We recently overheard two Mums chatting about the School Summer Holidays, and the chat was so on topic for us, we just couldn’t help but write this piece…
The conversation went a bit like this…“What are you doing with your two over the summer? Six weeks is such a stretch, we’re having to use Summer Camps!”
“Yes tell me about it! Us too. My daughter’s going to Drama Classes and my son’s going to Sports Camps.”
“Ah fab, my son and daughter are both going to a Dance Camp.”
“What…? Both of them?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, is the Camp going to be fun for Danny? I bet Isla will love it, but is Dance Camp the best place for a six year old boy?”
“It looks amazing! It covers ballet, tap, jazz and all sorts of crafts and activities too, such as teamwork, games, activities to help build social skills and a bit of cooking stuff too. I’m hoping it will be good for expelling some energy and building his confidence in new groups, but yes I think he’ll love it.”
“Oh right…”
“Oh right….” Sounds to us like one of the Mums in question here is not fully clued up about the benefits of dance for both genders! We have many young boys take part in our children’s dance classes and they are often the most animated. They love jumping around and dancing is a highly physical activity – it can also help overall body strength and flexibility – great if they also play other sports.
The stereotypical idea/s of boys not being able to dance largely comes from adults, as often men are not keen dancers, so it’s gender stereotyped as an activity.
However, the issue more often than not here is confidence and fear of looking ‘daft’, as most men have not been taught how to dance, therefore they feel awkward and embarrassed rather than relaxed and able to have fun. Kids, on the other hand, are born to have fun and to let loose, so the earlier they embrace dance the better.
Kids love music and are normally found dancing about whenever they hear it playing, and if you watch them you’ll see that they do adapt their moves to the beat and rhythm of the tune. This is an inbuilt skill and they do it subconsciously. The same is said for both boys and girls, no difference, especially whilst still young.
Physical benefits include:-
Improving a child’s flexibility;
Developing muscle tone;
Improving posture;
Increasing balance and co-ordination.
…but the benefits of dance don’t stop there. “FamilyTalk Magazine” estimates that students who have a background in dance tend to achieve significantly higher SAT marks and do better in Math and Science competitions. The Magazine also relates dance to improving the confidence in anxious children, as they work through apprehensions about performing in front of others and working as part of a team.
Carnaby School of Dance’s structured dance classes following world-renowned dance syllabi, teach a wide range of dance styles, promoting important life skills that are necessary for a child’s development.
These include building confidence, raising awareness of health and fitness, instilling good manners and developing communication skills. Naturally, there are numerous positive benefits for children who join our Dance School, but more importantly, it is also really good fun!
So for all those doubters out there, dance has lots to offer – both sexes! Let’s stop ruling our boys out of the fun, and get them dancing from an early age – this way embarrassing dad dancing can be erased as the men of the future will be ready to take on the dance floor in style!
For more information visit www.carnabyschoolofdance.co.uk or check out the Royal Academy of Dance’s #ProjectB – an initiative aiming to widen access to dance for boys and to encourage them to take up ballet:
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