by several school around the world, movements of left and right body systems are also used to encourage the connection, but ballet has the advance for small children that it is also a lot of fun. Jumping around in rose tuttues is far more motivation in that age than any teacher can create.

Ballet shall be used as a tool of education, rather than an after school education or extra. Ballet shall be taught to boys and girls equally. Ballet has abilities in small ages, too boost your child's mind and body functions far beyond other kids. - Over the last 5 years I was able to observe kids who did regular ballet and those who dropped it after a short time. Children doing ballet have extreme advantages in any other sports they may later start in live. Having learned to control their body movements at a very young age, children never will loose the ability anymore, they can follow even difficult movements.

Rudolph Steiner, the founder of those Steiner Schools worldwide, believed that children shall get more than 80% of physical education in early years. Having seen children over the last years which had a high physical education, comparing to children who unfortunately missed out on it, I have seen tremendous differences in those kids doing physical education. But as well in terms of which children would faille to keep going with ballet. Sadly I have seen also many children giving up on their physical education, such as ballet. By now I almost can tell if the child will go on after the first class or not. Children with a basic of a good nutritional diet, lots of fresh air, no vaccination and a mother who eats and lives healthy too, have far more a chance to get going in ballet, as it is a strong physical education. Kids need to have a good basic to perform an 1 hour ballet class.

No matter if boy or girl, I believe ballet is of high benefit in the age of 1 1/2 to at least 8 years. It shall be taught with fun and a very qualified teacher. Ballet does not have to be a calling in later life, but it is an excellent basic for your child's future and not just a little dance class. A fact which most parents don't even consider when selection their child's early education. As ballet shall be fun for those kids it is extremely important that the teacher brings the fun into ballet teachings. There is no point at any time that your child is forced to be super perfect in its movements, nor put under any sort of pressure from teacher or parents. The Royal Academy of Dance has set up a program which makes it fun and easy for kids to learn ballet. I have watched Nancy, the ballet teacher at Bali SoDA, how she was getting those girls to tell stories with their bodies and doing the most excellent ballet movements at the same time. Lots of giggling included. Ballet is the first years has to be fun, has to be a feeling of being able to go beyond a little bodies movements. Having control over the body will help your child at any time to move, even it the task is far more difficult than a ballet movements. I suggest parents to give ballet more than just a try, but your child will need you to be there to get going. Children who have their parents escorting them to classes at a small age, will far better go on with the classes, than kids who only dropped off or even only brought there with their babysitter. Paying a class for your child, does not always mean you not needed. Parents can help their children to go on with it and enjoy it far longer if they can share the experience at a small age with their parents.

Time to escort your child to ballet.... Isn't it?

Ni Zain - Danced away....

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