Ballerina Blues

Your child has enjoyed dance lessons all year, and all of a sudden they announce they want to quit! The excitement of Nutcracker lingered through part of January, but fizzled in February.  Dances have been set for the spring recital, but it feels so far away that dancers start to lose motivation.  First semester had a bit of review, but second semester feels like hard work as instructors teach new steps and challenge students.  Spring has arrived, and dancers are distracted.  They want to play outside with their friends, forgetting about their classmates at dance and the rapidly approaching recital.  Spring break has arrived. Just the break your dancer needs to refresh and get back on track.  Just a few more weeks to go. Performance day has arrived.  You congratulate your jubilant performer after the recital. Then your dancer shares her thoughts out loud, " I wonder what part I'll dance next year?"

While many dancers enjoy dancing all year, it is common for children between 6-12yrs to express a desire to quit their dance lessons between mid March and the start of April.  Young dancers are often enthralled with performing on stage, and easily forget that to perform well they need to practice.  To adults time flies by, but to a child a May recital seems an eternity.  As adults we can help young dancers learn small yet important life lessons.  Learning the importance of commitment and following through will produce many benefits throughout their lives.  For a dancer, the performance is often an amazing reward for their hard work during their weekly lessons.

Have you ever wondered why your dancers are so smart?

Many dance students are successful in school.  Here at Conservatory we have had two dancers graduate from their high schools as valedictorians.  A few of our dancers have also received substantial academic scholarships to Notre Dame, Purdue, and IU.  In addition, most of our dancers in middle school and high school are part of National Honor Society.  Many of us know of the the physical benefits of dance such as strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular; however, fewer of us realize that dance is also a work out for the brain.  With awareness of their bodies from the tips of their eyelashes to the tips of their toes, dancers use the "left brain" to understand how to move correctly.  Using expressive movement to  share musical and artistic inspiration targets the "right brain". During class and on stage dancers use the upper rear portion of the brain for spatial awareness.  The lower part of the brain is used to memorize class combinations and choreography for performances.  If your child studies dance, it should not surprise you that they are brilliant and excel at school.

Miss Lydia