If your child is just beginning their journey of youth ballet then you may be filled with many questions. Especially if you were like me with little to no background information on ballet. When my husband and I decided to sign Julia up for ballet it was simply because God revealed her talent and her excitement for dancing to us.
I have always prayed for my children from the moment I knew they were inside my stomach. The prayer that I pray consistently is this, “Lord, please reveal my child’s gifts and talents to me, my husband, and to my child so that we can encourage them in their gifting and so they will know their purpose.
Whether you signed your child up for youth ballet because you can see their talent or simply as a sport for them, you may have questions. Here are 5 things I have found to be essential for youth ballet dancers.
1. Extra tights– Learning how to put on tights by yourself takes time, a tear may occur in the process of learning how hard you need to pull to get them on. Also, if your child is signed up for more than one day a week it allows them to have a clean pair to wear while you wait to wash the other pair.
2. Dance bag– Having a bag to hold their shoes allows going to practice to be quick and easy. It also puts the responsibility on your child to make sure they have everything they need for ballet. A dance bag also comes in handy for holding any paper announcements your child’s dance instructor may have for you.
3. Good diet– ballet is a tough sport and by having a balanced diet your child will have more energy for dancing. If your child does not like a certain food group try to disguise it. For example, if it is hard to get your child to eat vegetables try blending it into a fruit smoothie or puree it and mix it into the rest of your dinner.
4. Nude– This is not something your child will wear everyday but it is important if they are going to be a part of a performance. A nude is a flesh colored leotard that serves as underwear under a costume during a performance.
5. Encouragement– I cannot stress enough that ballet is hard. Julia loves her youth ballet so much that when we come home she takes me step by step on what she learned in class. She likes to pretend she is the teacher and I am the student. I attempt to do what she is showing me, and I can honestly say ballet is hard! So I recommend that you offer your child encouragement through affirmation, taking an interest and asking them how class went, or by feeding your child’s excitement toward ballet any way possible.
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