<p>Hello, I am 14, and I am quite confused on what I should do.</p>
<p>I am very interested in musical theater, and with MT comes...dancing. Well, I can't dance at all, but I am very willing to learn how. For focusing on a career in musical theater, should I take ballet classes or jazz classes? Also, should I take a big class (in either one) so I can get my feet wet, or take one with like, 8 kids and under?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Since you have little or no dance experience, you definitely need to start with ballet. Ballet is the basis for most other dance, and once you have the basics down, it makes transitioning to other dance styles easier. Of course if you can fit a jazz or tap class in too, all the better! I think size of class is dependent on what you have available to you and what it costs. Of course it is always nice to be in a small class as you will get more attention. However, at this point the most important thing is to get dance, anyway you can. It is important to get down the terminology so you will know what choreographers are talking about and to get the basics down. If you are near a CC, you might look to see if they offer dance this summer. I know my D got a lot of low cost instruction this way. Does your high school offer any dance as this is another way to get instruction. You have plenty of time to become proficient before college auditions roll around. Take as much dance as you can in as many forms as you can so that you are comfortable in the event you decide to audition for college MT programs. Good luck!</p>
<p>You want to take ballet and jazz, and if you can tap. All three are critical to musical theatre dance.</p>
<p>Should I take three all at once, or, introduce them one at a time, like a snowball?</p>
<p>Of course it would be beneficial to take all 3 if you can fit them into your schedule and it is affordable. If you are limited to one or two classes, I would definitely rank them in order: ballet, jazz and then tap. While performer is correct that all 3 are important to musical theater performance, when it comes to the actual audition process, tap is not required very often, if at all. Sometimes, auditioners may ask if the auditionee has any tap or will see it on a resume and ask to see a demonstration, but in general it is not a requirement of auditions. We know many kids who have been accepted to very competitive MT programs and are not fantastic dancers. I think many times the auditioner wants to see that there is a basic knowledge of dance and the potential to become a better dancer. They understand that not everyone has had an opportunity to dance extensively. They do want to see that you have a good attitude and are willing to work at dance! On the other hand, the whole MT audition process seems to become more competitive each year, so anything you can do to improve your skills will give you an edge when auditioning.</p>
<p>My D1 is going to be majoring in dance this fall. She considered MT but does not have any vocal background at this point. I would definitely recommend ballet as it is the basis of all dance. She a has also taken musical theatre dance classes at her studio. This is an incorporation of jazz dance but emphasizing the MT aspect of it. You may want to see if there are any studios nearby that would offer this. I know there are places that have dance classes just for those interested in theatre. Good luck.</p>