If you are looking for a physical activity for your kids but are wondering if there are any options beyond classic forms of dance, the answer is: yes!
Contemporary dance lessons can be the activity you have been looking for your kids because it’s fun, healthy and challenging. And here is a guide that you will help you understand a little bit more about contemporary dance and why it is so great:
What Is Contemporary Dance
Contemporary dance is an interpretive dance genre performed around the world. It has innovation as a a strong pillar, blending techniques from numerous dance genres such as classical ballet, jazz, modern dance, rock and roll, hip-hop and lyrical dance.
Practiced by people from all ages, contemporary dance lets dancers express emotionality through movements and breath, and embraces dancers who do not wish to follow strict classical ballet and lyrical dance standards, but would rather like to explore more unconventional movements.
This dance style, which focuses more on floor work, relies on improvisation and versatility. Being characterized by freedom of movement and fluidity, it allows dancers explore the mind-body connection and bring emotion to the audience.
The Origin of Contemporary Dance
Contemporary dance had its start in the 20th century, when the American dancer, Isadora Duncan, rebelled from ballet and developed her own style, that had a more natural and fluid approach.
By the 1980s, the term contemporary dance was used to describe routines that didn’t quite followed the strict rules of classical dance. Dancers of this era began to explore unconventional movements and pushing the limits of the human body, creating a whole new dynamic to the art of dancing. Their moves combined dance styles from all around the globe, tracing back to ancient techniques found in Indian Hatha Yoga, pilates, and Buddhism. Their techniques often included any sort of movement the body could make in order to tell a story filled with emotion, like systematic breathing, rapid oppositional moves, and contrasting postures and rhythms.
Benefits of Contemporary Dance
Most parents are aware that physical activity is crucial to the child’s health and development. But what if you could find an activity that, besides physical exercise, can also challenge their emotional growth, and encourage them to be creative and think outside of the box?
Contemporary dancing challenges multiple parts of the brain, and it can also be an active energy-release for kids.
Here is a list of the main benefits of contemporary dance:
Flexibility, Strength and Coordination
Due to the physical demand of dance, stretching will become a regular part of your child’s dance routines.
Along with that, they will also strengthen their core because it supports them in improving their flexibility, coordination and agility.
Mental Function
Contemporary dancing is also mentally challenging. It requires focus and engagement of multiple sense, such as spatial awareness and proprioception.
Psychological Wellbeing
Contemporary danced enhances your child’s connection to their body, improving their mind-body connection. Cultivating this level of consciousness will support their ability to learn, problem solving, and concentration.
Self-Confidence
Dance requires a sense of dedication and discipline, helping your child build resilience and mental stamina. And, when kids learn to cope with the power of determination, it helps them elevate their self-confidence as well.
Stress Reduction
It’s critical that children learn how to manage their stress and how to release it. Besides releasing endorphin, like every other sport, contemporary dance is particularly effective at helping kids to lay off stress because the emotional component in contemporary dancing encourages the use of feelings and to guide the movements. That also reduces their chances to develop mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
Social Adeptness
When kids attend a dance academy, they spend time building connections with other kids and instructors. Your kid will, most likely, make friends, which can foster a sense of community and belonging for your child. And, since it is a more active environment, when compared to school, it can help kids practice other communication techniques.
Creative Thinking
Contemporary Dance is inherently creative because of its very core of innovation, improvisation and movements based on feelings.
Self-Expression
Dance provides an alternative way to tell as story and feel emotions, which teaches kids to express themselves from an early age. And learning how to express themselves from a young age is essential to their interpersonal skills, specially for kids who are shy or have learning disabilities.
Finding a Contemporary Dance Class
Differently from other dance classes, where a student copies the instructor or simply learns a dance routine, contemporary dance classes often focus on topics such as story-telling, self-expression, creativity, freedom, and the conveyance of emotion.
Please contact us if you need a dance studio rental for a dance class or practice.
Dress Code to Contemporary Dance
Contemporary dance outfits must accentuate the beauty of the dancers’ lines and help them tell a story through movement.
When it comes to performances, contemporary dance outfits should match the choreography and the emotions being shown to the audience, considering that contemporary dance is all about storytelling.
As for lessons and rehearsals, students usually wear a leotard with spandex shorts for the bottom part, and a tank top or a t-shirt for the top part. They often dance barefoot, but jazz shoes or ballet shoes are also an option should the dancer prefer it.
Since Contemporary dance requires a wide range of motion, the most important thing is to wear clothes that won’t restrict the movement. And that goes for both classes and performances.
To wrap it all up, contemporary dance classes can be a fun way for your kids to develop their body and mental health. Besides, they are going to have a lot of fun because they will be able to feel free to express their feelings through movement and make a bunch of friends!