Teen dance lessons help young adults build self-confidence, achieve goals, and learn a fun hobby they can enjoy as they age.

Being a teenager is hard work. In addition to the rigorous demands of school and the pressure of preparing for high-stakes college admissions, teens are grappling with current events and social challenges. The pandemic outbreak took a toll on the mental health of our nation’s teenagers. Social media was already putting a damper on their self-confidence and isolating them from regular activities and friends. Then, when schools were closed, it exacerbated the problem.

While many of the safeguards put in place at the outset of the pandemic, such as masks and remote schooling, were lifted, and kids returned to school in 2022, their mental health was still shaky. Teens had trouble readjusting to the new normal as they tried to overcome learning loss and acclimate to a full-day schedule. At least 15% of children ages 12 to 17 years old had at least one major depressive episode, and one in three kids did not receive the mental health treatment needed in 2022, according to Mental Health America. While firearm deaths are the largest killer of teens, at least 13% of teenagers die by suicide each year.

Even if a teen is not suffering from mental health issues, social media can damage their self-esteem. Approximately 35% of teenagers are on at least one social media platform constantly, reports Pew Research. Social media only exposes a snapshot of a person’s life and can make teens question their worth, leading to depression, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness.

Dancing Improves Self-Esteem

With all the challenges facing today’s teens, they need an outlet to let their creative spirit shine. Fred Astaire Dances Studios offers private and group ballroom dance lessons at our local studios to help them set attainable goals in a fun, welcoming atmosphere. Achieving goals will help bolster self-confidence and give your teen the life skills they need to achieve their dreams.

At Fred Astaire Dance Studios, we teach teens how to waltz, tango, and swing. Learning ballroom dance helps give their self-esteem a boost and improves physical fitness. Ballroom dancing burns calories, improves heart health, increases flexibility, and builds muscle strength. Partner dancing forces teens to work together to achieve a shared goal and can help them master social etiquette skills.

Ballroom dance lessons help teens gain confidence both on and off the dance floor. Take a look at these teens confidently displaying their ballroom dance skills.

Teenagers Ryan Boz of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Alexis Garrish of Damascus, Maryland, won first prize when they competed in a swing dancing competition held in Burbank, California.

In a television series produced in England, two ballroom dancing experts helped troubled teens follow a new path. Michael Stylianos and Lorna Lee encouraged the teens to turn over a new leaf as they learned moves on the dance floor.

Here’s a clip of the Extreme Ballroom Company Youth Gold Team performing to “Cola” at the National Formation DanceSport Championships in Provo, Utah, in 2022.

Dance Into 2023

Help your teen set goals for the new year to improve their self-esteem. Sign them up for a dance lesson at your local Fred Astaire Dance Studios location to allow them to learn the time-honored tradition of ballroom dancing.