Nov 12 2008
Do We Have a Star in the Making?
Unfortunately, Cheryl Burke and Maurice Greene were booted from the 7th season of “Dancing With The Stars”. Last night, viewers determined this duo would not make it to the semi-finals.
Although I’ve never actually done ballroom dancing, I’ve always admired the grace, determination, and skill it takes. It has always reminded me of love and romance…minus the modern-day raunchiness that plagues couple-dancing today. Sure, the women may wear scantily-clad costumes at times, but I think it is in good taste. The costumes are sexy enough to relay the message of seduction, but not too much as to offend prudent watchers.
Which brings me to why I’m writing about this today. My one-year-old daughter LOVES to dance. Anytime upbeat music is played, she breaks out in a dance. She did this even before she was born. When I was seven-months preggo, we attended an African wedding reception that lasted until 4 am. The beat of the drums had her thumping around in my belly so much I thought she would burst through. I wasn’t sure then whether she was upset that she couldn’t sleep or whether she was dancing to the beat. Now I know.
For as long as we can remember, she has enjoyed music. Family and friends alike get a kick out of watching her bob her head, wave her hands, and sway her diapered hips to the beat of music. Is she a star in the making? Maybe.
So, we’re already thinking about how to foster her love for music and dance. After all, when people are good at what they do, doesn’t it start early? Cheryl began taking ballet lessons at four and she (and her dancing celebrities, of course) later won the second and third seasons of “Dancing With The Stars”. Oh, the strength, tenacity, creativity, and passion it must take to be that competitive in anything!
Should we start her in ballet? Tap? Salsa? Hip-Hop? Ballroom? Who knew there were so many styles of dance? Of course, we probably should wait until she’s walking and running around steadily. Although she walks some, she still prefers to crawl to get anywhere fast. So, we still have time to decide.
We have been asked, jokingly, whether we want our daughter to be a lawyer (since both my husband and I are). Our answer is always the same–we want her to be whatever she wants to be. We want her to love whatever she is doing so that she will be the best she can be at it. As her parents, we want to be observant enough to discover what she likes and provide opportunities for her to hone those skills.
Good point, Patricia!
Do, please be very careful when choosing a dancing school for her. Children’s bones don’t “set” until they’re between 8 and 10 years old. If you send her to a school that makes her turn out her feet like a ballet dancer, or kick too high, she can end up with permanent damage to her bones - which may not show now, but she’ll have terrible arthritis when she’s older.
There’s nothing wrong with going to a dance school at 3 or 4, but at that age they should just be skipping around, learning to hold their arms nicely and keep time to the music.
My nephew is the same way, always dancing. Since he was a baby he’d bop around. He’s got rhythm too. My niece (his big sister) is in ballet and he so badly wants to join in. From the sidelines, he immitates the girls.
My brother-in-law asked him one day what things he would like to do (my niece is in ballet and brownies). He said he wants to dance like his sister….
We all say go for it, but my brother-in-law is homophobic and thinks have a son that dances will make the boy gay. I say so what if he is (dancing won’t MAKE him gay), but why oppress such a strong desire. I tell him look at Savion Glover and all the famous male tap dancers. There is nothing feminine about them….maybe one day he will listen….
As for you sweet little one, I think they require kids to be 2 to be in dance, but if she loves it so much, go for it. It will help her coordination and balance, but it will also tire her out and eat up some of them energy we all know 2 year olds have!
~Kelly
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