Many parents who sign their child up for dance have one image in mind: their smiling dancer wearing an adorable costume onstage! Seeing your child light up the stage and have fun while doing it is definitely one of the benefits of preschool dance classes, but there are so many more!
Many dance parents are surprised to discover that dance classes for preschoolers create a strong foundation for the rest of their child’s lives! Here are seven remarkable benefits to signing your child up for dance lessons with Studio Dansu:
1. Improved Vocabulary
Our dance classes introduce your child to a world of new words! Take anatomy for instance. While you probably won’t see classically trained dancers on stage dancing to “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," dance class is one of the best places for kids to learn words for the human body.
As your young dancer learns the names of body parts, they will begin to incorporate them in isolation exercises where they just move one thing at a time. They will quickly discover verbs for dance movements, such as:
stretch
bend
wiggle
scoop
twist
Our experienced dance teachers will turn the studio into a classroom, introducing your dancer to new words while also helping them develop important physical skills like flexibility.
2. Increased Flexibility
You probably aren’t surprised that preschool dance classes focus on flexibility. How else would your child learn to do a flawless arabesque when they are older? What you may not know, however, is that your little dancer will be learning how to become flexible safely.
Our dance teachers will show your child the best posture for stretching, using these weekly exercises that promote healthy flexibility:
Butterfly stretches increase hip and inner-thigh flexibility. Dancers will sit on the floor, bending their knees slightly and holding the soles of the feet together.
Pike stretches ensure that your dancer has flexible hamstrings. Dancers will sit on the floor with their legs straight in front of them. With their knees straight, your dancer can reach to touch their toes.
Straddle stretches will help your dancer work toward being able to do the splits. Sitting on the floor, they form a straddle shape, with pointed feet and straight knees. With their arms extended, they can then rotate back and forth from right to left.
3. Building Strength
Strength is essential for being able to hold elegant dance poses and perform routines. Unfortunately, strength can sometimes be overlooked by some dance programs that place an unhealthy amount of focus on flexibility. Flexibility must be paired with strength for the safety of your dancer.
The best strength-building exercises for young students in dance class combine playful imagination with tried-and-true fitness activities:
Rope Climbing is essentially a reverse sit-up with an added element of adventure. Your dancer will build a strong core by moving their arms to mimic climbing up and down a rope while engaging their abs in the process.
Turtle Push-Ups are the cutest way for budding dancers to build arm strength. Dancers hold themselves off the floor in a cobra position, to “come out of their turtle shell” and slowly lower themselves down to sneak back inside their home.
Dinner Tables offer limb-strengthening benefits that develop strength and balance. Your dancer will form a tabletop position. Their instructor will then use imagination to have the students “take a bite of food from the plate on their tummy."
The strength and flexibility offered through our dance classes will help your child stay healthy and build the foundation of a physically active lifestyle. These benefits are invaluable, whether your child plans to take dance classes for many years or play sports or other athletic activities. There are, however, additional benefits of our preschool dance classes that aren’t visible - ones that build inner strength.
4. Discipline
It is likely that dance class will be the first time your child is introduced to another adult figure who isn’t their parent. A dance instructor is a great ally to have on your team while teaching your dancer lessons about discipline and self-control. For example, your child will learn how to share space with other students and wait their turn in line. Obviously, everyone can’t be in the spotlight all the time in class or even during a performance. Children begin learning the attitude of sharing by taking turns and letting each dancer have their moment to be first in line, to be the leader, etc.
If a child chooses not to listen to their dance instructor, it can be used as a learning experience. Many movies and television shows depict dance teachers as mean tyrants who dole out harsh punishments. While these teachers may exist at other studios, the instructors at Studio Dansu calmly explain to the dancer that they need to make a better choice, and they help them by giving the student the option to follow along with the class or take a break until they are ready. These options exist so that young dancers can grow into strong performers who respect both adults and their peers.
5. Self-Confidence
Discipline teaches young dancers to stop any bad habits, and at the very same time build up confidence through positive reinforcement. Our experienced dance instructors create many opportunities to increase your dancer’s self-confidence while learning in the classroom.
There are many children who can’t make eye contact when they start taking classes, or tell their name to the teacher. In just a few months, they can come out of their shells and build strong relationships that can only form with a healthy dose of self-confidence.
Our studio is a safe space for children to be themselves and be praised for their accomplishments. Our instructors save time at the end of classes for “goodbye dances,” in which dancers perform one at a time. At the end of each performance, the instructor and other students will applaud and offer much-deserved praise. These moments can leave a lasting positive impression on your child.
6. Creativity
Dance is often considered to be art for athletes. Your child will grow stronger and more flexible through our preschool dance classes, but they will also grow to be more creative. Dance creates a unique outlet for your child to translate their emotions, thoughts, and ideas into powerful movements.
Take our “dance of emotions,” for example. Your child's instructor will turn on music and then announce a certain emotion, such as sad or happy. The class will then translate the emotion into dance: slow, mopey strides for sadness or springy, explosive leaps for happiness.
Students who may not be patient enough to sit at a table to paint or draw can discover their creativity on the floor of a dance studio. Bubbly energy is encouraged in this kind of art!
7. Friendship
The relationships that come out of our preschool dance classes can last a lifetime. The friendships that dancers make in class are strong because they are formed through teamwork and a love of dance. Dance class is one of the first times your child will meet other children based on a shared interest. As they learn new skills, classmates will rely on one another and literally support their friends. Together, your child and their fellow dancers will enjoy all the benefits of preschool dance class as mentioned above - and they will simply think they’re just having fun!
If you are interested in a preschool dance class in Madison, WI, contact Studio Dansu at studiodansu@gmail.com for a free trial class.