Hip hop dance is a unique style that started on the streets of New York City and is now taught in dance studios throughout the nation. Typically performed to hip hop music, it combines elements of African dance, tap, and ballet along with freestyle and breakdancing techniques, making it a fun and high-energy activity for children. Here are a handful of benefits of enrolling your young ones in these dance classes. 

Why Enroll Your Kids in Hip Hop Dance?

1. Promote Physical Fitness

Hip hop dance classes involve learning complex footwork and fast-paced movements, providing kids with extra cardiovascular exercise. This can help your young ones maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of childhood obesity. Additionally, this dance style requires kids to stretch their bodies and hold different poses, which may increase their flexibility and coordination while helping them build strong, toned muscles. 

2. Express Emotion and Creativity 

Since hip hop dance is high-energy and reflects the bold, confident attitude of the music, it can offer a powerful emotional outlet for kids. As children learn different steps and perform them to songs, they may express feelings they might not know how to put into words, providing a powerful emotional release. Additionally, since hop hop dancing encourages children to improvise and create freestyle movements, they may channel their creativity through dance and put their own unique touches on the choreography. 

3. Improve Cognition 

While taking hip hop dance lessons, children must pay close attention to their instructors as they learn complicated configurations of steps and movements. Additionally, they'll need to remember the choreography while performing with the music. This can improve a child's memory and give them a stronger ability to focus on tasks. These cognitive benefits may translate into the school classroom, helping kids perform better on quizzes and exams. 

4. Make New Friends

Taking hip hop dance lessons introduces your children to people from various backgrounds. This lets kids make new friends and spend time around peers from all walks of life. Besides strengthening your child's social network, this can help them discover the importance of diversity and empathy as they learn to understand and build stronger bonds with others who might be different from them.

Help your kids reap the benefits of hip hop dance by enrolling them in lessons at Dance Arts Centre. Located in Chanhassen, MN, this dance studio offers instruction in hip hop, ballet, tap, and acro to children throughout Carver and Hennepin counties. Visit the website to learn more about upcoming programs, or call (952) 937-2618 to sign your child up for dance classes.