There are hundreds of styles of dance, ranging from hip hop, to ballroom, to the wider known phenomenon of ‘Breaking’ since made famous by the Paris Olympics last month. The physical and mental benefits of ‘busting a move’ are abundant, with infamous dances such as ‘flossing’ and ‘gangnam style’ connecting people from all around the world, mainly from the widely used platform of TikTok. However, for children, how healthy is dance and what are the potential dangers they are exposed to?
From my personal experience, I enjoyed dance classes when I was younger. The excitement of being able to jam out with your friends to the latest Taylor Swift song was unmatched. Despite that, my passion for dance wasn’t long-lasting and I never took it to a high level meaning I was unaware of the realities of the world of dance for performers and those destined to grace the theatres and screens.
Recently, I took part in a Pineapple Dance Studio ‘General Ballet’ class in Covent Garden. This studio is also known as the ‘Home of Dance in London’ and has been established since 1979, so I was very excited, yet intimidated at the prospect of dancing there. When I arrived, I was shocked and disturbed at the appearance of many of the young dancers in the changing rooms and the studios. The majority seemed exhausted, under-fed, stressed and overworked.
During the class, the relentless nature made my cortisol rise and the lack of warmth emanating from the teacher didn’t help matters. The health implications from burn-out and exhaustion has only been investigated in recent years but has been linked to a plethora of health conditions (physical and emotional health being adversely affected). Not only that, the unrealistic pressure to be ‘perfect’ seemed to be a common goal among the ballerinas in the class. I overheard some girls in the toilet who couldn’t be older than 12 discussing the copious amounts of dance they had done that day as I peeked at my watch to see it had only just struck 1pm. To be in this toxic environment from such an influential age doesn’t seem very beneficial to me.
Although there is a dark side to the world of dance, it also acts as a place of escapism to many, especially those with hard home lives. If successful, a ballerina can reach amazing career heights such as performing around the world in amazing venues and being (sometimes) remunerated generously for it. These successes do come at a high cost, however, with many dancers losing out on education and social lives in their youths because of the gruelling schedules appearing to easily surpass the typical 9-5 work day.
Dance teaches many lessons, however, that may be hard to learn in an environment such as school, where many children lack interest in subjects the curriculum forces upon them. The discipline required in dancing is a good life lesson along with commitment and teamwork in particular styles. These fundamental lessons are obscured so children don’t even realise they are learning but many children who take dance lessons when young have enhanced emotional well-being, creativity and cognitive performance.
To summarise, dance is a great activity for children to get involved in but the higher the ladder they climb, the more sacrifices and dangers are present. This is like anything, however, but having knowledge about the world prior to thrusting any child into a class is definitely needed for children and adults alike.
