Hi guys, it's Erica! Welcome back to The Ballet World. Today I am going
to talk about the topic of what age is the right age to begin ballet. I started
ballet at the age of two and a half. The majority of professional ballerinas
begin ballet when they are three or four. Is this actually the right time to
start ballet though? I know this question is probably too late for most of my
readers, but it will be useful to be informed for when we have children and
want to put them into ballet lessons.
Doctors recommend that formal ballet training should not be introduced until age eight. Any ballet teacher would say that waiting this long to begin would put you behind. Before a child is eight, his or her bones are too soft for the physical demands and exercises of ballet. Some doctors even recommend that children should not start ballet until age ten or twelve. This really seems to late to start ballet in today’s society.
In order to alleviate parents’ stress that their child will be behind in ballet, some ballet schools have began to offer pre-ballet classes. These classes are more simple and geared to children age four to eight. Many dance schools also offer creative movement classes for very young children. These classes provide a way for children to explore movement through the use of music. Creative movement involves the use of body actions to communicate certain actions, emotions, or feelings.
Ballet is extremely competitive today. Therefore, I can understand why parents choose to enroll their children in classes so early. If I would have begun ballet five years later, I might have been at a disadvantage. The doctors’ opinions are definitely correct though. A number of peers have already had hip surgeries and major injuries. They began training intensely at very young ages. By the time they were around seventeen, there bodies were already worn out. Therefore, I would definitely consider the advice from doctors before signing up a child for ballet. Pre-ballet classes and creative movement classes seem like a good compromise for parents that want their children to start dance early. Hopefully this post will help you if you have to make this choice as a parent in the future. Don’t forget to check back in a few days to see what’s happening in the ballet world!
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