Can I start dancing contemporary
at 16?

by Stephanie

I am 16 and I want to dance contemporary. I have never danced ballet, or modern dance; just a little of hip-hop.

How can I start?? with ballet? please help me, I have no idea... and sorry for my bad English, I am latina.
Thanks.


FIRST ANSWER:

Hi Stephanie,

YES! You can start dancing contemporary at 16.
You know what? Most of the pioneers of modern and contemporary dance started taking classes at that age or even later.

Nowadays, the practice has spread a lot and there are official schools where you need to be a child to be admitted. But that is the case of academic tuitions in which students are prepared for achieving skills that are acrobatic and highly refined.

You can also achieve that if you want, according to your conditions and the time you spend from now on to the practice.

If you take ballet classes, that will help you a lot. Ballet is a type of training that develops skills used when dancing contemporary. But, the study of ballet is not strictly necessary.

You can also look for schools that offer contemporary or modern dance classes. Try different teachers, if you have the possibility, to see which style fits your personality the best. And from there, off you go…

Browse over our page about contemporary dance schools if you haven´t found the places in your locality yet.

If you’re wishing to do this professionally, better look for a school with long-term planning and official certifications. If you just want to give it a try or don’t want to engage much yet, an academy for amateurs might be enough.

Good luck with your start. Let us know how you get on and don’t hesitate to reply with more questions if you have them.


Kindly,
Maria