What’s the best age to start learning ballroom dancing?
Well, it depends on your interest in the activity and the opportunities you’ve had in life.
If you weren’t interested or able to learn ballroom dancing as a child, or if your child is in that situation, obviously childhood ballroom dancing is out of the picture. And that’s okay! Not every hobby and skill needs to be explored in childhood for you to enjoy it later in life!
If your child has an interest in the activity, it can be a wonderful thing to get them some lessons to see if it’s something they’d like to be seriously involved in. After all, there are benefits to learning highly specialized activities like dance at a young age.
No matter your or your child’s age, it’s never too early or late to dabble in ballroom dance. Who knows, maybe you’ll find you have an amazing passion for the art of dance!
How to Learn Ballroom Dancing Online
Believe it or not, you are perfectly able to learn ballroom dancing online in this day and age.
Typically, you would learn exclusively in a dance studio with an instructor and other dancers. While this is still a great way to learn and many people prefer this method, you are not stuck to learning only this way.
Online Videos
With help from good old YouTube, you can learn an extensive amount about ballroom dance!
By watching dance videos, including tutorials, dance competitions, or just people having fun, you can get a great feel for how dances are done.
Many YouTube channels for teaching step-by-step, dance drills, and warm-up/cool-down exercises for dancers are available at your fingertips.
Virtual Instruction
Another great option is to find a dance teacher who can teach virtually!
This way, your budget and schedule can be met more easily than finding an in-person course.
With a service like Superprof, you can search for teachers and instructors based on their expertise, availability, and ratings to find the perfect dance tutor for you or your child.
Your Home Studio
In order to have the space to learn ballroom dancing at home, you simply need to ensure that you have a large enough, clear space to practice.
Before you begin a lesson, ensure that you have a flat surface with adequate space to shimmy and twirl without tripping over anything.
If you have young children or pets, investing in a gate to block off the practice area during dance class can be wise.
If your child is the one learning, make sure you supervise and ensure they are safe and able to ask for help when they need it.
Online Ballroom Dance Classes for Kids
Within the age groups of 4 to 18, there are several levels of distinction.
According to USADance.org, the age groups are divided as follows. Each age division is made with the consideration that the participant will reach the age within the calendar year. For example, a 9-year-old could join the Pre-Teen II division if they were going to be turning 10 within the calendar year.
- Pre-Teen I: 9 years old or younger
- Pre-Teen II: 10 to 11 years old
- Junior I: 12 to 13 years old
- Junior II: 14 to 15 years old
- Youth: 16 to 18 years old
Whether your child is interested in competing or not, it’s handy to know which category they fall into.
Obviously, depending on a child’s age, there are specific teaching methods and types of dance that will suit them best.
Enrol for dance classes near me via Superprof.
What’s The Best Style of Dance for Kids to Learn?
There are several different types of ballroom dance, and in the non-competitive world, the definition of what constitutes a ballroom dance is rather fluid and always changing.
But, in the competitive world of dancesport, there are distinct categories of dance:
Standard/Smooth Style
- Waltz
- Viennese Waltz
- Tango
- Foxtrot
- Quickstep
Latin/Rhythm Style
- Pasodoble
- Spanish bolero
- Cuban bolero
- Samba
- Rumba
- Mambo
- Cha Cha (Cha-Cha-Cha)
- East Coast Swing
- Jive
The answer to the question is: whichever style your child is most interested in!
Try showing them videos of different styles of dance and see which one(s) they find to be the most interesting or exciting. Let them try out a class or two in their favorite style and see what they think!
Dancing is not an easy activity if you do not find it to be enjoyable. By nature, it requires the dancer to be fully invested in the activity to be worthwhile, so if you try to convince your child into a style they just don’t like, their performance won’t be very good and they likely won’t have very much fun.
You’re more likely to find classes with these competitive styles of dance, but it’s not impossible to find classes with other styles as well!
And with online classes, you have a much wider variety of teachers and videos available for your child to learn exactly what they’re interested in.
Where to Find Online Dance Classes for Children
You can find a suitable ballroom dance teacher for your child through a studio or service like Superprof. This is the best option for virtual dance classes since having personalized instruction and engagement from the teacher is vital for keeping kids interested and engaged with the class.
Why Should Kids Learn Ballroom Dancing?
Ballroom dancing can be considered a slightly unusual activity for kids to participate in, but there are hundreds of thousands of children between ages of 4 and 18 who enjoy learning to dance in the United States.
Like any other childhood activity, ballroom dance has great potential to make a lasting, meaningful, positive impact on the kids who get to participate.
Fun and Healthy
What could be better than having an interesting activity that is both lots of fun and keeps you healthy?
Dancing is great physical and mental exercise for kids. It’s a structured way to move the body around and get out excess energy, which leads to de-stressing and body conditioning.
While weight loss and physique shouldn’t be a concern for young children encouraging healthy habits and setting them up for a lifetime of good health is valuable!
Build Body Awareness
When they get to spin around and step and move across the floor, kids learn a lot about coordination and motor skills. This helps them be more careful when interacting in the world, like not bumping into things and having awareness of their relationship in space to other people.
Appreciation for Arts
Dance is a sport, an exercise, a science, and an art. It goes without saying that the ability to appreciate art can lead to a richer and more well-rounded life, so exposure to different art forms is always beneficial for children!
"We dance for laughter, and we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams." – Albert Einstein
Improved Social Skills
Even in solo classes, children who learn about dance gain some wisdom and knowledge that they can use to interact well with people. This relates to customs and manners, art appreciation, body awareness, and mental health: all the skills that dance can impart to a child who practices!
Competition
While being competitive isn’t for everyone, and it certainly shouldn’t be required for kids who just want to have fun, participation in competitions can be really beneficial life lessons for some kids.
Preparing for a competition gives the dancer an objective: become an expert at the routine. They can clearly see and feel their progress over time as they compare their first lessons with their rehearsal performances.
What a great way to prove that practice makes improvement!
Scholarships
When it comes to college, having any special skill gives students an edge.
For kids who have been practicing dance for years and have a competitive distinction or simply lots of experience, there are many grants and scholarships to apply for.
Even if your child is not pursuing a dance program, there are many scholarships that are either directly related to dance or where their experience as a dancer can be used as the essay material for the application.
Don't wait any longer, find dance classes near me right now!
Online Ballroom Dance Classes for Adults
For people who either weren’t interested in dance as children or didn’t have the opportunity to participate, the good news is that there is never a wrong age to begin learning how to dance!
You can find groups and classes for ballroom dancing online that cater specifically to adult learners.
These classes may or may not have a competitive element to them, so make sure you know beforehand what the intentions of the class are. Remember you can always learn in a non-competitive class and enroll yourself in competitions on your own, too!
Search for adult ballroom dancing classes online with Superprof, where you can find an instructor who can teach you directly.
Start practicing a new, exciting activity today!
Benefits of Ballroom Dancing for Adults
Dancing is a fantastic activity to take up for many reasons! It’s one of the most popular forms of physical activity for adults and older adults to stay happy and healthy.
Low-Impact Fitness
Of course, the most outwardly obvious benefit of dance is physical. Any type of physical activity is perfect for keeping the body conditioned and functioning well. Movement helps reduce physical pain, keeping you limber and strong.
The cardio aspect of dancing helps keep your circulatory and respiratory systems working well. Overall, physical movement is key to longevity and physical comfort.
Community
It can be difficult to find new connections and make new friends as an adult. When you join a new class, you have the chance to meet new people who you can connect with!
Mentally Stimulating
Learning dance moves and honing your brain-body connection to execute the moves keep the mind sharp. Engaging the creative and cognitive side of the brain once in a while can really help you feel more connected to the world around you, even outside of dance class.
Sometimes in the sult world, we slip into a monotonous routine that doesn’t provide a whole lot of mental stimulation, which can lead to feelings of boredom and depression. Adding a fun, new hobby is the perfect way to combat this problem!
Stress Reducing & Mood Boosting
Physically and mentally stimulating activities like dance are perfect for boosting the feel-good hormones in the brain while allowing you to physically shake off stress. Moving feels good!
No matter your age, from 4 to 100, there is a type of ballroom dance out there that can suit your interests. Try this fun activity and see how much it can improve your life!
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