After 10 years in the business and receiving thousands of girls in my studio, I can confidently say why young girls enjoy flamenco dance more than ballet. As a disclaimer, I would like to ad that my only intension with this blog is to identify the aspects that some girls find more appealing in flamenco dance than ballet. I am, in no way, underestimating the importance of ballet in any dancer’s training whatsoever.
Pre-schoolers and young girls (6-8 years old) have the same social-emotional development needs in which aspects such us control their own feelings and behaviors, get along with peers and show more independence are not under their full control yet.
The development of this aspects include the child’s experience, expression, and management of emotions. Even though ballerinas are encouraged to express their emotions through ballet dance, the effort requires more concentration, self control and awareness that young girls at this age don’t control yet. Flamenco, on the contrary, is known for its emotional intensity, expressive use of the arms and rhythmic stamping of the fee. These resources flamenco dance provides ease the expression of their emotions and more importantly… makes it more fun!
Kids love to explore and touch, feel, smell, taste, watch and wonder about everything around them at this stage, so ballet teachers have a tuff job to include props to make learning more fun and keep their students engaged, as in flamenco dance on the contrary, exists a large list of preconceived elements to beauty the dance such as: abanico (fan), manton (shawl), bata de cola (long train skirt), castanuelas (castanets), capa (cape), sombrero cordobas (hat), etc.
Wide range of music rhythm, elements to explore and dance with, fun recourses to express your emotions, cute outfit… it all summarises ENDLESS FUN!
Ole!
Ana.