What dance class should I take if I have gymnastics experience?

Fishchimes: What dance class should I take if I have gymnastics experience?
I’m interested in signing up for a dance class, and I’m wondering what level would be appropriate if I have gymnastics experience but almost no dance. I would like to take irish step or ballet. I’m currently a level 5 competitive gymnast (thinking of quitting for reasons I won’t go into), so I would probably be stronger and more flexible the average beginning dancer, but I also know that dance and gymnastics are pretty different. What do you suggest? Thanks!

Answers and Views:

Answer by Selinaa
spin class at the local gym

Answer by Kathy
Try a teenage beginner ballet class. You wont be able to start in just any class with girls your age who have been dancing for a long time, you’d find it very difficult and it would be far too advanced. Ballet is the foundation for other dance genres, so try it first. Being flexible is good but does not compensate for technique, you still need to start from scratch. Being strong is also good, but you’ll find you’ll be using muscles you don’t normally use, and you’ll have to strengthen these muscles too. So yeah, a beginner class suited to your age group (I’m guessing you’re a teenager), just look around until you find a good one, don’t be afraid to try out a few different studios before making your choice 🙂

Answer by buriedalive
I too agree that a ballet class will be great to start out with. It’s the core of all styles of dance. Taking a beginner’s class is a good suggestion since there is much vocabulary and technique to learn, and you will have to physically become accustomed to the basic positions and movement of ballet. In the future, ballet will pay off by giving you the basics and having you prepared to take any other style of dance. Just be ready for all the demands and disciplines of ballet. Trust me, taking ballet classes will help you much in the dance field!
Having taken gymnastics classes in the past and being in an advanced ballet class, I know that your gymnast physique and stunts will come in handy for things in ballet such as balance, posture, confidence, jumps, and leaps.
Whatever dance class you take, I wish you the best, and hope you enjoy dancing as much as I do!

Answer by neeta
Ballet class 🙂

Answer by Sublime014
There is someone in my dance class who does gymnastics and she does ballet and jazz. I think her experience helps her with the gracefulness part of ballet, however, sometimes she gets her gymnastics mixed up with ballet. I think ballet or jazz would be fine.

Answer by Claire
I suggest doing ballet AND acro. acro is like ballet mixed with jazz (lyrical) but with more gymnastics and tricks (walkovers, cartwheels, etc.) I do acro and its AMAZING. Good luck!

Answer by Melanie Wong
This is interesting, I’m a level 5 competetive gymnast myself and I have joined dance a few months ago, I joined contemporary dance, it’s a dance where you combine a mix of jazz, ballet and modern. I have the flexibility, and being a gymnast, grace to do this dance, AND energy to do the fast/ slow dance..so you should do ballet..or try contemporary because you can take advantage of the gracefulness in gymnastics!

Answer by Sapphire
I’m going to dissent – and not just because I’m an irish dancer 😀

Irish dance is very regimented, so I think that it might be a good transition, as well as there are a lot more opportunities usually as an older beginner irish dancer than with ballet. Ballet and other forms of dance will likely mess up your technique for irish dance.