So you’ve decided to sign your child up for dance classes? Congratulations! But now you’re probably wondering, “wait…which dance style do we pick? Should we do more than one?”

We’ve got a full breakdown of common dance styles & which ones pair well together to help you decide!

Let’s start with the most common dance style for young dancers: Ballet

What does a ballet class include?

A ballet class will have barre, center, and across the floor movements. The barre exercises lay the foundation for more difficult movements performed in the center and across the floor, like big kicks (grand battements), turns (pirouettes), and leaps.

For young children (generally under the age of 8), they will do their barre exercises in the center of the room without the barre. This is primarily due to height (they’re too short for the barre!) but also because young kids are not developmentally ready for the more serious technical demands of barre work.

All that is to say, if your 5 year old signs up for ballet, you don’t need to buy them a barre to practice with at home 😉.

What are the benefits of ballet?

Ballet will help your child gain:

Grace
Posture
Balance
Discipline
And a strong technical foundation that translates well to most other dance styles

You can also expect an emphasis on instrumental and classical music in most ballet classes.

Next up: Jazz

What does a jazz class look like?

A jazz class will have isolation exercises, center, and across the floor movements. It may also have a conditioning component. Dancers will learn how to dance dynamically, with small movements of each body part separately (what dancers call isolations), and big, explosive leaps and turns.

Jazz is a uniquely American dance style with an emphasis on performance quality, and hitting the music. Some jazz classes may focus on musical theatre style dancing, while others may focus on more of a commercial style, like what you see in college dance teams or music videos.

What are the benefits of jazz?

Jazz will help your child learn:

Confidence
Athleticism
Musicality
Performance skills

You can expect contemporary or Broadway style music in most jazz classes.

How about Lyrical?

What does a lyrical class include?

Lyrical is a bit more up for individual studio’s interpretation, as some dance studios consider lyrical an extension of their ballet program, while others consider it a branch off of jazz.

Regardless, you can expect some basic technique work, either in the center or at the barre, and across the floor exercises.

What are the benefits of lyrical?

Lyrical will teach your child:

How to dance to the music
Artistic expression
Performance skills

Lyrical classes will emphasize learning choreography to music with words/lyrics (hence the name “lyrical”).

Bonus: Tap Dance

What does a tap class include?

A tap dance class will include movements performed in the center and across the floor. The emphasis in tap is learning how to make rhythm with your feet. Dancers will need special shoes that have metal taps on them, which allow the dancers to create many different sounds. Tap may be offered as part of a combo class, or as a standalone class.

What are the benefits of tap?

Tap will help your child learn:

Rhythm & timing
Musicality
Balance
Dexterity in their feet & ankles

Tap classes may feature a wide variety of music, including old school jazz, current hits, Broadway songs, and many styles in between!

If my child wants to learn multiple dance styles, what should they pick?

Here are some common pairings of dance styles, but that doesn’t mean your child can’t switch it up!

For the little girl who dreams of being a ballerina: Ballet + Tap

Ballet will help her meet her dreams of twirling across the room, while tap will help her learn the musical skills that will enable her to shine in her ballet class!

For the future commercial dancer: Jazz + Lyrical

Jazz will give your child a strong technical foundation, and lyrical will add an emotional softness to their toolbox that will really broaden their skills as a dancer.

For the aspiring Broadway performer: Ballet + Jazz + Tap

Whether it’s Phantom of the Opera, Singin’ in the Rain, or Chicago, a combo of ballet, jazz & tap is exactly what’s needed to make it on the musical stage. Each musical has different dance demands, and the variety of skills required between those 3 dance styles will set your dancer up for success!

Bonus style: ballroom is also helpful for aspiring musical theater performers!

For the future college dance team dancer: Ballet + Jazz + Lyrical

To make it on a college dance team nowadays, your dancer will need a strong technical foundation (ballet), excellent leaps and turns (jazz), and great performance skills (jazz and lyrical). They need the skills to shine on competitive dance stages, football fields, basketball courts, and more!

Bonus styles: hip hop and acro are also helpful for aspiring college dancers!

For the kid who just wants to have fun in dance class: Any dance style!

And don’t be afraid to try a few until your child finds the style that clicks with them ♥️

While this isn’t an exhaustive list of dance styles, we hope this guide helps you decide which to pick for your child!

And if you’re ready to start dancing, head to https://www.whitemountaindancestudio.com/kids-dance to sign your child up for their first dance class!

What’s the Difference Between Ballet, Jazz, and Lyrical? Your Guide to Different Dance Styles for Kids