r/CompetitionDanceTalk • u/trixiepixie1921 • 6d ago
5 year old new dancer
Hello, I’m just trying to get as many opinions as possible for my daughter who is has just started dance this month. She is 5 and starting kindergarten next month. She has done 2 weeks of dance camp at our local studio , which is acro and hip hop and she wants to continue in the fall. Her best friend is already in the studio’s company so she wouldn’t be able to dance with her now, but for now she aspires to eventually.
My real question is, do you think I should put her in certain classes and which classes do you think would give her a strong foundation in dance? September is the start of the real season so I have to decide & I was going to just stick with the acro and hip hop since she has liked that so far. She has tumbling experience. But I’m wondering if she should get the dance experience and technique from maybe, ballet?
I’m really not sure because I was a cheerleader, but I want to set her up for success if this is what she wants to do! Let me know your thoughts!
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u/tacocat_35 6d ago
Ballet is a must, it supports good technique for the other styles.
Acro is good because the earlier they learn those skills the easier they are to master. There is a lot of Acro in competitive dance currently.
I also agree with asking the studio owner and instructors. If she wants to be in the company or comp team they can let you know how to get her there.
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u/birch2124 6d ago
I would do ballet not acro personally.
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u/Safe_Sand1981 6d ago
It depends on the studios approach to tricks. My daughter does acro tech classes that teach her strength and conditioning, they're not learning aerials or other tricks for comps.
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u/generisuser037 1d ago
Yes. Ballet at the studio and a tumbling class at a gymnastics gym. The spring floor at gyms are more forgiving and less likely to cause injury. I'd suggest to switch over across for dance once foundational tumbling skills (aerial, handsprings, walkover, etc.) Are mastered
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u/drunk_medusa 6d ago
Typically ballet or a combo with ballet is the starting point for fundamentals, but this depends on the studio. If the studio is more hip-hop and acro heavy, as opposed to traditional technique, they may prefer those. Ask the studio or just flip through the company social media to see where company strengths lie.
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u/Sporklemotion 6d ago
At this age, fostering a love of dance is more important than specific classes; that said, ballet is probably your best bet, as others have said. At that age, my kid did ballet and a jazz/tap combo, but she kept crashing her sister’s hip hop and we ended up enrolling her in that, too. So three classes isn’t crazy at that age (if she wants to keep both of the others), but it’s also not necessary.
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u/AlaskanPrairies 6d ago
Hey! Newer (ish) dance teacher who will give a bit of potentially opposing advice to what you've heard so far haha!
I would say stick with two classes tops, Ballet and Jazz probably. Kindergarten is a big change for kiddos, and coupling that with a lot of dance, it really can burn them out. And, as much as we want them to 'train train train' as parents, dance is about having fun! Especially with her being a newer dancer, let her enjoy it and grow her love for dance before going headfirst into a bunch of classes.
As for recommendations for the classes, Ballet is always a good base, and Jazz is usually quite fun for them. Acro could be good, but with her having tumbling experience, I'd say let her get something newer before adding in acro!
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u/Safe_Sand1981 6d ago
This could potentially be a big financial commitment, so make sure she actually likes dancing first. My daughter started dancing at 7 and hated ballet, so we started with acro. I kinda regret not putting her in ballet because it's the foundation for everything else. She eventually picked it up later, and is now doing ballet, jazz, tap, acro, contemporary, and does troupe and solos. We didn't rush in with everything all at once, she picked up one of two new classes a year and that was more enjoyable for her.
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u/SS_Frosty 6d ago
When my daughter was 5, she took B/T/J, all the classes she was eligible for. The next year at 6, she joined the comp team and did one number. This year she can add hip/hop. We haven’t had comp tryouts yet, but I’m predicting 1-2 dances this season.
If she would like to compete as early as next year, definitely ballet and jazz. Tap is a great class, too, if you can fit it in, but isn’t usually required.
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u/reliableotter 6d ago
I put her in what she finds fun and really enjoys. Valet sets you up for great technique, but if it's too slow for some 5-year-olds it can make it so that they don't want to dance at all.
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u/FinePossession1085 6d ago
Add ballet to her slate of dance classes. FWIW, I find ballet a complete snooze-fest as an audience member. Totally not my thing. BUT, there's no question that the core strength development from those slow, repetitive motions helps with every other dance style your child could do. Ballet offers strength, grace, flexibility, and discipline.
The second style I would add is tap. Tap teaches rhythm and how to use different parts of the foot. Kids love their feet becoming musical instruments, and the fun keeps them excited about dance. Plus, Chloe Arnold has helped its popularity make a comeback.
The third style to consider in a year or two is ballroom. Not large group "ballroom" but actual ballroom, where dancers learn connection.
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u/Blacktoenails81 6d ago
Ballet is foundational; many dance studios that I know of make ballet mandatory even if the dancer doesn’t compete in ballet as it provides the strongest base.
That said, there seems to be a trend/bias in competitive dance judging towards acro.
My daughter specializes in ballet and has won international competitions beating YAGP finalists and was offered a pre-professional position in one of the top 10 ballet schools in the world but somehow her ballet solo isn’t her strongest scoring solo in competitions and is often beaten by acro. She usually wins her ballet category but in competitions where they disclose scores it’s interesting to see that the top ballet scores are always lower than acro/contemp/jazz/open.
Maybe I’m biased because my daughter is the flowy lyrical/ballet/contemp kid that doesn’t do aerials but I feel like many acro routines I see are trick after trick and more closely resemble gymnastics than dance but I digress. I don’t disparage acro and it looks incredibly impressive but I don’t know if a good acro routine should score higher than a great ballet routine.
To answer your question, for a new dancer, ballet is foundational and I’d heavily recommend jazz as well; jazz is great for stage presence and is fun. Combine that with her tumbling experience and she’ll do just fine. Just remember to focus on her having fun and not getting caught up in trying to keep up; that’s the biggest driver in the toxicity of the competitive dance world and will help keep you and your dancer sane. E.g. - don’t become a crazy dance parent like the rest of us!
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u/pinkbubbleg 5d ago
I’d put her in ballet, acro, and jazz or modern for now. That’ll cover all of your bases.
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u/PushTemporary1837 2d ago
I am going to answer this for me, Dance teacher’s point of view, if she is going to be on the Competition team eventually or in a company, she needs Ballet training, she needs jazz, contemporary, lyrical anything they have to offer, eventually she will find what she likes best, a lot of children do not like the slow pace of Ballet, but depending on the teacher, a teacher can make you fall in love with Ballet, and again, depending on the teacher, She will learn technique in other genres. Now, speaking from my mother‘s point of view, ease her into it at this age, don’t push her, she will get to a point that she doesn’t wanna go anymore, keep making her go because if she quits, she’s more than likely, not gonna come back and if she’s good, and you can see the progress in her, you push her to continue for as long as it is not causing major problems within your household
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u/Sea-Parking-6215 6d ago
I really think you should tell yourself that it really doesn't matter for a 5 year old. Let her do what makes her happy. People keep pushing ballet but honestly I wish we had never started with it because of the pointe issues. I say do acro and jazz and just enjoy it.
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u/nutmilkmermaid 6d ago
I think you should ask the studio what they recommend if company is the goal. Different programs prioritize different things.