I recently took my boys to their first full ballet performance to see Peter Pan by the Cincinnati Ballet. I didn’t give them a lot of notice of our upcoming adventure in case they decided to give a lot of resistance to the idea. My kids are pretty used to trying different experiences all the time so they were not too shocked when I told them our evening plans.
Peter Pan was probably the perfect 1st performance for them because there was flying, lots of actions scenes and humor. My younger son was a little confused in beginning and asked why no one was speaking. It helped that they already had a general idea of the storyline too.
A good sign was that they asked if they would be attending The Nutcracker during intermission that night.
I’m the only girl in a family that revolves around watching and playing sports but that doesn’t mean that my family can’t also enjoy the arts. What I appreciate about my husband is that even though he prefers sports, he is open-minded enough to enjoy other experiences too. Last spring he attended a choreographed performance by the Cincinnati Ballet with live music by the band Over the Rhine. We both LOVE the band and he kept leaning over and whispering how beautiful it was.
Here are a few reasons why I think it’s good to bring boys to the ballet.
1. It’s good to try something new
Getting out of their comfort zone and trying new experiences helps them grow.
2. It will help them be more well rounded.
You can learn a lot from people who are different than you. It’s great for your kids to be exposed to other subcultures and hobbies that they are not around very often. It also gives them more to talk about.
3. To see athletes in a new light
Watching a ballet performance gives you a new appreciation for athleticism. My boys understand the athletism in football because it’s a sport they play. What they didn’t realize is that many professional football players attribute ballet to helping them cross train. Ballet can help football players with endurance, strength, balance, mental focus, flexibility, speed and agility. After watching a performance, they had a new respect for male dancers.
4. To expose them to the arts
The younger your kids are exposed to the arts, the more open-minded they are about it. It’s great for kids to see and appreciate creativity in various forms.
5. They might like it
They might not love everything but might enjoy more than they thought and realize that their perception wasn’t the reality.
You can find out more about the Cincinnati Ballet and their upcoming performances from their website.
Love that you took your boys to a ballet! My husband and I went to a ballet for our first date, and I’ve always been impressed with his willingness to attend and appreciate all kinds of “performances”–hoping we can pass that down to our son & you bring up some great points! He’s 3 years old now, so we’re starting small with some shorter more age/developmentally appropriate stuff, but I can’t wait to expose him to more!