Children's Ballet - Help Your Child Improve

Ballet works by combining fluid, graceful movements with a rhythm set by either orchestra or vocal music. The goal of the dance is to create and tell a story to the audience. Dancers use forms of miming, acting and dance to tell this story.

The different forms of ballet each use different methods for enacting this story. A modern ballet company may use a variety of dancing techniques that differs greatly from the classical movements. Each member of the ballet company has a very specific role ranging from the backup ballerinas to the Prima Ballerina.

There has to be a love of dance in order to become a ballet dancer. The dancer must start at an early age learning all there is to know about the different movements and education behind this form of dance. In addition to this knowledge the dancer must develop strong leg and core muscles to help support him or her during the intricate movements that require strength, agility and flexibility.

Only later during the course of training when the strength in the ankles and legs has been developed will the dancer learn to use pointe shoes. The pointe shoe is used by the women and the men continue with soft soled shoes in order to learn the more advanced leaps and turns that will be expected of him. Discipline and training is the core to the dance and without it the dancer could become injured severely.

There are some key terms that refer to the actual movements of the dance that children studying ballet should become familiar with.

The Arabesque is the movement where the hind leg is extended and the dancer leans forward over the load bearing leg. This is a classical movement that is practiced in the different forms of ballet.

Attitude is the dance movement most associated with the pointe which is when the ballerina stands on her toes and keeps the other leg up and curved around for flexibility and stability.

The Grand jet is the long jumps that begins on one leg and ends on the other leg.

There is an entire alphabet of terms used in ballet that each dancer must come to know along with the positions of the dance. These are just a few of the many terms that you will hear used with this form of dance.