Ballet for children and teenagers

It can take a long time to reach a professional level in ballet, so most dancers begin their training very young. It is essential that very young dancers learn the ballet movements properly right from the beginning. 【小题1】 This is because it is usually more difficult to change old habits than to learn new ones.

The first thing that young children who are interested in learning to dance often do is attend creative movement classes, where they can practice basic skills like jumping and turning, and just have fun. 【小题2】 In addition, some people recommend that they should learn either to sing or play instrument.

Young people who decide they want to have a ballet career can attend a dance school. Here, students not only study normal school subjects but also do daily dance training. 【小题3】 And the whole dance-school environment is set up to support the young people’s artistic development; it allows them to focus on their dance more easily, and prepares them for their future. But how can a young dancer and their parents tell which dance school is the most suitable? 【小题4】 The older students taking part in it should clearly have more highly-developed ballet skills than the younger dancers.

By the time they are 16 or 17, many ballet dancers are entering ballet competitions and taking classes at professional studies. 【小题5】 It is important for young dancers to know how well they are doing, because the dance world is very competitive and the training is hard; not everyone makes it to the top.

Gracefully spinning among a group of dancers in pink, Anthony Madu stood out in black leggings. The 11-year-old boy's dance in the rain in Lagos, Nigeria, not only touched the hearts of millions who saw his passion but it is helping make his dream come true.

A video of him dancing barefoot in the rain on concrete outside the studio where he trains, the Leap of Dance Academy, became a hit last month—more than 15 million people have watched his joyful leaps and pirouettes, not discouraged by the rain and rough surface.

Accompanying Anthony's video, the Academy wrote some words, "Behind those fanciful beauty and costumes are lots and lots of backstage hard work. With very little or no resources our kids are training to be the best they can.”

The video caught the eye of the American Ballet Theatre, which gave Anthony a scholarship and arranged Internet access for virtual training this summer. Anthony will now have the chance to train with some of the best ballet dancers in the world. When asked how ballet makes him feel, the boy said, "It makes me feel strong and happy. When I am dancing, 1 feel as if I am on top of the world. I see my future like that I'm going to be a professional dancer when I grow up," Anthony said.

Cynthia Erivo, an actress of the Theatre, was greatly moved by the young dancer's performance. "I think it's extremely important because I think boys are encouraged to do this incredibly hard craft that actually encourages strength and stamina and beauty," she said. In addition, the Theatre's famous performer Calvin Royal III offered encouragement from half a world away. "You are not only changing your world there in Africa but you're changing the hearts and minds of so many people," Royal said.

Since winning the BBC Young Musician competition in 2016, Sheku Kanneh-Mason has performed at a royal wedding and released music that has topped the charts. Now he has released a new album called Song. “Because the cello (大提琴) sings,” he explains. “There are no boundaries to music,” he said. “I enjoy what Ienjoy.”

Sheku comes from an incredible musical family in which all six of his siblings (he is the third child of seven) play instruments to a high standard—yet neither parents are musicians. Every spare penny goes into the children’s musical education. The whole family practised at home, which meant he sometimes had to play cello in the bathroom.

Every Saturday, Sheku wakes up at the crack of dawn in order to catch the train to London. He uses the journey to catch up with his A-Level homework. However Sheku still finds time for his other hobbies — he enjoys football, table tennis and listens to a wide range of music. Sheku began to play the cello at the age of six, after attending a concert. By the time he was nine, he had achieved Grade 8 and earned the top marks in the country. Since then he has won numerous awards.

“I would love to inspire more diversity in young people taking up classical music.”

Sheku is also passionate about building better opportunities for young people of any background to learn music at school. “You might never want to go on to become a musician, but it’s still so important. I’d love to help bring more music to schools.”

Many schools are having to cut music lessons to save money, which Kanneh-Mason believes deprives young people. “Children should study music for music’s sake,” he said. “It connects the emotional side of your brain — the creativity, the empathy (understanding how other people feel)— with something practical. To bring them together is a very powerful thing.”