Ballroom Dancing Builds Your Child's Self-Esteem

By Cathy Jones

To a young child, going to ballroom dance lessons is often seen as just a chance laugh and play with their friends. However, parents can see the bigger picture of how much ballroom dance class affects the overall good health and development of their children. Ballroom dance training teaches good habits that, once engrained from childhood, can stay with them for life, helping your child grow into a healthy, self-confident adult.

It's also a lot easier these days to interest your child in participating in ballroom dance lessons. Since the advent of the extremely popular television reality show, Dancing With The Stars, little girls and boys have had stars in their eyes and visions of glamor and glory. The sight of their favorite television stars and sports heroes twirling gracefully around the dance floor inspires them to want to learn to do that themselves. Kids were thrilled to see one of their favorite young actors, Kyle Massey, (That's So Raven, and Corey in the House) take on the competition as he learned to waltz and tango with professional ballroom dancers. And how wonderful was it when season 8 was won by the youngest competitor, Olympic Gold Medal gymnast Shawn Johnson!

Ballroom dancing is quickly gaining recognition as a confidence building activity for young people across the world. Ballroom dance classrooms are springing up as new dance academies and studios are opening up in every city in answer to the ever increasing popularity of the sport of ballroom dancing. Many schools are even beginning to make ballroom dancing a regular part of their fitness program, as PE teachers are teaching waltz and tango with their physical education program. Ballroom is also becoming a popular extra-curricular activity at some schools and can become very competitive.

But how does enrolling your child in ballroom dance lessons equate with helping him or her build their self-esteem? There are many, many benefits to ballroom dance besides simply learning to dance. Children will achieve a great deal of personal growth in ballroom, gaining confidence as they learn to express their personality and style, improve their posture and balance, expand their knowledge of music and dance and learn a manner of respect for other people. It is also very beneficial to your child that he or she establishes an interest in movement and physical exercise as early in life as possible. Childhood obesity is a growing problem and ballroom dancing is one way to help combat this issue. Ballroom dancing promotes good balance, as well as a strong body awareness. Children learn a sense of rhythm and improve flexibility, all while relieving stress.

Because the bodies of young children are growing and changing so quickly, their physical fitness can benefit from ballroom dance training at any age. "Mommy and Me" dance sessions are a great way to introduce a toddler to ballroom dancing while allowing them to have mom's reassuring presence in a new environment. Toddlers may not have the necessary physical control or maturity to follow a lot of instructions, but the exposure to music and the idea of movement is a good way to start your child on a road to a happy, healthy lifestyle. Pre-school years are a time to encourage the development of motor skills. This level of ballroom dance lessons teaches them creative movement and allows these little bundles energy an opportunity to let off steam and have some fun.

Older children are enthralled with ballroom dance lessons, and their lives are enriched by the training in the various dance styles, such as waltz, foxtrot, rumba and tango. They enjoy the opportunity for social interaction with their peers and classmates, and many of them thrive on the competition. This aspect was made evident in a documentary film by director Marilyn Agrelo, Mad Hot Ballroom. This film depicted a ballroom dance program run by NYC public schools for fifth graders, where the intricacies of tango, foxtrot and swing are taught alongside concepts such as self-respect, responsibility, and triumph over diversity. In this program sponsored by American Ballroom Theater, school children are introduced to something unfamiliar such as ballroom dancing, and rise to the occasion to demonstrate the indefatigable spirit of youth.

The competitive arena of the ballroom dance world, dancesport, provides children with even further benefits. Many children thrive on competition, and through dancesport will learn to develop healthy attitudes about winning and losing. Ballroom dancers become competitive as they practice and develop their skills, and competition can encourage them to excel. They will learn about their abilities and limitations, and learn to set goals. Being competitive requires commitment and responsibility, and dancesport aids children in developing these important qualities.

And finally, ballroom dancing can help shy children make friends. Popularity in school can be a fleeting thing, and not necessarily the greatest of goals, but if your child walks with confidence into a school dance or other social setting, they feel a lot less insecure about fitting in and making new friends. So take advantage of a great opportunity to help build your child's self-esteem by enrolling him or her in ballroom dance lessons today!