How Do I Get My Boys Interested in Dance?
7 Great Conversation Starters for Parents
These ‘conversation starters’ aim to address potential concerns or stereotypes while highlighting the numerous benefits dance can offer to young boys.
1. Athletic performance improvement:
“Ballet enhances athleticism by fostering balance, agility, strength, and flexibility. Its precise movements improve body control, coordination, and muscle endurance. Dance helps to develop core strength, refine posture, and heighten spatial awareness, benefiting athletes with improved performance, injury prevention, and overall grace in their respective sports”.
2. Related Personal Experiences:
"I've heard from other parents that their kids have gained so much confidence and self-esteem from being in dance classes. It's not just about the movements but also about learning to express oneself and feel comfortable in their own skin."
3. Address Misconceptions:
"Sometimes there are misconceptions about dance being just for girls, but that has rapidly changed! Many renowned male athletes and performers incorporate dance into their training. It's a fantastic way for our sons to develop athleticism, agility, respect and grace”.
4. Highlight the Benefits:
"Did you know that dance helps improve strength, flexibility, and coordination? It's a great way for kids to stay active while expressing themselves creatively."
5. Share Relatable Stories:
"I was reading about [name the football team of your choosing and talk about how that team incorporates ballet training] - Isn’t that incredible how AFL (Australian Football League) players are using ballet to shape their discipline, confidence, and their strength for their football career. It could be a fantastic opportunity for our son too!"
(on a personal note - when I was dancing with WA Ballet, AFL team ‘West Coast Eagles’ would come in as a team and do ballet training with the ballet company members - the football players were always amazed at how we could easily jump, turn and lift our dance partners with such ease and control).
6. Emphasise Variety:
"There are so many different styles of dance, from hip-hop to ballet to contemporary. It could be a fun way for our sons to explore and find something they're passionate about."
7. Discuss Social Aspects:
"Dance classes can also be a great way for our sons to make new friends and build a supportive community. It's not just about the steps but also about teamwork and camaraderie."
Regardless of the sport, there are benefits to be reaped! Take, for instance, tennis, football, rugby, baseball, sprinting, soccer, hockey, squash, karate, or MMA.
Within a few weeks, with ballet and dance you can hone movements and witness immediate enhancements in your chosen sport!
Ballet has long been revered as a traditional method for athletes seeking performance improvement. Renowned for bolstering flexibility, strength, power, stability, balance, and more. Yet, in contemporary times, there's also Irish dance—a rapid, explosive dance form. Additionally, tap and jazz dance excel in cultivating swift footwork and agility.
Your sport mirrors a choreographed dance!
Looking at NRL (rugby) as an example - In Rugby the team ‘makes a play’, this ‘play’ is a pre thought out set of movements (choreography). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playmaker
Embracing dance training enriches mental focus, concentration, and prowess. Thus, integrating it into your training regimen amplifies the execution of sport-specific manoeuvres.
Sports people who do or did ballet during their careers
Harry Garside - Boxer - Australian Gold and Bronze medals at the Commonwealth and Tokyo Olympic games respectively
Harry said - “I started ballet in 2019. I had always wanted to try ballet but was a little scared to let my community know that I was interested in dance. I feared being judged and becoming an outcast. I finally built up the courage in 2019 to start, and I am so grateful I did. I always walk out feeling a little taller now, and a little more confident with each step. The best part is that [ballet] has helped my boxing massively, too”.
Lynn Swan- NFL - USA - Ballet
Lynn said - “People don’t understand dance. It’s all about rhythm, timing, body control, and coordination; everything you need on the football field. The finishing of one move is the preparation and continuation of the next. I started developing an ability to feel very comfortable in the air, especially when running a route to jump up and catch the ball. To do that, you need body control developed by danceability”.
Kobe Bryant- Basketball Player- Tap Dance
Koby Bryan did tap dance classes to strengthen his ankles. He noticed quicker feet on the court.
Steve McClendon- NFL - USA - Ballet
Steve said - “In comparison to football, Ballet is harder than anything else I do.”
John A. Bergfeld - USA - Cleveland Browns Medical Adviser
John said - “Ballet is excellent at preventing injuries. I see fewer injuries occur once players started doing ballet”.
Herschel Walker - Football legend and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter.
Herschel said - “ Ballet is probably one of the hardest things I have done, almost like MMA. People don’t give it a lot of credit and think it is easy, but it is very difficult. For athletes, you use muscles you really don’t use and, ballet is something I really respect”.
Rio Ferdinand - English - Former Football (Soccer) player - Ballet
Rio was not only trained in ballet , he received a scholarship to join the Central School of Ballet, London. Ferdinand says ballet helped him develop as a footballer as he had to improve his balance and timing.
Evander Holyfield - Four time heavyweight boxing world champion
This athlete followed a merticulous training routine to master boxing techniques. He employed a ballet instructor as part of his training routine and saw his performance improve. About his classes with ballet trainer Marya Kenneth, he said
Evander said - “I’m a lot more flexible since I’ve been working with her. I don’t get hit with the shots I used to get hit with. It’s not that I didn’t used to see the punches coming; I was just too stiff to get away from them sometimes”.
Lots of people say ballet is ‘not manly enough’
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Professional body builder, Actor, Business man, Film maker
Arnold is the epitome of ‘the manly dude’. He took ballet classes in the early 70s. Dancer Marianne Claire taught him. Ballet training helped him perfect his bodybuilding poses during his career.
Jean-Claude Van Damme- Martial artist, Actor, and Conservationist
Jean Claude said - “Ballet is an art but it is also one of the most difficult sports. If you can survive a ballet workout, you can survive a workout in any other sport”.
More and more athletes turn to ballet each year.
Will your son use ballet to better himself for a career in the sporting arena?
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