Northland School of Dance

Ballet and Dance School in Champlin, MN

Dance Studio | Champlin, MN
763-421-5443

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I want to be a Jazz dancer, do I still need Ballet training?

January 15, 2015 by Northland School of Dance

Classical Ballet Training is often misunderstood and like many studios, we get a lot of questions about it.

Here are a few common questions:

Classic Ballet training is the foundation for all forms of dance

“Do I need Classical Ballet Training if I want to be a Jazz dancer?”

“How important is quality Ballet Training?”

“Do I really need quality Ballet Training if I want to dance, but am not interested in becoming a ballerina?”

“What is the best age to get serious about Ballet Training?”

These are all good questions, and Karen Paulson Rivet – former instructor at Northland School of Dance, helps to clear up some of the confusion over it:

If you want to be a jazz dancer, and you want to be good at it, you need classical ballet training. Ballet is very important to create quality dancers in any dance form. Why? The answer is simple; classical ballet is the base for all other forms of performance dance. Ballet comes from a base of control. Ballet trains the body to control the large and the small motor movements, while creating core strength in the abdominals and lower back. This is crucial to a dancer’s development and technique.

Lucy, Young dancerMany children start dancing as young as 2-3 years old in dance studios. Depending on the age of the child they may enter a creative movement class or a preschool combination class that is designed for fun while learning basics in dance. Many fabulous dancers have emerged from just such programs. As students mature they begin more serious levels of training. In the world of classical ballet it is different. World renowned ballet companies in Russia, and France do not start students training in ballet until they are ten years old. In doing so the student is more physically, emotionally and cognitively ready for serious ballet training. It takes approximately 8 to 10 years to train a classical ballet dancer.

Dance studios nationally and internationally have found it beneficial to offer ballet as part of their curriculum. If you increase the quality of ballet training you increase the ability of the dancer to perform in all dance genres.

Filed Under: Dance Life

Northland School of Dance is an award winning dance studio in Champlin, MN, offering a wide variety of dance instruction from dedicated and professionally trained teachers.
At NSOD, my daughter not only gets training from the most reputable and talented instructors, she also has created friendships, learns responsibility and respect, builds her confidence, and is taught the finest form of sportsmanship. I appreciate the friendly atmosphere, strong family values, volunteerism of the studio, and pride they have in each and every student."

Ricci Milan and our 2020 Seniors!

Our 2020 seniors had the opportunity to dance in a video that Ricci Milan produced last June. Northland is privileged that Ricci brings his talent, enthusiasm, and love for dance to our kids.

Northland School of Dance is a full service dance studio located in Champlin MN. Students attend classes from the surrounding areas of Anoka, Coon Rapids, Andover, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Rogers, St. Michael, Osseo, Otsego, Dayton, and other neighboring communities.

Northland School of Dance does not discriminate, and welcomes all races, religions, and genders.

We offer dance classes in both recreational and competitive levels, for ages 2 ½ – adult. Classes include: jazz, tap, ballet, Pointe’, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, acro, boy only classes, special needs classes, adult classes, a full range of technique classes and more!

763-421-5443
Champlin, MN

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