When my son was 3, I put him in soccer. He hated it. When he was 6, I tried again. Guess what? He still hated it. He was always artistic. Always loved to sing and dance around the house. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. I grew up in theater and spent my life performing. He asked me if he could dance hip-hop and I found a fun recreational dance class. What started as one class has turned into so much more.
His First Dance
I remember his excitement in those first few classes. He loved learning the moves and would happily run into hip-hop every Saturday. He would constantly ask me, “Why are there no boys in my class?” I never really had a response. When his first recital came around, I was a nervous wreck. He killed it and as he ran off stage he said, “Mom, I want to feel that feeling all the time.” One class led to 3 years of recreational hip-hop classes and my boy was having the time of his life.
Fast Forward
Fast forward to Summer of 2023 and he gets asked to audition for a dance company. I remember, at first, how overwhelmed he was. He was told he had to take all the classes. If he wanted to be in hip-hop, he also had to take ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, acro, and technique. “Ballet? MOM! Did they say I HAVE to take ballet???” He was worried because, from what he knew, boys only do hip-hop. Well, he made it on the team and is the only boy in almost all his classes. Does he wish there were more boys? Sure. Is he growing and learning more than I could ever imagine? 100%
Society
I am not going to lie. At first, I felt the need to clarify. “Yes, my son is in dance but he really likes hip-hop.” Who cares? My son is in dance and he is actually getting pretty good at all the styles.
I was laughing because I was watching Magic Mike and as I was swooning at these men and their moves I thought, these are dancers! These men took dance class. They were the ones who got up at a party and were able to join in. These men had swag. They were confident. MEN CAN DANCE.
Follow Your Kid’s Dreams
Every kid is different. They are all born with unique talents and personalities. My daughter dances now BUT, put her on the soccer field and she can give any boy a run for their money. Society may have certain standards of activities we “should” put our kids in but, in all honesty, the men on the dance floor and the women on the US soccer team get applauded as adults. How did they get there? I bet you there was a parent encouraging them along the way. Be your kid’s biggest cheerleader. The world may push these dreams out of their little minds. Don’t let it!
Dream big little ones.
