| Every holiday season, after seeing the Nutcracker, | | | | 5. Better posture. One of the first things you will learn in |
| millions of little girls go to sleep with visions of | | | | ballet class is how to stand up straight. Where else will |
| sugarplums dancing in their heads... Sugarplum fairies, | | | | you learn this if not in ballet class? And to reiterate an |
| that is. But five-year-olds haven't cornered the market | | | | earlier point, this is another one of the reasons why it is |
| on the desire to learn ballet; the truth is that there are | | | | so easy to identify ballerinas in a crowd. |
| just as many businesswomen and mothers with the | | | | 6. Outlet for personal expression. For some of us, it's |
| same dream. It's never too late (or too early) to follow | | | | hitting a pillow. For others, it's yelling from a mountaintop |
| your heart, slither into a leotard and tights and join in a | | | | or scribbling away in a journal. But it can't hurt to add |
| ballet class, and the benefits are huge. For instance: | | | | another option to your list. |
| 1. Discipline. There is something to be said for the fine | | | | 7. Listening and memory skills. There's an awful lot of |
| art of mental control. While the lack of it is usually | | | | stuff to learn during the course of a ballet class, not to |
| glaringly apparent in five-year-olds, it lurks in the deep | | | | mention the fact that the terminology is all in French. |
| recesses of the minds of most adults, too. We've just | | | | The only way to stay ahead of the game is to pay |
| gotten better about camouflaging it. Mind over matter | | | | very close attention to what is being said and |
| is a huge skill that can be applied in every facet of life | | | | demonstrated, and then do your earthly best to |
| for the remainder of one's lifetime. | | | | remember when to do what. This is fantastic for |
| 2. Grace, strength and control. It's easy to identify a | | | | keeping your brain lively. |
| ballerina in a crowd, and this trio of benefits is a good | | | | 8. Body awareness. You're probably aware enough of |
| part of the reason why. Dancers move differently than | | | | some parts you would like to change, erase or give |
| the rest of their human counterparts, because they | | | | away. That's not the type of body awareness that's |
| have spent a great deal of time and energy cultivating | | | | being addressed. Instead, you will grow awareness of |
| grace, strength and control. Precision of movement is | | | | how to move all the different parts of the body, and |
| one of the most fundamental requirements of ballet, | | | | what is attached to what. And hey, your balance will |
| and the good news is that it's transferable to other | | | | improve. Dramatically. |
| athletic endeavors. That is why many football players, | | | | 9. Spatial awareness. Ballet classes begin at the barre |
| gymnasts and other athletes also spend time at the | | | | but end in the center of the room, with lots of jumping |
| ballet barre. | | | | and twirling. Not only will you learn to move in desired |
| 3. Flexibility. More flexibility means greater range of | | | | ways in the desired direction, you will also learn how to |
| movement and less potential for injury. Who wouldn't | | | | do all this without crashing into anyone else. Works |
| want those two things? Ready to sign up yet? | | | | really well in crowds. |
| 4. Great exercise. Let's face it, bodies were made to | | | | 10. Fun. This one pretty much goes without saying, but |
| move, as often as possible, every day. Why else | | | | is one of the very best possible reason to sign up for |
| would we have all these moving parts? Since exercise | | | | ballet, which is why it was saved it for last. Who |
| is absolutely necessary for health and longevity, we | | | | couldn't use a little more fun in their life? |
| may as well pick an activity we enjoy. This will | | | | Whether you are five or fifty-five, you can enjoy the |
| probably sound like a biased statement, but dance is a | | | | benefits of ballet class. How many other hobbies can |
| whole lot more fun than the gym. Or consider this | | | | boast fitness, posture, balance and fun? It's never too |
| simple equation: Joy of movement= laying the | | | | late (or too early) to pursue the dream of dance. |
| groundwork for a life time of good exercise habits. | | | | |
