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It helps in agility. Which most adults can gain from such training.
From this..most can expand that skill .. (incorporate). Gymnastics...ice skating, skiing,football.
Even martial arts requires some of the discipline seen from ballet. Form and function.
A male Co worker met his now wife from attending classic dance. He shines like Fred Astaire on the dance floor. He is a man's man in every way. So it shows that such confidence is in being comfortable with stepping out and owning the floor.
A friend's grandson got so good in his dance class that he was accepted to the summer program in NYC and in Miami. He choose Miami and gets 6 weeks of dance immersion.
Knowing how to dance would be a great thing for every boy AND girl to learn, but everyone isn't cut out for it. If you have no rhythm or interest for that matter, then no lessons will teach you either IMO.
To force ANYONE, (especially a child who might not have a say in the matter) to take any kind of lessons, be it dance, tennis, golf, etc won't work. If you don't have the interest, it "ain't" going to work.
When my sons were in softball as kids, there was a young girl there who had no interest or ability. Her parents wanted her to try this and kept bringing her week after week. You could tell she wasn't happy, and neither were her team-mates because I swear she hit the ball once that summer (it went about 10 feet) and didn't catch ONE ball.
I enrolled my oldest son into taking horseback riding lessons because we owned a horse and he showed a mild interest in it. About 6 lessons later, he decided that it wasn't "his cup of tea" and I was fine with him quitting. Why force a child? Makes no sense to me.
To force ANYONE, (especially a child who might not have a say in the matter) to take any kind of lessons, be it dance, tennis, golf, etc won't work. If you don't have the interest, it "ain't" going to work. .
I would not force someone.
If my child didn't want to, I wouldn't waste money on it.
However, if he was interested, even if he had little or no talent, I'd pay for it; if he had no talent but thought dance class was fun, then why not. Most kids in dance class will never become professional anyway.
I offered it to my oldest boy - ballet - but it never happened. He did gymnastics (was very strong and light, an absolute monkey), figure skating (got very good at it), musical theater (starring child role in community theater), and classical and jazz musical instrument. He also played every sport the town offered.
When he was grown up, and heterosexual, he joked often about how I did everything possible to make him gay, by turning him on to figure skating, musical theater, classical music. The punch line was, "You even tried to put me into ballet!"
I never thought of it as trying to make him effeminate. He was of very very light build, would have gotten killed in tackle football. I just put him in everything he was good at, and he enjoyed it all. If he'd had the chance at ballet, he might have been amazing at it, with his very light, strong body, and it's not all that competitive for boys.
I offered it to my oldest boy - ballet - but it never happened. He did gymnastics (was very strong and light, an absolute monkey), figure skating (got very good at it), musical theater (starring child role in community theater), and classical and jazz musical instrument. He also played every sport the town offered.
When he was grown up, and heterosexual, he joked often about how I did everything possible to make him gay, by turning him on to figure skating, musical theater, classical music. The punch line was, "You even tried to put me into ballet!"
I never thought of it as trying to make him effeminate. He was of very very light build, would have gotten killed in tackle football. I just put him in everything he was good at, and he enjoyed it all. If he'd had the chance at ballet, he might have been amazing at it, with his very light, strong body, and it's not all that competitive for boys.
Finally someone implied the obvious element that has been lurking in the wings. Gayness.
Rest assured, your kid is 'set', so to speak, by now.
If you are afraid it will hasten his progression, it won't, because that's a crapshoot.
The larger challenge is if he is NOT gay and you or he fears it will label him un-necessarily, because most male ballet dancers are NOT straight.
One of my friends in grad school took Irish step dance throughout his childhood years and was quite competitive in high school, competing at the national level. I believe he also did ballroom competitions in college. Although he seemed to be a nerdy type, he told me he was class president, prom king, in band, and captain of two sports teams in high school, so I didn’t get the impression that he had many problems with bullying.
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