Monday, May 25, 2015

Why Young Boys Should Dance






As a mother of a nine year old son and a former Ballet dance student, I’ve always witness the lack of participation of boys in dance, particularly in Ballet. From a young age, boys are mainly enrolled into sports as a way to fuel their energy, while girls tend to start dance lessons. However, in the last fifteen years, I have observed an enormous participation of young girls in sports as well as a rapidly growing acceptance of women’s sports.
While there has been a considerable immersion of young girls into sports, there has not been the same progress with young boys into the dance arena. Probably, the main reason behind it is the perception that it’s an activity exclusively for girls. But what most people don’t know is that dancing can be as physically and mentally challenging as any sports. So let me fill you in on the many benefits of dance for boys. After reading this, you will realize that young boys are missing out on valuable skills!.
Some of the benefits of dance for boys are:
  • Dance is a safe and constructive way to express their emotions: Dance doesn’t have the dangers of injuries resulting from body contact present in most sports. At the same time, it’s a constructive way of express their feelings and as an example just watch the movie Billy Elliott!.
  • It teaches them control of their body: Dancing offers young boys the opportunity to be aware of their bodies and to multi task using their brains and body parts.
  • Dance makes them more confident and improves their self-esteem: As young boys learn to know their own body, they become more confident and feel better about themselves.
  • It teaches them respect: Dancing involves courtesy and consideration towards other people.
  • Dance has multiple health benefits: Dance has many health benefits, such as improving body image, attentiveness, communication skills, as well as reduction of stress, fear and anxiety.
  • It’s a nonthreating way to connect with girls in the teenage years.
  • Dance provides them with a social advantage: A teenage boy who is a confident dancer has a social advantage over his less confident and able peers.
Dance can bring multiple benefits for young boys and while they may not see it, dance provides them with skills that will stay with them for a lifetime. As a dance expert says "Boys quickly learn that a lad who knows how to dance can get any girl in the room onto the dance floor!".
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my next weekly blog,
 Vanessa
Here is a link to my other blog: http://mypassionfordancing.blogspot.com/
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14 comments:

  1. What a great blog Vanessa! I couldn't agree more. Many of the great ballet dancers of the world were men!

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    1. Thanks Andrea!!!. I wish society could perceive the incredible benefits of dance and change stereotypes to encourage young boys to get into the field. There are fantastic male dancers out there!!!.

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  2. Very insightful! As a mom to a 7 year old boy, these are great benefits to encourage him especially since he's so involved in sports now.

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    1. Thank you Jen!!!. I'm glad that this was helpful. My son is very involved in sports too (Travel Soccer) but shows a lot of interest in Hip Hop dance. As moms, we need to encourage our kids activities specially if it's something as healthy, positive, artistic and safe as dance. Have a great rest of the week!!!

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  3. Vanessa thank you so much for this post! I was just having this conversation with my friend. I don't have any children but when I do, I want my son to take a ballet class. Of course they thought I was completely out of my mind but now I am happy to go and throw this blog right in their face! Thank you! ☺

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    1. I thank you very much Rae!!!. I'm so glad you found it inspirational and helpful. We as a society need to change the perception that it is exclusively for girls. There are so many benefits that young boys can get from it, if we give them a chance!!!. Just keep on dancing... ;-)

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  4. Very interesting I used to practice martial arts and this has some of the same benefits, but dancing seems to have more benefits for boys than Martial Arts. I think the only problem with boys in dance is how some people in society view it as a girls only activity. more parents should look into it. Great post. Also all the martial artists I practiced with that had a dance background seemed to excel more than others even the ones with sports backgrounds, especially with forms ad Katas.

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    1. Thanks for your response Scott!!!. I cannot agree with you more. Parents should consider dance as a great and safe activity for young boys and change the perception that is exclusively for girls. I personally love Martial arts for young boys too!!!

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    2. I find it interesting how its so different in other cultures. Being able to perform certain dances is valued and important in some societies, in others it's ridiculed.

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  5. Great post Vanessa. I have always been a sports player and coach. Thank you for the eye opening article that challenges young boys and men to explore other options on becoming well rounded and respected young adults. I especially like the suggested of learning how to respect their partner which will translate into respecting their wives in the future and hopefully create lasting relationships! Well done.

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  6. Very interesting point of view Vanessa. I recently just started taking a cardio ballet class myself and I don't have a dancing bone in my body. I am so uncoordinated but I am trying to stick with it. I really wish my mom would have put me in dance when I was little but instead I was a little tom boy playing sports. I think dance whether you're male or female can really help you become social, a form of exercise, and also become more coordinated in my case :)

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  7. Great post! Dance is a great activity for both guys and girls of all ages. I believe it is becoming increasingly more popular with guys then ever before. I see it first hand at work. There are many Pistons entertainment teams, the majority of them are dance teams and there are all guy teams, all girl teams, and a mix of both. People respond well to them all and it's a skill that they love and will have with them their whole life. Also, as you stated, there are multiple health benefits.

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  8. Great post! Dance is a great activity for both guys and girls of all ages. I believe it is becoming increasingly more popular with guys then ever before. I see it first hand at work. There are many Pistons entertainment teams, the majority of them are dance teams and there are all guy teams, all girl teams, and a mix of both. People respond well to them all and it's a skill that they love and will have with them their whole life. Also, as you stated, there are multiple health benefits.

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  9. Excellent post! I think that many take dance as a female sport but fail to understand the benefits young boys taking dance. A girl I worked with had her son in dance and football. Despite all of the criticism she received, it really helped him in football.

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