TO PARENTS and dancers
The best age to start classes is 5-7 years!
From our side: - professional training in sports ballroom dancing
- choreography lessons
- attention and respect for the child
- taking care of the child's health
- individual approach
- participation in competitions
- high efficiency
Dress code for children
For girls: skirt above the knee, swimsuit or golf / tank top / blouse, socks or
tights, gym shoes or professional low-heeled shoes.
For boys: classic trousers, shirt or golf, socks, gym shoes or professional shoes for beginners.
Sports ballroom dancing is the choice of most parents
Not that very many, but almost every parent, upon reaching a more or less conscious age, is faced with a choice, or rather even a dilemma, where to register their child, how to captivate him, and even with health benefits or for the future. In each option under consideration, there are many positive and negative aspects, including the fact of how this activity affects the body. Purely organizational issues also matter, such as cost, the geographical location of sections or circles, and, of course, the child's personal affection or dislike for this occupation.
Nevertheless, according to statistics, most parents, after considering and discussing this issue among themselves, and then with the child, opt for sports ballroom dancing. There are a number of well-founded reasons for this.
It should be noted that sports ballroom dancing is an organic tandem between sports, as physical activity, and beauty, as a combination of grace and plasticity. Have you ever seen a hunched over dancer? No? Of course not, because the first thing taught to children who come to dance is posture. Absolutely straight and level, like a string. At five or six years old, children absorb everything from the world around them, like sponges, remember well, quickly get used to it. Therefore, the habit of keeping their back straight and shoulders back becomes their daily posture.
Since any dance, and sports ballroom, in particular, represents emotions and a state of the inner world reflected in movement, this creativity, moreover, is outstanding. The child develops comprehensively, learns artistry, harmony and good coordination of movements. It goes without saying that when memorizing first individual steps, and then the whole dance, tact and rhythm develop, the memorizing property of memory improves. There is such a concept as the memory of the body, when a seemingly long-forgotten dance, in the case when a person has heard the corresponding melody, turns chaotic movements into harmonious elements of a long-learned dance. So, the point is that this memory of the body, like the ability to ride a bicycle, remains with a person for life.
Girls who danced in childhood will become slender and plastic, boys from clumsy bears will turn into young men with good posture and a strong, enduring body. Realizing this, parents are so eager to instill in their child at least a little attachment to the world of dancing.
It will be extremely useful for every parent to find out what ballroom dancing gives in terms of personality development ... (coach's point of view)
These are: discipline, sociability, a beautiful figure, easy gait, plasticity, grace, self-organization, hard work, self-confidence, good posture, dedication, interaction of a couple
· How old should you send your child to dance?
Children from 4 years old are brought to me. This is still not quite similar to the workouts that I do with the elders, but they have warm-up, stretching, preparation of basic movements. To watch such crumbs emerge on the parquet is a delight. Should I give so early? I think yes if you have good hands! The child begins to develop, he needs to spend his energy. Learns to be in a team where there are certain rules, to be attentive and collected.
I believe that you can bring a child at any age, you can even start training when you are not a child (at the age of 18), but I consider the age from 4 to 7 years to be the most suitable. It is from such a small age that he has more chances to achieve high sports results. Since at this age a sense of rhythm is formed in children, they can be easily stretched, creating the correct posture and position of the feet. They put it all very quickly, they absorb information like a sponge. Later, complexes and stiffness already appear.
Why should boys go to dances?
As a coach, I noticed how the boys who were originally brought by their mothers "under a kerosene stove" are changing. And it doesn't matter if he is 7 or 12 years old. Everyone had one problem - as a rule, they were embarrassed to approach the girl to become a couple with her, to speak. These complexes disappeared after a couple of sessions. And then I watched how they already easily communicated with them, as well as with their boy friends. Dancing in this regard emancipates the boys. As I have seen, general schooling does not provide the same interaction experience as a dance experience.
The second equally important feature is their newfound self-confidence. They are no longer shy about school discos and various holidays where they need to dance. They feel calm and confident. Especially when they come to the senior class. Here already for such guys who can easily dance the graduation waltz, a fight begins! Well, what can we say about the eternal problem of modern guys - stoop and lack of muscles. Dancing forms incredible posture and rather big muscles in guys! Yes, the dancers are very pumped up (try to lift your partner in the dance and at the same time continue to move).
Why should girls go to dances?
I can talk for a long time that for girls, dancing is incredibly important and necessary both for the figure and for life in general, but this is understandable. I will put more emphasis on the fact that it is dancing as a pair sport that gives girls the ability to get along with guys, find compromises, negotiate, trust, communicate easily on any topic and just be friends. And in real life it will come in handy later, when the girl begins to grow up and choose a boyfriend for herself first, and then her husband. She will already have an idea of what needs to be paid attention first of all, it will be easy for her to communicate and she will be able to easily experience any disagreements in her future family life.
· Parents' view of sports and ballroom dancing.
Yes, parents want to be proud of their children and dancing is a huge cause for pride.
Observing the parents of the children who are brought to me, I can say the following: there are parents who are focused on winning their child, she directly declare this and want to take individual lessons to the maximum and make them champions. There are those whom I have never seen. They recorded the child and did not appear again. Parents are all different. And I can say that the attitude of the child himself depends on the attitude of the parents to this matter. Children whose parents do not participate in the dance life go there without much enthusiasm. The support and attention of parents is very important for children. After all, the child also wants his efforts to be appreciated not only by the coach, but also by his relatives. Although, of course, there are exceptions. When a child is madly striving to achieve results, and his parents do not really support him. But if the parents have already brought the child to this sport consciously and deliberately, their choice is very successful! Such parents give their child invaluable experience.
· The coach's view of the dance.
To train and work as a coach are completely different things. First of all, it takes a lot of time to prepare for classes. It is necessary to make plans for years. Set goals. Think over a workout plan. Describe in advance what you need to learn new, and what to consolidate the old. I can clearly say that coaching is a constant analysis. Each child has its own approach. Finding and catching those moments that will help him become a winner at the next competition is not an easy matter. What steps should be taken to achieve certain results? What has changed over the past two months? How did the participation in the competition affect the development of the couple?
After each competition, we sit down with the dancers and analyze the mistakes, think about what needs to be corrected. It just seems that everything is simple. In fact, the work of a coach is complex and multifaceted. A coach is also a psychologist. The child needs not only to be trained. He needs to be motivated, conveyed to him that there will be defeats and this is not scary. add faith in oneself, find an approach to different conflict situations within a couple, turn weak sides into strengths, cheer up and teach to bring things to an end, not be upset with defeats, understand that mistakes are inevitable, and so on.
· Sports and ballroom dancing for adults.
It is very pleasant to conduct classes for adults. They catch every word and really want to learn how to dance. This desire is written on their faces. They want, just like their children, to be able to move beautifully, even if they missed it in childhood.
Can you learn to dance when you are over 30, 40, 50 ...? Of course! There are no restrictions! The main desire. Do not be shy, if you want to learn how to dance - feel free to go!
· What are the benefits of ballroom dancing?
Sports ballroom dancing is almost the only kind of sport that, in addition to developing physical, spiritual, creative, allows you to get the experience of communication from the interaction of a guy and a girl. And also the ability to stay together for a long time (competitions, trainings, trips). This kind of experience is difficult to get in an unpaired sport. This is where you can learn to achieve goals collectively (partner + partner + coach). And this helps very much later in life, namely in future work and family life.
About dance tournaments
If your child goes to ballroom dancing, then sooner or later the question of participating in tournaments will arise. Dance tournaments are an opportunity to evaluate the results of the work of a trainer and a couple, an opportunity to climb the career ladder, an opportunity to declare about yourself to the dancing community.
Therefore, a dancer needs to participate in tournaments and prepare for them. But since participation in the tournament is not the cheapest pleasure, parents need to determine the goals of the dance as early as possible. If you signed up your child to dance for fun and general development, then you can do without tournaments. But if you see your child as the winner of major international tournaments, then you should start classes as early as possible and start dancing at competitions as early as possible.
If you have not decided on the goals, then it makes sense to visit tournaments several times, take part in competitions and, based on the results, answer the question - Why is your child dancing?
Our task is to help parents and children determine the goals of dancing, tell about what dance tournaments are and prepare, if necessary, the child for a successful career. But at the same time, we want to prepare you, dear parents, for the tournaments. After all, it will take a lot of effort, time, mental and material resources from you. A child's dance career is the effort of the youngest dancer, coach and parents.
What is the benefit of the tournament?
The tournament allows you to evaluate how much the child is ready to dance in front of the audience and the judges, how effectively he works in the classroom. Tournaments also provide an opportunity to understand how a career will develop and what you need to pay special attention to. Each tournament is a kind of exam for a dancer. It is at tournaments that mistakes pop up that do not show up in training.
How to prepare for a tournament
Preparing for each tournament is not just a few workouts shortly before the competition. The whole life of a dancer is a path to victory. That is why it is extremely important to understand as early as possible what you want from dancing and how far you are ready to go, what you are ready to do for a successful dance career. While the child needs not only a good coach, but also the support of the parents.
We will divide the preparation for the tournament into several stages:
1. Regular group training, in which the child learns new figures, memorizes combinations, brings dancing to automatism.
2. Individual lessons (individuals) in which the child works individually with a coach, corrects shortcomings and improves skills.
3. Dance camps at which the child has the opportunity to practice not only with his coach and the opportunity to meet on the floor with children from other clubs.
4. Open lessons, reporting concerts, in-club contests in which the child gets used to dancing in front of the audience.
At the same time, it is important to understand that everything that the coach says is important to remember. How to get out on the floor, what point to take, what suit to choose, what hairstyle should be, how to stand in front of the judges - absolutely everything matters. And the child must understand that there are no trifles on the chosen path. Even every previous tournament is preparation for the next one.
It is also important to remember that not only dancing is appreciated, but also the appearance of the dancers. Therefore, every dancer must be in excellent athletic and physical shape.
Tips for Beginner Dancers
For beginners about tournaments
The tournament is a special world for every dancer. Tournaments inspire someone, someone is unsettled. In order for the start to be successful, it is necessary to prepare the child not only physically, but also mentally.
The dancer must feel confident, which means that the parents must be calm. You shouldn't give any instructions - this is the coach's job. Better do everything so that the child understands that everything is fine.
The main thing that is available to a child is comparing himself with others. And, above all, we are talking about the appearance. Hair, shoes, dance costume are "no worse" than others are the first step on the road to success.
Tournaments, especially for beginners, start early and it is important to go to bed on time to get some sleep. But it's better to come to the tournament early, but within reasonable limits: it's not worth coming in three hours. But you must have time to register and sort out the documents, get a number, change clothes, get your hair done. And, of course, the child must be in time for the run.
Anything can happen, so it's best to have a spare suit. But in any case, there should be threads and needles, a robe to put on over the suit.
For styling, you need a hairdryer, gel, varnish, foam, hairpins, combs.
In many contests, you will be required to provide a medical certificate stating that your child is eligible to participate in the tournament. Pay close attention to the documents. In addition to a medical certificate, you need a book, a birth certificate. Take your passport just in case.
Remember that the tournament will require a lot of strength from the child, so you should not go to the tournament by public transport, it is better to go by car.
A very difficult relationship in tournaments with food and water. If the child is hungry and thirsty, then this will distract him from dancing. But it is important not to overdo it so that at the most inopportune moment the child does not want to use the toilet. But remember that sugary water and juice will not quench your thirst. Take regular drinking water with you.
Dance shoes and costumes are often sold at competitive prices. But most importantly, you never need to go. So keep in mind that you can buy dancewear and shoes locally if you wish.
What dance tournaments exist
A dance career is directly dependent on participation in tournaments. It is at tournaments that dancers receive the balls necessary to move from class to class, and therefore to receive a sports category. Subsequently, if a dancer is planning a coaching career, participation in competitions will automatically raise the cost of his services. The higher the rank of the contests in which the participation was taken, the higher the result, the higher the price of the trainer.
Tournaments can be divided into:
- in-club
- urban
- regional
- republican
- international
By what principles does the judge evaluate the performance of a couple?
There are too many criteria by which the judge could evaluate, to consider in detail each in that period of time that is allotted for the performance, especially since at least six couples are judged at the same time. Therefore, the judge relies on the overall impression of the couple. An experienced judge sees the evaluated dance in a complex way and can quickly assess all factors.
PAIR POSITION is one of the most important points. A good position gives the couple grace and lightness, improves balance, makes it easier to lead and allows the partner to keep in touch, especially in swing dancing. Competition results often depend on correct posture. Hence the old adage, "Constant work on posture is the key to improvement."
RHYTHM - unless a couple is dancing to the beat of the music, no skill in any other aspect can hide or compensate. Music is everything!
LINE - by this we mean the length and stretch of the body from toe to head. Beautiful and well-executed lines, directly or indirectly, increase the volume of the figures.
FRAME - the correct fixed position of the hands, established in closed dances. The line of hands of partners should be straight from elbow to elbow. The arms should form a kind of oval, which, when the volume of the frame changes, should retain its shape so that the partners remain in the correct position relative to each other, do not fall out. The couple must be beautiful.
BALANCE. There are two types of balance - neutral and center. With central balance, body weight is evenly distributed across both legs. With neutral - body weight on one leg. The whole dance is a transition from neutral to central balance and vice versa. If the couple is not in a state of balance, the dance becomes heavy, the lines break, in the end you can just fall.
DISTANCE BETWEEN PARTNERS - should be sufficient so that partners do not interfere with each other. At the same time, one should not forget that if the distance is too large, it will be difficult for partners to find a balance - the dance will lose its lightness.
MUSICAL - all movements in the dance must correspond to the specifics of the music - strong beats stand out, weak beats are smoothly worked out. For example, in the rumba, one step falls on the beat itself, and the duration of the note (counting "and") is the reduction, the work of the hips. The longer the “i” count, the faster and more expressive the rumba. In tango, the legs dance rather viscously, and the head movements are very active. This achieves both speed and smoothness.
PERFORMANCE - are the couple dancing emotionally, showing the audience their relationship to the music, or are they cleverly gritting their teeth and trying not to forget the composition?
ENERGY - The energy of the dance captures the audience. I noticed that in jive there is always the brightest couple who wins this dance. But the energy must be manageable. For example, powerful movement is very useful in waltz and foxtrot, but only if it is achieved through swing, not just stride length. Movements must match the music. For example, in a slow waltz, the accumulation of energy occurs due to the decrease between the counts "three" and "times". And the release of energy at the expense of "one" should be controlled (so as not to slip through the count of two, which your humble servant often sins - AI) and be supported when growing to "two" and "three". It's the same with the rest of the dances.
WORK OF THE LEGS AND FOOTS - the sliding movement (as if on skis) of the foot on the floor in the foxtrot gives smoothness; deliberate raising of the foot in tango emphasizes the staccato; correct knee work gives the rumba some "fashion", and the tension of the socks is not support for the leg, but an increase in the length of the line. The use of these four techniques and the correct work of the supporting foot will allow you to achieve a powerful and fast stride.
SHAPE is a separate conversation. It is needed in order to elegantly show the partner to the audience and judges (for example, in the classic “cloak” figure for Paso Doble or after pivots in tango - there are a lot of examples). Shape is achieved in a variety of ways. In standard, the shape is achieved by stretching the partner up and to the right of the partner.
INTRODUCTION - Well, in my opinion everything is clear. The only criterion is that the partner must be light. With the wrong guidance, lightness cannot be achieved. Each person is individual, so learning a partner is a long and hard work, but very necessary work. It is extremely rare to achieve complete mutual understanding (such couples become great), more often partners simply adjust to each other.
FLOORCRAFT - "Parquet vision" This concept includes not only the ability to avoid collisions, but also the ability to dance non-stop, surrounded by other couples, when it seems that there is nowhere to go. This is where the couple's dancing is manifested - the partner must choose the right directions and lead the partner, and she, in turn, must understand what the partner wants from her in a given situation.
STYLE OF THE COUPLE - How the couple looks together, costumes, behavior on the floor. This is also far from the very last criterion of assessment.
The judges will evaluate the above criteria differently. One may be interested in technique, another in choreography, a third in artistry or composition. All of these factors are important and should be evaluated. In practice, sometimes a couple gets incommensurable marks - from 1 to the last place. Dancers asking themselves the question: "What is it that the judge saw that he gave such a high (low) mark?" - must understand that any of the criteria could affect. Sometimes the correct work of the foot will not give as high a score as neatly picking up the legs in 6 position.
The judge only sees a couple of seconds. At this point, a strong pair can make a mistake and get low marks, while a weak pair can show several elements cleanly and without errors and get high. There is a roulette element to it.
Dancers, rest assured that any qualified judge will judge you based on your performance only. Most judges value their reputation and do their job in good faith. The judges, of course, try to stretch their own, but the professionals do it within reasonable limits. One way or another, no judge can definitely pull you to the first place or fill you up. Using the evaluation criteria described in this article will usually guarantee the correct result.
Author: Dan Radler (translated by Alexy Ionov)
Classification of dancers by age group
