Ballet camps more than just adorable way to keep young kids active
The Grand Rapids Ballet offers week long classes throughout the summer for children ages of 3-9. The classes use familiar stories to teach children the fundamentals of dance and discipline, improving their coordination and even social skills along the way.
This summer, boys and girls ages 3–9 can enroll in camps at the Grand Rapids Ballet with familiar and interactive themes like “Peter Pan” and “Alice and Wonderland.” Performances at the end of each week create a chance for the children to present their ballet to parents and friends.
That familiar story, says Attila Mosolygo, the Grand Rapids Ballet School Principal, provides an easy way for kids to jump right in and feel comfortable.
“When [kids] go into a classroom setting they are actually participating and become very active,” he says. Plus, that short week time frame is a plus as well. “Summer camps are a great way to try an activity without the summer long commitment.”
At the ballet summer camps, experienced and inexperienced dancers learn ballet etiquette and coordination in an interactive environment. Mosolygo says movement in children’s lives is more important than we may realize.
“Children use their imagination through learning how to move their bodies,” he says. “[Starting at a] young age is important because the likelihood of them sticking with it is much greater…What they learn from their dance classes stay with them into their adult lives.”
The 75 to 90 minute classes are designed to teach little ones the fundamentals of dance.
“Young students are able to go into a professional setting to start learning about the craft of dance,” says Mosolygo, “exposing them to something that they would not be exposed to.” Setting and achieving a goal, he says, helps the dancers develop discipline.
But it’s not just about growing new dancers. Mosolygo has a secondary goal as well: to grow the young dancers in their social lives.
“[Working] in a group setting,” he says, “and preparing them for an adult life and the decisions they will have to make” is a big part of the structure of the camp. Accountability is another important area the little ones are exploring at the summer camp.
“You probably could not take anything much more difficult.” Mosolygo says, “Many of the older dancers say ‘If football was any harder it would be called ballet.’” Ballet isn’t just for professional dancers and adorable little kids, though. He encourages everyone to take ballet, because of its benefits to mobility in other sports. “Professional basketball players take ballet for the strength and stretch it offers,” he says.
Mosolygo is inspired by the growing dedication of his students. While some become professional performers, many go to college and start families.
“They are adults with their own lives and they start taking their own kids and put them in the same classes they started with,” he says. “It always inspires me when I see grad students returning to our school because of the experiences they have made.”
Enrollment is still open for July and August classes. For more information about the summer camps and other opportunities to learn or continue ballet, visit the Grand Rapids Ballet website.
