Why Should I Take Ballet Class? I Want To Be A Jazz Dancer!
When talking to young dancers, we often hear them claim that they don't need Ballet because they don't plan on becoming ballet dancers
. Many of today's Los Angeles based future performers are planning careers in the film industry. The hottest dance forms in this market today are currently Jazz and Hip-hop. Many only want to supplement an acting or music career with some dance ability. Often, young future performers are being robbed of the basics that can give them the sustenance to survive a tough artistic field, long after the current dance craze dies down.
That's right. Many young people are shocked to learn that current trends change. Hip-hop will pass or change, just like Swing dancing and the Twist and the Swim and, oh yeah, Disco. Hip-hop dancing has already changed in style due to changes in hip-hop music. It is said that history often helps us predict the future. When we look at our dance history it seems that every decade or so the popular dance styles change. These changes also reflect our current social climate, music, styles and even political, racial, and moral viewpoints of the society. So, while Hip-hop is mainstream today, something new is bound to become the new coolest way to dance at some point.
Ballet is not only for dancers who want to be ballerinas. Ballet is the first structured dance form. It has become a basic to any performing dance field. In addition to special terms, Jazz dance, Modern dance, and even Ballroom dancing use many ballet terms! Most good film and Broadway choreographers use ballet terms when talking to their dancers. Many choreographers prefer and expect that their dancers have a strong ballet background, even the ones that dance jazz and hip-hop. One very prominent and popular dance agent recently told me that she doesn't even represent dancers who do not have a strong ballet background.
Ballet gives a dancer grace and presence. Ballet gives the dancer the technical expertise to turn out ones legs, to point toes, to extend legs higher and with ease, to dance with correct posture (resulting in less injury), and more. Exercises learned in ballet class build coordination and muscle development that is needed in so many different styles. Unfortunately, these techniques are usually only taught correctly in a good, professional ballet school, it just isn't taught in the night club or on the street. Good ballet instruction imparts duplication skills so that the student can pick up steps and routines quickly. The instructor should vary the steps and styles of the routines. A good instructor can teach many styles of dance, while keeping ballet as a base. Ballet is a dance basic.
A good dancer is one who has good ballet basics and can duplicate any other style of dance she or he wishes to. When a dancer has her ballet techniques DOWN and can also perform while applying other basics, her longevity as a performer will no longer be in question. She can duplicate any style and deliver anything the choreographer or director asks of her dancing. It won't even matter what popular dance style the next decade brings. She or he can learn anything with ease. This is the professional dancer.
When you apply your ballet technique to your jazz dancing you will notice a big improvement. The best dancers always take classical ballet instruction in addition to their jazz and other dance classes. The best dancers in any troupe, group, company, or show is always the dancer with the ballet background and these dancers have a very special presence. The actor with posture gained from ballet class will get noticed.
Here are a few stars that are not typically known for Ballet but who have used it to enhance their careers: Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Patrick Swayze, Paula Abdul, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Gregory Hines, Madonna, Michelle Phiefer, Shirley McClain, Jenna Elfman, Brittany Spears, to name only a few of the many. In fact, listing all the stars that have been helped by using ballet would take up several pages of print.
Did you know that Mikhail Baryshnikov is a world famous ballet dancer who has recently shown the world that he can also, dance Jazz, Hip-hop, Tap, Ballroom and undoubtedly anything he wants to dance? He has also proven himself to be a natural actor for any medium.
If you have taken Ballet in the past and found it boring, you probably haven't found an inspiring instructor! At the school I founded, nearly every student takes ballet instruction because we are serious about educating our students and public about the advantages that Ballet provides for the health and success of every dancer.
by:Erin Holt
Put On Your Dancing Shoes With Dish Network Get Fit With Pole Dancing "belly Dancing Your Way To Fitness" Talking about Shoes for Ballroom Dancing Are You Ever Too Heavy to Dance Pointe? Dance It Up In Dance Sneakers Get Decked Out and Spend the Night Dancing at New Years Eve Dance Washington DC Do this - Have an overabundance of Spare time Available for you A Couples Recommendation On Land Of The Leprechauns As Well As Functional Guidance On Finding Fine D Choosing a Hip Hop Dance Instructor Choose The Best Dance Classes In Anaheim Find Out What Can Small Business Owners Learn From Dancing With The Stars? How to find a good dance partner