Boys in ballet: Start them young!

A pas de deux takes 2!  At DanceFIT we are so excited to have 8 boys in our ballet classes this session.  For a boutique dance studio this is amazing.

Forget the tights, look at the positives.  The physical benefits for boys is obvious: discipline, flexibility, coordination, posture, strength & concentration. There are so many strong male role models in the ballet world.  Here are my absolute favorites in action! Look at this athleticism & grace! And Jorge Barani performing Don Quixote....look at his turns! This 14 year old is absolutely amazing in Paquita. 

And then there are the athletes who use ballet to work on stretching & muscle strengthening, like Lynn Swann, Herschel Walker, Barry Sanders & Willie Gault.

Lynn Swann, Photo credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Interactive

Here are a few of our young dancers and what they have to say about their ballet classes. 

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Meet Connor! 

Age 5
Class time: Fridays at 11:15

​1) What is your favorite part of ballet class?
I love ballet runs & I love doing the train. 

2) What is one thing you have learned in ballet class?
First & second position. 

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Meet Zane!

Age 3
Class time: Fridays at 1:30
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​1) What is your favorite part of ballet class?
Tippy Toes Choo Choo train!
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2) What is one thing you have learned in ballet class?
​How to jump over a sleeping dinosaur! 

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Meet Teddy! 

Class time: Tuesdays at 10 AM
​Age: 18 months 

1) What is your favorite part of ballet class?
Bubbles & the caterpillar tunnel

2) What is one thing you have learned in ballet class?
"He learned to listen to directions like sitting down on a mat, standing up & being quiet.  He is also learning to follow movements like going on his tippy toes." ~Teddy's mom

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Meet Edward! 

Age: 3
Class time: Ballet/Tap combo Saturdays at 11 

1) What is your favorite part of ballet class?
“Doing the Panda Bear dance!”  He also loves circle time and dancing with all his friends. 

2) What is one thing you learned in ballet?
“An arabesque!” Side note - his dad also learned about arabesques! He had no idea what one was until Edward showed him and now they’ll both do arabesques in the kitchen. 

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We hope you consider enrolling your young boy at DanceFIT for their first lessons! We would love to give them a fun introduction to the amazing world of ballet.