WAG Is Ballet really important?

[munchkin3]

Does your DD either take ballet or have a real ballet component in their gymnastics training???
How much do you think it affects their gymnastics and scoring?

We are trying to get a separate ballet component geared to their routines.....just wondering about everyone's regimen here.

 

[lovemygymnast]

My DD does 1 hour of ballet a week outside of gym. It was recommended to help with lines. There is a dance instructor at the gym and they do have times where the team works with her but it's not much time at all. If they offered the quality of ballet she receives outside of the gym, at the gym, we would sign her up, but they don't.

 

[ladybird]

This is just my perspective as a parent who is also a dance mom. I think every gymnast should be taking ballet. I have no idea as far as scoring but I can tell from watching floor routines who needs extra dance training and who doesn't. I have also heard it can have a positive impact on beam as far as turnout and balance.

I am currently trying to figure out how to get ballet back in my dd's schedule. We don't have anything built into our gym schedule for dance training. We have time in our week, I just need to do it!

 

[profmom]

DD's team has always had a weekly dance rotation. As a team, they do well on floor, and their turns, dance, and leaps are comparatively good as far as I can tell. The dance instructor mixes it up, so a good bit is ballet training but there are also some other styles in there from time to time. I don't think DD would have made it through floor all these years up until now without it, as her tumbling was not dynamic or powerful.

 

[Seeker]

We have a dance component at our gym and I think it shows on both beam and floor. The quality of movement is different in a gymnast trained in dance. My dd has benefitted greatly from it.

 

[Firefly]

Our gym does not offer any dance, but I have both of my daughters take an hour long ballet class on one of their off days. I think it has helped a lot. My older dd is all power, but lacked a lot of grace in her movements and had awkward leaps and kicks. Ballet is helping her focus on these specific dance movements. Her ballet instructor also places huge emphasis on flexibility, so it's an extra day of stretching. They stretch in a different way, as well, and my daughter prefers the ballet stretching. I definitely think gymnasts should do ballet.

 

[cbifoja]

My biggest regret in my DD's little gym career is that I didn't require her to take a dance class. It shows in both her floor exercise and beam presentation that she has no formal dance background. Learning choreography is painful. Her hands look like lobster claws. She has no turn out to speak of.

Our gym has a dance rotation for the girls on and off depending on when we have a dance teacher on staff. Unfortunately it's very inconsistent and not enough to overcome my DD's issues. I agree that every gymnast should be in some sort of formal dance training. Now does it HAVE to be ballet? I don't think so. But something formal where they are learning dance principles, artistry, and form.

 

[ladybird]

My biggest regret in my DD's little gym career is that I didn't require her to take a dance class. It shows in both her floor exercise and beam presentation that she has no formal dance background. Learning choreography is painful. Her hands look like lobster claws. She has no turn out to speak of.

Our gym has a dance rotation for the girls on and off depending on when we have a dance teacher on staff. Unfortunately it's very inconsistent and not enough to overcome my DD's issues. I agree that every gymnast should be in some sort of formal dance training. Now does it HAVE to be ballet? I don't think so. But something formal where they are learning dance principles, artistry, and form.

Jazz would be great for gymnasts too.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Yes, ballet is really important.
I *wish* my gymmie could be persuaded to take a weekly ballet class.... Or that our gym would be persuaded to hire a dance teacher for at least a monthly session with all girls! My gymmie did dance for a while, but she did jazz OR musical theater OR hip hop (her sister is a dancer so since she was little she took at least one dance class/year because we were at the studio all the time anyways...). She hates ballet but she is one of those gymnasts that ReALLY could use it..!

 

[Muddlethru]

My daughter does not take any dance nor does any member of her team. The coach does not require it. My daughter is naturally graceful but does not have any dance "technique" of which to speak. I would LOVE for her to incorporate dance into her gymnastics somehow for my own selfish reasons. It does show in the floor and beam routines. I think in the national level is where it gets more recognition. But the tumbling and the gymnastics part is what will give them higher scores. I know many girls who do a tremendous amount of dancing (they are in a dance team as well as in a gymnastics team), and they don't score well because their tumbling is not that great. I know many girls who don't do dance at all and have massive scores. If you can incorporate dance without sacrificing practice hours, then it is the best thing you can do for your gymnast.

All things being equal, an "artistically" performed routine may get a bump of .1 or even .2 if the judges really like the routine. This is what I've observed. A tenth of a point may seem insignificant but it can make difference between placing 1st or second.

"Is ballet REALLY important"? I'd have to say no but it is good to have.

 

[cbifoja]

But the tumbling and the gymnastics part is what will give them higher scores. I know many girls who do a tremendous amount of dancing (they are in a dance team as well as in a gymnastics team), and they don't score well because their tumbling is not that great. I know many girls who don't do dance at all and have massive scores.

I'd love to know where you are so we could come there because this has not at ALL been my reality. My DD is one hell of a tumbler but can't dance worth anything. She rarely even sees the podium for floor even when scoring in the low 9s.

ETA....I just checked my DD's last meet. She got a 9.35 on floor. Wasn't enough to place.

 

[munchkin3]

Ok, sounds like ballet is a plus......I just made my DD take a special class only for gymnasts. I am very lucky because my DD gym is part of a larger facility which offers many other sports including ballet. Until now, they mostly offer pre school and beginning ballet, but the instructor was very excited to start something more advanced with the gymnastics girls.

DD tried it (against her will) but came out pleasantly surprised. She liked it. They worked a lot of leg stuff and grace....holding legs up and scales and positions, and leaps. ALL stuff they need. It was funny to see the girls rubbing their legs, and wincing. They were surprised at how hard it was!!!

Now the trick is to get more girls to sign up so that they can make it an official class!!!

 

[Muddlethru]

I'd love to know where you are so we could come there because this has not at ALL been my reality. My DD is one hell of a tumbler but can't dance worth anything. She rarely even sees the podium for floor even when scoring in the low 9s.

ETA....I just checked my DD's last meet. She got a 9.35 on floor. Wasn't enough to place.

You don't have to be in my area. I feel this is the reality everywhere. The Olympics, Worlds are true testament to that. The Americans are the best tumblers and get the higher scores compared to the Russians and Romanians which in my book are far superior artistic gymnasts. If the gymnasts is truly a superior tumbler, she will get the high score. Jumps and leaps can be executed well without a dance background as long as the gymnast is flexible and strong.

 

[OrangeArt]

I was wondering this a few months ago, and was able to talk my daughter into taking a weekly ballet class. I haven't seen much translation over into her gymnastics yet (I realize it hasn't been long), but she does seem to do well in the class itself. Her flexibility helps a lot. She's enjoying it, and I hope the gymnastics benefits will come eventually.

 

[COz]

Yes ballet will help. It will help develop whatever natural 'dance ability' that they already have. So it will help "more" with some than others.
Constant correction will always help, so a stricter class is better.

But, by the time you start to see the benefits from them ballet class, it is possible that you would have seen these benefits at that point anyway simply because the child is older and has better body awareness and has had more time in the gym with the coaches correcting the quality of movement.

Girls who have a naturally better quality of movement and good lines, tend to like ballet and stay in it for longer or ask for the classes, so to certain extent there is a self fulfilling prophecy.
Ballet will always help, but only if the child doesn't hate it.
If she tries a class and likes it (which is more likely than not, as ballet is not what they might think and is usually more regimented than gym with more constant correction rather than fluffing about being fairies) then that's great. If she tries a class and hates it I wouldn't be concerned that she is missing out. Just let her sleep more

 

[Vivianflips]

I took ballet for many years before taking off my ballet slippers to pursue gymnastics more, my ballet experience has helped me a lot in gymnastics! Ballet is a great way to improve balance and technique.

 

[Muddlethru]

I'd love to know where you are so we could come there because this has not at ALL been my reality. My DD is one hell of a tumbler but can't dance worth anything. She rarely even sees the podium for floor even when scoring in the low 9s..

You don't have to be in my area. I feel this is the reality everywhere. The Olympics, Worlds are true testament to that. The Americans are the best tumblers and get the higher scores compared to the Russians and Romanians which in my book are far superior artistic gymnasts. If the gymnasts is truly a superior tumbler, she will get the high score. Jumps and leaps can be executed well without a dance background as long as the gymnast is flexible and strong.

Let me further expound on my post. I responded with my daughter's current level in mind without regard to the various levels. I think ballet can have a more dramatic increase in scores in the compulsory levels and early optional levels when tumbling is still not that intense. I think it is only once you get to Levels 9 and 10 where you can really tell the strong tumblers and perhaps grace plays second fiddle. In addition, in the lower levels there isn't much diversity and as such a beautifully executed routine will get the higher marks.

 

[andarc]

My DD takes ballet every day at school as an elective. She is 9, L3. She definitely thinks it has helped.

 

[Ponyshine]

I am a gymnast who has done ballet most of my life. I find it has really helped artistically with floor and beam routines

 

[NoDramaMama]

My dd (7 YO Level 3), takes a ballet 2 class and has been taking ballet for as long as gymnastics. It does help her, however, there are times when I hear her gymnastics coach yell at her for her dancers legs. I guess they leap differently. She has gotten better at keeping her dance leaps in ballet and her gym leaps in gymnastics. It has helped her tremendously with form and flexibility.