“I once had a student who was a young, fresh-out-of-the-box, teenager. He came with all the normal teenage accessories: A chip on his shoulder, a rebellious attitude, and little regard for life beyond his gaming device.
He took dance lessons with his mother as a form of punishment for bad grades.
Three years, two pairs of dance shoes, and one growth spurt later… his dance lessons were no longer a punishment. They were his reward for finished homework assignments, good test scores, and completed chores around the house.”
We. Love. This. Story.
If you have a teenager at home, you know how fragile every moment is. You become confident the phrase, “handling with kid gloves” is a misnomer that would be better served with a specific reference to 13- to 18-year-olds. When it comes to selling the idea of dance lessons to a teenager, it may be met with some opposition in the form of eye rolls and exasperated sighs (Will 20 of their closest friends be there? No? The horror!). But if you can get them to the studio, we promise the benefits they’ll experience will quickly convince both you and your teen that you’ve come to the right place at the perfect time. Here’s why:
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Score Some Social Skills
Aside from their grades and their ACT score, there is nothing more important to teenage life than social skills. Knowing how to dance for school dances, asking/accepting, and socializing while moving is like giving your child grad-school level social skills for high school.
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Create an Entry Point
Extracurricular activities in high school can influence the groups that kids socialize within. Each group forms a type of barrier that’s tough to break into, but learning to dance can change that.
- Dance develops confidence, body movements, flexibility, fitness and footwork that can be beneficial to kids pursuing sports
- Dance develops confidence, rhythm and flexibility to pursue cheerleading, the dance team or the pom squad
- Dance develops confidence, showmanship and performance abilities that translate to both musical and traditional theater
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Ballroom Dancing Got Cool
It’s not what we used to think. Shows like Dancing With the Stars and SYTYCD have proved that ballroom dancing can be really cool and really diverse to fit the kind of dancing they want to do.
- Waltz – The Classic. Naturally Improves posture
- Tango – Super cool. Adds drama! Not that practical, but neither is tap dancing.
- Swing – Dance to popular music from every era since the 1920’s. Your kids + your parents = Awesome
- Cha-Cha – A fast, exciting Latin dance. A big hit on the dance TV shows.
- Rumba – Where everyone levels up their Latin styling
- Foxtrot – Whether you are getting ready for a wedding reception, or if you just love the music of PostModern Jukebox – Foxtrot is the dance that fits like a, very dapper, glove.
- Salsa – The most popular partner dance over the last few years.
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Improved Memory
This isn’t complicated; it’s just a fact. Combine things like:
- Physical activity
- Hearing / Response
- Strategic planning
- Emotional expression
- Creativity
And you’ll develop a better memory to apply to life in general. Compare that to mindless TV, video games or perusing your phone, and this provides a more measurable and useful outcome.
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Uniqueness is Always Welcome On Our Floor
Some teenagers don’t want to blend in; they don’t want to follow the same path as the mainstream groups. Learning to dance can be the niche that helps them connect to a community of their own, allows them to have fun, and grow and develop their confidence at their own pace.
One thing’s for sure: No one ever says, “I’m glad I waited so long to get started.” For younger teens, contact our dance studio to ask about our 4-Day Dance Camp. Or call us today and we’ll be ready for you and your teenager to start reaping the rewards.