Don’t think of dancing as a male pursuit? Think again! Here are seven reasons why all boys should dance.
1. Strength and fitness
Dance is a whole-body workout that builds strength and fitness and promotes good posture. Boys who dance have excellent balance, strong body awareness and their bodies are conditioned through the continuous interval and resistance-training involved in dance classes.
2. Focus
Any mum of young boys will tell you that getting them to focus can be hard work! Dancing combines the physical movement boys love (i.e. fun) with discipline—learning exercises, improving their technique, memorising and perfecting a routine. This all takes focus and learning how to focus will serve our boys throughout their entire lives.
3. Confidence and resilience
Dancing teaches children discipline and encourages them to keep practising until they get it right. Tackling smaller challenges in the dance studio builds their confidence, self-belief and resilience, which will give them the tools to address bigger challenges later in life.
4. Builds self-motivation
Boys love a competition, and competition is a huge part of growing as a dancer. I’m not talking about dancing competitions; I’m talking about the competition a dancer has with themselves to constantly improve their skills. Dancing offers daily opportunities to not only improve skills but to actually see the improvement in the mirror. As boys see the outcomes of their hard work and effort, this will flow on to motivate them beyond the dance studio.
5. Teamwork
Although it may not at first be obvious, teamwork is a huge part of dance. Even from a young age, dancers learn routines and then perform them as a team. Through the process, all dancers are working towards a common goal and, with so much repetition in learning dance routines, it teaches persistence and patience, respect for others and instils individual responsibility.
6. Self-expression and creativity
Movement is a language of its own and can often be a way for boys to communicate their feelings and emotions when they can’t (or won’t) say the words. Dance provides a healthy and safe way for boys to express their full range of emotions which, as they get older, will support them to make better choices.
7. The cool factor
Hip hop and acrobatics are so popular right now and male dancers can be found throughout the mainstream media. Whether it’s in a music clip or a movie, boys who dance are cool.
By Bonnie Ross, Studio Director at Radiance Dance Academy | Radiance offers a range of dance, acrobatic and theatre classes at Holland Park, Wilston & Windsor studios focused on building confidence and strength.