“Would you please talk to my daughter? She wants to take jazz dance instead of ballet. Please tell her that this would be a big mistake!” This was a desperate plea I often heard as a dance instructor. It was a familiar situation. There are many styles of jazz dance, but what the dance student often wanted in this situation was the hip hop or funky style of jazz dance. This of course, horrified the parent who had dreams of her daughter becoming a prima ballerina with a prestigious ballet company.

My advice to that parent was always to listen to the student. Why? Well, there are some good reasons. First, let me clarify that there are many different styles of jazz dance: lyrical, blues, theatrical, modern, Latin, rock, funky, Hip Hop, and the list goes on. Dance teachers often exercise artistic license to conveniently define the styles according to their own dance abilities. However, keep in mind that each style of jazz dance does have a valid history and defining terms. Jazz styles are relatively new and are still evolving, while ballet has been with us for centuries.

Since the history and traditions of ballet appear to be more familiar, a parent might think of ballet as a better choice for their child to study. There is no doubt that every dancer can benefit from learning ballet. Once a dancer knows the terminology, she can express herself more clearly, be better prepared to understand choreographers, and do more efficient improvisation of her own.

With this in mind, there is a concern to be addressed if the student threatens to quit dancing entirely because she is not allowed to try Hip Hop Dance. The benefits of dancing are too great for the student to lose. At the very least, dancing can enhance creativity, coordination, social skills, and self-esteem. These are some pretty good reasons to encourage a student to keep dancing, no matter what the style. Letting kids start with Hip Hop or a style of their choice can cultivate interest and allow them to explore the benefits of dance as an art form. Later on, especially if they are serious about improving their skills, they will discover that dancers often take ballet to enhance their vocabulary and technique. They will get much more out of ballet if they make the choice on their own. Oh, and maybe the dancer will be surprised and actually LIKE ballet.