Sports ballroom dancing for children: from what age and what are the benefits. Is it worth sending your child to sports ballroom dancing?

By influencing the body, we not only contribute to the healing of the body itself, but also psychological wellness person.

Wilhelm Reich (psychologist, creator of body-oriented therapy) came to the conclusion that muscle tension and psychological stress- It is the same.

The body records fears, pain, problems, uncertainty, doubts, suppressions, prohibitions, experiences, tensions, all the stress a person has experienced, psychological trauma, and emotional stress. All this prevents the body from being healthy, beautiful and strong, and psychologically has a depressing effect on a person.

V. Reich called this phenomenon “muscular armor” and described it as traumatic experiences of the past that remain in the human body in the form of muscle blocks.

In response to stressful situations, people develop protective behavior, which is expressed in chronic tension of individual muscle groups - “muscle clamps”. There is also a connection between the chronic tone of a particular muscle group and suppressed emotions.

“Muscle clamps” unite to form a “muscle shell”. In the physical sphere, this leads to limitations in mobility, posture disorders, poor circulation, and pain (all these are causes of osteochondrosis, arthrosis, many skin problems, and somatic diseases).
Kneading, elaborationmuscle tension provides powerful healing effect on soul and body. After all changes in the body also cause changes in consciousness.

And besides, in itself expression of emotions and feelings- This prevention of psychosomatic disorders, that is, bodily ailments caused by certain mental phenomena.

Dance helps safe for the body to unblock muscle tension recorded in the body, disturbances in the flow of energy, suppressed emotions, overcome stress.

have a beneficial effect on all body systems, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, digestive, respiratory, immune, nervous, endocrine and others.

Dancing makes us more flexible, strong And hardy.

Dancing improves blood circulation and protect the heart. Italian researchers have proven that people with heart failure who engage in dancing as a form of physical activity improve their health, their heart and improveyoursbreath. Their quality of life also improves significantly compared to those who exercise on exercise bikes or treadmills.

Dancing helps lose weight And give energy. A study published in The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition found that dancing weekly improves physical fitness and makes people more energetic.

Dancing makes us happier and relieve stress and depression, increase self-esteem, help to become more confidentin itself. Depression is becoming an increasingly common problem among adolescents and adults. A study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience proved that therapy that includes dance movements not only helps relieve depression, but also helps fight stress as it regulates serotonin and dopamine levels in the body. Given that dance is also a social activity, it helps relieve feelings of loneliness and provides many opportunities to meet other people. It has been proven that dance good and warm relationships can prevent mild depression and make a dancing person more self-confident.

Dance improves memory and makes us more smart. Scientists have discovered that dancing improve memory and help prevent shrinkage of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory. Thanks to scientists, the benefits of dance for the mind have been proven. The main quality of an intelligent person is decision making ability. The ideal way to develop this skill is to do something that requires you to constantly make decisions quickly (in seconds). In general, learning something new has a good effect on intelligence and intelligence; here we are talking about any new skill. And dancing stimulates your brain, forcing it to come up with new solutions. Difficult activities are best suited for this, as they make it necessary newneural connections.

Dance helps you free yourself from what is holding you back. improves health and figure, physical skills, reveals individual characteristics and talents, develops femininity and masculinity, helps to better understand oneself and others.

Communication and interaction skills improve. Dance is one of the ways to find language in relationships, not only in dance, but also in life.

During ballroom dancing classes for girls a sense of one's true nature develops femininity, sophistication, they learn to trust their partner and consciously follow the man.

Men reveal my charisma And masculinity, master the technique soft control, which is necessary not only in dance, but also in life.

A definite advantage for men who dance is success among women. Once men show the public at least part of their skills and dancing skills in a club or restaurant, it definitely makes an impression and all women are conquered. Even if the restaurants do not have the necessary music and large space, you will be able to adapt to any musical accompaniment and create any movements.

Man doing ballroom dancing develops harmoniously, How physically, so mentally, emotionally And socially.

Ballroom dancing is music, beauty and movement. These are masculinity and femininity, sensuality, passion and emotions. Dancing is pleasure and inspiration, creativity and joy.

This is dance improvisation as an interesting form of leisure and communication. It is the expression of individuality and feelings through music and dance.

BENEFITS OF DANCE FOR CHILDREN

The art of dance is magnificent a means of educating and developing a little person. It enriches the spiritual world and helps the child to reveal himself as a person.

Unfortunately, modern living conditions do not always help our children grow up healthy. Huge academic loads, poor nutrition, inability to plan study time, sometimes not very healthy influence of peers and society, lack of understanding of the vital need for healthy development are the causes of the occurrence and development of childhood diseases.

According to the world's leading pediatricians, the main component of this comprehensive approach should be regular sports activities child.

Many studies by psychologists have proven that children who dance achieve greater results. success learning than their peers, and also ahead of them V general development. The research of many famous pediatricians has already repeatedly noted the fact that dance classes can significantly speed up the development process child. People who danced as children are able to achieve great success in life than their non-dancing peers.

Thanks to dancing, a child develops not only physically, but also emotionally And intellectually.

Dancing is one of the best physical practices for a growing body, thanks to which the child opens up and begins to feel your body and applies its plasticity for the purpose expressions own emotions and feelings.

Dancing classes help your child relax and relieve the stress of study load, give good mood and a sense of self-confidence.

Knowing how to dance helps deal with stress. If we talk about brain activity, dance stimulates both hemispheres of the brain to work. The first, responsible for imaginative thinking, the second - for logic, create strict geometry and improvisation of dance. Dance also develops brain functions such as memory, coordination movements, logical and imaginative thinking, etc.

Dance helps to form the child’s initial mathematical and logical concepts, trains spatial orientation skills; develops speech. Dancing classes help develop qualities such as purposefulness, organization And hard work, improve moral and moral qualities.

Dance classes teach children look good, teach you to take care of yourself. Thanks to this, the child will be fit and neat throughout his life, and this is an important factor in communicating with people.

Through dance, a child begins to look at the world with different eyes and perceives any problems in his childhood world much more positively.

All children enjoy moving to music. Dancing childasserts itself. On the floor of a dance studio or at home, near the mirror, his inner “I” is updated. Babies remain at the bodily level of development until they are 3 years old. And the better we work on a child’s body, the more harmonious his psyche is! Also in adolescents and adults the body is the foundation of personality. Therefore, if you say to yourself “I have no ability to dance,” then maybe you didn’t get enough of something in childhood.

It happens that in life a baby experiences negative feelings, receives sharp shouts, and inattention. And at the moment of experiencing negative feelings, his body shrinks. Here it is dance that can best help in removing physical tensions and restoring emotional balance. And if a child dances regularly, he will be given many chances for “psychotherapy.”

Dancing classes will make your daughter feel like a real princess in beautiful ballroom dresses, and boys will turn into noble gentlemen during performances.

When young children dance, it is easier for them to find a common language; they are brought together by melodic music, the atmosphere of the dance class and communication with the teacher. Partner dance teach communication culture between girls and boys, between athletes of different ages. Help the guys improve their social and communication skills- they are studying work in a team, they will develop a sense of trust and cooperation.

Dancing for children is good for mental health children, as they increase self-esteem, develop a sense of confidence and ability express emotions. Children's dancing is liberating - if you have a modest and shy child, training will remove barriers and make him more courageous. Dancing is a kind of training that allows you to get rid of a lot of personal complexes, acquire emancipation, additional self confidence.

Dance classes develop in children aesthetic feelings, ear for music, the ability to perceive music, they learn to control their body, train motor skills and coordination movements. Ballroom dancing classes contribute to the development of a child’s physical strength, endurance, flexibility, strengthen muscles, improve performance respiratory And cardiovascular systems.

Dancing classes and participation in various competitions develop a child's stress resistance, skills adaptation to the rapid changes of modern life, form good habits and organize internally. By practicing ballroom dancing, children learn to achieve their goals, but not because “you have to,” but because “you will definitely succeed!”, and this is a big difference.

Ballroom dancing classes are an opportunity replenish your portfolio cultural and sporting achievements.

Dancing is also a great way improve your health.

Gradually dancing brings the body to physical and spiritual improvement, and this is the main benefit of dancing. Compared to other sports, ballroom dancing has an important advantage - it is less traumatic.

If the baby is poorly developed physically, dancing will not require a miracle from the first lesson, at first they will only adapt the body to minor loads, gradually accustom the muscles to regular work, accelerate metabolism, will help develop a breathing pattern.

No other sport corrects the back as well as promotes health and alignment. spine.

Dancing effectively strengthens nervous system, work gastrointestinal tract, improve metabolism and the functioning of the vestibular apparatus, correcting incorrect posture people, improve mood, help solve psychological problems.

Sports ballroom dancing is an incredibly beautiful art, which, in addition to physical and creative development, allows you to gain experience in interpersonal interaction between partners and other dancers, which has a positive effect at an older age. The experience of social interaction cannot be overestimated. Systematic ballroom dancing training teaches you to achieve your goals collectively. This helps a lot in life, in future work and in family life.

Ballroom dancing is an incredibly beautiful and very healthy hobby.

Dance classes:

Increases the child’s physical endurance;
Development of plasticity and coordination;
Ability to move and dance beautifully
Strengthens blood vessels and muscles;
Increase self-esteem;
Cheer up;
Improves posture and flexibility;

What is included in the ballroom dance program?

Before you start training, you should familiarize yourself with the training program. Sports ballroom dancing consists of two programs: European and Latin American.

The European dance program or Standard consists of five main dances:

Slow Waltz (Slow or English Waltz),
Viennese Waltz,
Tango,
Slow Foxtrot and
Quickstep or Quick Foxtrot (Quickstep)

The Latin American dance program or Latin consists of five main dances:

Samba
Cha-cha-cha (Cha-Cha-Cha)
Rumba,
Paso Doble and
Jive

At what age do you start dancing?

Children from 4 years old come to our club. Ballroom dancing for beginners involves warming up, stretching, and preparing basic movements. Is it worth sending your child to dance so early? Definitely yes, especially in the hands of professionals! The child begins to develop, he needs to realize his potential and splash out his energy. Masters the skills of being in a team where certain rules are present, the child learns to be attentive and collected. Develop and improve.

We believe that you can send your child to dance at any age, even start training when you are older (at 18 years old), but the age from 4 to 7 years is considered optimal. It is at this age that a child has more opportunities to achieve high results. At this age, children develop a sense of rhythm, they can easily stretch, correct posture and the ability to control their body are formed. In children at an early age, everything is laid out very quickly. Later, complexes and tightness appear, which we also successfully work with.

How to prepare a child for dancing?

Arousing interest in sports ballroom dancing is the foundation and key to success. It is not worth forcing and going against the will of a child and taking him to dance; it is much more important to awaken your own interest, to show the child the advantages and beauty of this activity. Watch the competition performances together, ask his opinion, offer to try. Let your child take a trial lesson and decide for himself. It happens that after 3-4 lessons there is no interest, in this case there is no need to insist.

How is the training going?

All dance training usually takes place in group classes. During training, children look at each other and learn much faster, in the process they interact with each other in dance, they develop a healthy spirit of competition and mutual assistance.

When dance couples have formed, it makes sense to think about organizing individual lessons with a coach for more detailed work and creating your own style and practicing every movement and technique. In such classes, dancers will learn to feel and understand each other.

Stay tuned:

And still dancing. I decided to write what I learned long and slowly myself - the basics of sports ballroom dancing. I am writing for parents like myself. For parents who cannot understand what is going on. For parents whose heads are spinning from the amount of information that needs to be absorbed.

Do I advise anyone to send their child to ballroom dancing? Of course no.
1. it's expensive
2. takes a lot of time
3. “takes off” a lot of weekends
4. these are waiting hours
5. have mercy on your nerves!

Let's say you enrolled your child in ballroom dancing.
At first, the child only has group classes twice a week. If the child is small, he is taught to dance:
5 years
children's polka, ducklings, disco
6 years
slow waltz, Berlin polka, disco
7 years and older
slow waltz, cha-cha-cha and polka

All clubs teach the same steps. These are the steps required for certification. For children, the tournament is equal to certification. But there are also certain programs, such as the Six Stages of Mastery (but more on that later).

When your child has learned the first steps, the coach says it’s time to participate in tournaments.

After your child’s performance, DO NOT FORGET to take a printed PAPER (looks like a ribbon) on which it is written how many points your child scored, who was the main judge, where the event took place, how many pairs there were, and your child’s number. Paste the piece of paper into the tournament book! If you don’t have the book yet, DO NOT throw away the paper, you’ll paste it in later!
Your child moves to the next level when the coach decides. Or when you score 100 points in tournaments.

DON'T FORGET TO BRING WATER! The kids want to drink! And a chocolate bar can be useful - it doesn’t overload the stomach before a performance and gives a small boost of energy :)
At tournaments, you should always have pins with you to pin your number on, as pins are not always sold.
At the beginning of the year, the coach usually collects money and makes an athlete's book. If the book is ready for the first tournament, then do not forget to take it with you. If the book is not ready yet, do not forget to take the child’s birth certificate or your passport where the child is registered.
Don't forget to find out the first and last name of the coach and the name of the club!

You arrive an hour before the start. You buy an entrance ticket for yourself, your child, and if you want, you can also buy a cup for one dance, but this is not necessary. For example, the Polka Cup.
After purchasing a ticket, you go and register your child, they give you a number. Changing your baby's clothes:
girl
nude tights, sandals, white swimsuit, black skirt or (if allowed, rating dress), bun on the head (hairspray must be without glitter, no makeup)
boy
white long sleeve shirt, black pants, black tie or bow tie, black socks and black dance shoes

and pin the number on the child’s back.
At tournaments, solos, couples and cups are usually danced. For kids the program is called:
Baby 1 and Baby 2

For children aged seven years and older
H3, H4... H6 - according to the number of dances performed.
After H6 come classes E, D, C, B, A. Class A is the highest. Behind him is the master of sports.

At tournaments, your child dances his own routine. The judges evaluate the child using a three-point system. The highest score for one dance is 3 points. The lowest is 1. Sometimes the judge may not give a score at all. The highest score in H3 is 9 points. That is, 3 dances with three points for each. Sometimes children who score 9 points dance again H3. And among them they choose the best - 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

If you bought a cup of one dance, then the child dances one dance with everyone. If you're lucky, your child will make it to the semi-finals and then to the finals. Usually there are 7 people left in the final. From 1st to 7th place.

First they dance program H3. These children arrive earlier. When they complete their program and receive prizes, then naturally they are going to go home. And at this time, registration of children who will dance H4 is already underway.
If your child dances two programs, then you first register for H3, and when registration for H4 begins, then for H4. Naturally, the child will have a different number. Don't forget that you need to buy another ticket.

There is also a certification program "Six Steps of Mastery"
This is a system for assessing the dance skills of children 1-3 years of study. The youngest dancers (5-6 years old, 1st year of training are groups of preschoolers) participate in the stages called baby-1 and baby-2. Older dancers (6 years and older) gradually pass from levels 1 to 6 of skill.

During certification, there are a number of rules and traditions that must be followed. Firstly, during certification a certain dress- for girls this is a white leotard, black skirt, nude tights or white socks and dance shoes (from the 4th level it is allowed to dance in a rating dress), for boys - a white long-sleeved shirt, black trousers, a black tie or bow tie, black socks and black dancing shoes. Girls' hairstyle- a bun (other options are not allowed if the girl has a short haircut, all hair must be removed as much as possible using bobby pins and styling products), all hair must be collected into a hairstyle using hairspray or other styling products (no shine) and bobby pin. Clothes and hairpins should be free of decorations and sparkles. It is better to do your hair in advance, at home, so that before the performance you only need to straighten it. Secondly, at certification there is a tradition - children give flowers to your trainer. This happens before the start of each stage after the parade of participants. Therefore, you need to have a flower with you - since the trainer is present at the certification from morning to evening, and there are usually many students, it is better to give one flower with a mild smell and such that it does not wither. It would be a good idea for those taking the baby-1 or baby-2 or 1st level to bring with them some kind of container for flowers so that they do not wither until the evening (for example, a cut-off 5-liter water bottle) - this will be a manifestation respect for the coach. Thirdly, you must have with you 4 safety pins- namely English ones, they are necessary for pinning the number; ordinary pins can injure a child. Fourthly, Participation in certification is paid(usually this is 250-300 rubles per viewer and per participant, and the participant pays this fee for each level). And lastly, the coach informs you in advance what time you need to arrive for registration. Attention! If you are late, you may not be registered and your child will not be able to participate in the assessment. Plan your time in advance so that you can arrive without delay.

Where is the certification carried out? Most often, certification takes place in the Nika dance hall (Kirovogradskaya str., 21a, nearest metro station "Prazhskaya"). You have arrived for certification, what should you do next? First of all, you need to pay the fee for participation in the certification. Then you need to register. Lists of participants are posted next to the registration (look carefully at what level the list is posted for, sometimes registration is delayed). You need to find your child's name and number on the list. You provide this number and the school number at registration. If you suddenly do not find your last name on the list, you need to go to registration and simply give the child’s last and first name, the team and the last name of the coach. The person registering you usually asks for the child’s last name, so be careful. As your child is registered, his first and last name will be written on the diploma. After this you will be given a number. It needs to be pinned on the child's back. In the hall, try to be close to the coach and other children and parents from your club so as not to miss the parade of participants and warm-up (children are given the opportunity to repeat the dances before the performance). All children are dressed the same and look the same from the back. Be careful not to lose your child in the crowd))). After finishing the performance, you need to quickly take off your number and give it to the coach.

What dances are performed at certification?

Program “Dance Planet of Childhood”:

Stage I (baby-1) - children's polka, ducklings, disco
II stage (baby-2) - slow waltz, Berlin polka, disco

According to the program of 6 levels of mastery, the following dances are performed:

Stage I - slow waltz, cha-cha-cha and polka.
Stage II - slow waltz, samba, cha-cha-cha, disco
Stage III - slow waltz, samba, cha-cha-cha, disco
IV stage - slow waltz, rhythmic foxtrot, samba, cha-cha-cha, jive
V step - slow waltz, quickstep, samba, cha-cha-cha, jive
VI stage - slow waltz, quickstep, samba, cha-cha-cha, jive

You can see which figures are performed at which levels

What is the grading system for certification?

At certification, marks are given by 5 judges. Participants in the competitive certification are assessed using a 5-point system.

Grade:
1 point- the participant does not dance the competition program
2 points- dances a competitive program, but not in accordance with the musical rhythm
3 points- dances a competitive program to the music, but does not maintain the lines of the body.
4 points- dances to the music, maintains the lines of the body, but technically does not perform the figures accurately.
5 points- dances to the music, maintains the lines of the body, performs the figures technically correctly.

Based on the assessment results, the participant is awarded: a certificate, diploma, diploma with honors. Based on the assessment results, the participant is awarded: a certificate, diploma, diploma with honors.

Number of dances	stage	Number of points	Result
3	baby-1, baby-2, 1st stage	67-75	Diploma with honors
		54-66	Diploma
		53 or less	Certificate
4	2 and 3 stages	89-100

Your child has an ear for music andgood sense of rhythm, he is mobile andartistic? It's time to think about enrolling him in a dance school for children.If you have chosen ballroom dancing, think carefully and weigh all the pros and cons of this sport.

If a child’s eyes sparkle, if everything works out in a new field for him, if he is cheerful and happy, then the right choice has been made.

Ballroom dancing is a combination of art and sport. Dancing classes develop children's aesthetic senses, the ability to perceive music, an ear for music, teach them to control their body, and train motor skills and coordination of movements. Ballroom dancing classes help develop the child’s physical strength, endurance, improve the functioning of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, improve posture, and strengthen muscles.
Compared to other sports, ballroom dancing has an important advantage - it is less traumatic. Pair dancing also teaches a culture of communication between girls and fingers, between athletes of different ages.
Children who attend dances are more active and collected in comparison with their peers who do not engage in choreography. In turn, physical development stimulates intellectual development.
By practicing ballroom dancing, children at an early age learn to achieve their goals, but not because “you have to,” but because “you don’t have to, but you will definitely succeed!”, and this is a big difference in the formulation of the question.
Dancing classes and participation in various competitions develop a child’s stress resistance, internal organization, and help solve many problems with complexes and self-esteem. And these problems, in turn, can cause delayed development and reluctance to study at school.

Cons of ballroom dancing

If you are raising a little dancer, be prepared for the fact that not everyone will be sympathetic to the fact that your wonderful boy is involved in dancing and not a “male” sport.
Ballroom dancing takes a lot of time, physical and mental strength from a child, that by loading him with anything other than school, you will simply ruin his childhood.
Ballroom dancing is an expensive sport. You will have to pay for group classes, individual lessons and participation in various competitions, buy or have custom-made costumes and shoes for dancing. It is worth assessing your financial capabilities well, so as not to cause stress in your child due to the fact that after several painstaking months of study you will no longer be able to understand the child’s hobby.
An important disadvantage of ballroom dancing: if one partner stops practicing, it is extremely difficult to replace him, and the couple may simply break up. In addition, there are always not enough boys as partners and it is possible that your daughter will have to dance alone for several years until a partner is found for her.

Who is ballroom dancing suitable for?

Ballroom dancing is ideal for dreamy girls; dance classes develop plasticity and teach you to hear and feel music. Charming music, beautiful children's clothes for dancing, swirling couples - in such an environment the girl will feel like a princess.

Boys are most often brought to ballroom dancing by mothers who want to raise a prince and a gentleman. Yes, perhaps ballroom dancing is not the most courageous sport, despite the fact that serious physical activity awaits the little dancer. However, dance practice will definitely help your boy in the future: when he begins to be interested in girls, it will be easier for him to find an approach to the fair half of humanity... After all, few women refuse an outstretched hand and the offer “let’s dance.”

Any decision of parents should be based on the desires and preferences of the baby - that’s when it will turn out to be correct. And don’t be afraid of difficulties - they always go hand in hand with success.

Prepared by Maryana Chornovil