Where to begin…
Frequently Asked Question: “My child wants to start dance, and I have no idea where to begin…”
I am so glad that your child wants to dance! There are a few things you wanna think about when you are looking for where to take them for lessons but most of it comes down to your child's personality and how serious you want to get with dance down the road.
Children's interests change from year to year and sometimes month to month. Your child may be super interested in the pink tutus or pointe shoes right now but might find that the interaction of tap shoes is the most exciting thing. Each style of dance has a different personality that will be compatible with different people. Of course all kids can love all styles but eventually, probably around 10 or 12, they will find what they do and don’t like about certain styles.
The Many Different Styles of Dance
Ballet
The roots and basic ingredients of all dance styles! Everyone probably knows what ballet is - It’s been around for over 400 years! It began as an display of court power and elegance in France before becoming a form of entertainment that grew into one of the worlds most complicated sports and art forms. It is the graceful, yet organized dance form that captivated the beholder through elegant lines and movements. It is most often presented in a story ballet, told by a company of around 40 dancers including a corp de ballet (Ensemble), soloists and principle dancers (main characters). The classics, such as Swan Lake, the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, and Cinderella were created long ago but are still cherished by the public, so we keep presenting them as tradition as well as continuing to create new ballets.
Ballet is a very disciplinary style that takes commitment and personal drive from the student. It is for students who are somewhat of a people pleaser, want to be on time to things, your typical A type personality. Ballet is a long term reward kind of style and tends to draw dancers who are patient and determined. If your child is very impatient however, ballet may be very good for them in learning to focus and follow directions. Ballet is typically seen as the style all about beauty and grace but is extremely challenging underneath that performance. If you look back at footage from the 20s and even up to the 60s, you’ll see that the technical level of ballet dancers has really progressed to produce the athletes we see on stage today. Though it seems like an old fashioned tradition, it is still innovating and catering to the creative minds of our generation.
it certainly has my heart captured which is why all my T-shirt and sweater designs are inspired by classical story ballets. If you, your teenager or friend is a die-hard bunhead, Adorn Ballet Apparel has styles intended to celebrate a dancer's accomplishments in the studio and on stage.
Jazz
The Jazz style of dance evolved in the United States from traditional African dances to the popular trends in the 1920s such as the Charleston, Jitterbug and Swing, to the 1940s and 1950s when it was really codified and turned into a full genre of its own. Choreographers of the mid 20th century such as Jack Cole, Katherine Dunham, Gus Giordano and Bob Fosse are the real founders of what we teach in a classical Jazz class today. Jazz dance grew very popular in movies and musicals up through the 20th century and is still growing and changing even now. To name a a couple of important branches of Jazz, Broadway style is what you would see if you went to see a production of Newsies, and Commercial Jazz is what you might see if you watched an episode of Dance Moms. You’ll notice especially in Commercial Jazz that there are a lot of moves (or even tricks) that did not exist 40 or even 20 years ago and that just goes to show that dance will never stop being innovative.
Modern and Contemporary
Modern also has a huge evolution history with many many branches. Modern started with people who did not like the strict confines of ballet or their bodies didn't like the physical demands of ballet, who created movement that was quite the opposite. Modern has a long list of founders who have created whole techniques like Graham, , Hortan, Cunningham, etc. A lot of modern classes for young children are based on exploring what the body can do with the basic modern dance principles of Time, Space, and Energy. I believe every child or at least every dancer should have modern training at a young age because it helps build so many motor skills and confidence of movement that applies to every style. As dancers get older it becomes a lot about strength, balance and often just being as creative as possible. 
A branch of modern that is almost essential in a dancers serious training is Contemporary. Visually, its somewhat of a blend between Modern and Ballet but is known for holding true to the exploratory roots of modern. It’s a style you’ll see at competitions but has a niche in the world of professional dance companies as well. To name a few in my home state, Salt Dance Company, Ririe-Woodbury, and Repertory Dance Theatre produce new works each year as well as bring back works from founding fathers such as Lester Horton, much the same way Ballet does with classic story ballets.
Another branch to note, is Lyrical dance which is closer to ballet in aesthetic and technique but focuses on the emotional delivery of choreography. If your child were to take a Lyrical class, they would follow modern or contemporary technique to warm up and then learn a substantial combination to practice performance techniques.
Tap
Tap dancing evolved much like Jazz dance did - It came from Irish hard shoe folk dances and grew up to what is used in Musical Theatre today. Although a career path in Tap alone doesn’t exist the same way it did, every dancer should take footwork classes to learn rhythm, foot coordination, and syncopation. Most dance studios offer tap classes - you may also be able to find Irish Hard Shoe, or American Clogging.
Tap is so great for kids who like interactive experiences. They move their foot and are rewarded with a sound. I know it sounds like just more noise for your household but its really good for students with ADHD brains because it helps them build their attention spans in a class setting through a reward based style. Plus, what kid doesn’t like to make noise?
Hip Hop
The Peoples Dance! Hip Hop began in the 1960s and 1970s as a cultural exchange that could be done anywhere, hence it has always been performed on street corners. This is another style that takes African roots and incorporates modern principles, tap rhythm, and its own style of music.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Freestyle hip hop became popular in “Dance Battles” and other branches or styles have emerged since such as Breakdancing, Popping and Locking, Funk, Lyrical, Raeggae, Stepping and House, only to name a few of many.
Hip Hop is offered at most studios as footwork and rhythm class but if your dancer really really loves it, there are Hip Hop studios that offer all styles to explore.
Ballroom
Ballroom began as and still are, social dances! The many branches of ballroom come from all over the world and have culminated in a culture of partnership and versatility. It is hugely popular in my home state of Utah!
Most general dance studios won’t likely have ballroom classes but there are Ballroom studios for those who really want to take it seriously. Ballroom has two main style categories - Standard and Latin - with many subcategories or “dances” such as the Waltz, Tango, Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, Foxtrot, Bolero, etc. It is such an intricately disciplined sport and such a range of styles to master that it probably deserves its own volume of this book.
Folkdance/Cultural dances
This category includes Polynesian dances, Irish dance, Bollywood, Eastern European dances, Western European social dances, Middle Eastern dances, and just about any culture int he world has a dance style you could put in this category. You probably won’t be able to find any of these classes at a regular dance studio - but I want to include this as a dance genre because I love Folkdance and studied it in college. Brigham Young University’s Folkdance program is the only one left in the US and they tour internationally every year to keep it alive for all of the cultures it represents through dance. If you get a chance to see their tour or their “Christmas Around the World” show in Provo, UT, I highly recommend it.
Next Step: Search Dance Studios in your local area
In my next blog in this series, I walk you through some things to think about when choosing a studio for your child and your family. You'd be surprised at how many options might be available and the different experiences you might find so it's always a good idea to learn ALL about what you're getting yourself into.
In Conclusion:
So there are more options than your child could ever try but don’t let that be overwhelming. Children will sort out what they like eventually. Your job is to help them get started. Knowing your child and what you think they might be interested starting out with is important to keep in mind as you search for which school or studio you’re going to take them to. Parents know their own children's personalities best and you might have an idea right now of what they might like, but I also encourage you to have them try everything because they might surprise you or find that something not so obvious is really good for them.