Dance Classes for Children

Dance is an enjoyable activity for a child and a genuinely useful one. It supports how they develop physically, emotionally and cognitively, which is a wider return than most activities offer.

It's also not far-fetched that a child who starts early keeps going. Plenty of professional performers, the K-pop acts children follow among them, started with exactly this kind of class.

So there's no reason to hesitate about backing what your child is drawn to. Enrolling them in a dance class is the straightforward way to do it.

What actually happens in a children's dance class?

There are two shapes, and they suit different children. A syllabus school works to a fixed curriculum, most often the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus out of London, which 6 of the schools listed below teach. A child enters at Pre-Primary or Primary and moves up one graded step at a time, with an examination at the end of each.

An open studio class works the other way round. Children are placed in age bands rather than grades, learn a routine across a term, and finish with a showcase or a competition instead of an exam. Neither route is better. The exam route gives a child something measurable to work toward; the studio route gives them a stage sooner.

Ballet, modern dance and traditional dance sit closer together than you would think

Of the schools listed here, 14 run a ballet stream and 17 run modern dance, hip hop or K-pop. Those two numbers overlap, because 4 schools teach both under one roof, which means the choice is often made inside a single school rather than between two of them.

Traditional dance is the smaller group and it is taught in a mix of places, at a sanggar seni, as tari kreasi and Tari Jaipongan next to a modern class, and as Chinese dance at two of the studios below. The youngest listed dance class in the whole set starts at 2 years old, and the widest age bands run to 18, so there is a starting point at almost any age.

Dance schools on Happy Kamper, city by city

There are 27 of them across 11 cities. Jakarta accounts for 8, Bandung for 5 and Denpasar for 4. Each name below links to that school's own profile, which is where the class list, the age bands and the current fee live, kept by the school itself. Everything written here comes from those same listings, so check the profile before you make a decision on it.

Jakarta

Musico Music School, Kelapa Gading
Modern dance and K-pop dance, each split into its own age band, from 3 up to 16. It is a music school as well, so an instrument can be added at the same address.

Star Station, Pejagalan, North Jakarta
A kids' dance class and a teens' dance class, sitting alongside gymnastics, fine art and voice at the same centre. Listed up to 18.

Art Ballet School, Paseban, Central Jakarta
Classical ballet on the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus from London, running from a parent-and-child class and pre-school ballet, through Pre-Primary and the graded syllabus, up to Intermediate Foundation and Advanced 2. Listed up to 18.

Cadenza Anima Music & Art, Gandaria Utara, Kebayoran Baru
Ballet and traditional dance run as group classes, next to piano, violin, guitar, drums and a children's choir. Ages 4 to 18, at Radio Dalam and Cinere.

BBDS, Rawamangun, East Jakarta
Classical ballet only, from a pre-school dance class through Pre-Primary and the graded syllabus up to Intermediate and Advanced Foundation, with local and international examinations. Ages 3 to 18.

Leap & Beat Dance Center, Kebayoran Baru
Pre-Primary ballet on the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus, taught at two addresses, Kebayoran Baru and Gunawarman. Ages 5 to 7.

Elpro Art Dance, Bintaro, Pesanggrahan
Traditional, modern and contemporary Indonesian dance. The two listed classes are a children's tari kreasi class and Tari Jaipongan. Ages 6 to 18.

Dancelink Ballet School, West Cilandak, South Jakarta
Ballet for children on the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus. Ages 3 to 18.

Bandung

NEZ ballet & dance school, Margaasih
Classical ballet, modern dance and contemporary, taught across branches at Taman Kopo Indah, Cikawao, Setiabudhi, Kurdi and Jalan Anggrek. Ages 3 to 18.

Amarylis Ballet School, Cigondewah Kaler
Ballet on the Royal Academy of Dance method, offered as a school extracurricular, with beginner, primary and graded classes. Listed up to 18.

Wonder Kids, Citarum
Modern and K-pop, taught in two bands, a younger one and an older one. Ages 4 to 15.

IO Dance, Tamansari
Modern and fusion dance in a single open academy class. Listed up to 18.

ONE Dance Academy, Kebon Jeruk
Contemporary, jazz, improvisation and partnering work. Ages 8 to 18.

Denpasar, Bali

First Position Dance Academy, Ubung
Ballet for kids, modern dance and K-pop. Students are entered for the annual Royal Academy of Dance examinations and for national and international competitions. Ages 3 to 18.

Pelangi Dance Studio, Sumerta Kelod
A toddler ballet class, at two locations, Denpasar and Canggu. Ages 2 to 6.

One Step Ballet, Dauh Puri
Ballet in graded steps, from a kids' basics class up to junior pre-competitive. Ages 5 to 13.

Gog Dance Class, Pemecutan Kaja
K-pop and hip hop, with the kids' class and the teens' class kept separate. Ages 4 to 18.

Surabaya

Frence Kids Dance, Kalisari, Mulyorejo
Modern dance, modern ballet, K-pop and Chinese dance, with flexibility, strength and posture work built into the choreography. Ages 2 to 16.

Academy of Dance Indonesia, Pradahkalikendal
A regular hip hop class, taught with the history of the form alongside the steps. Ages 6 to 18.

Malang

Pro Dance Studio, Purwodadi
Ballet on the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus, with the internationally recognised RAD examinations, plus a Chinese dance class. Ages 4 to 18.

Kana Dance Studio, Pandanwangi
A K-pop class for older children and a modern dance class for the youngest. Ages 4 to 18.

Bekasi

D'Posture Dance & Fit, Jatisampurna
A graded non-formal programme covering ballet and modern dance, meaning hip hop, K-pop, contemporary and jazz, starting from a baby ballet class. Ages 2 to 18.

Tangerang Selatan

Tiptoe Dance Academy, Cireundeu, Ciputat Timur
Ballet, hip hop and traditional dance for children and teenagers. It also runs its programmes at your own venue, and has taught as a school extracurricular partner. Ages 3 to 11.

Yogyakarta

Sanggar Seni Ranjana, Tamanmartani, Sleman
A children's dance class and a teenagers' dance class at a sanggar seni, taught from beginner up to advanced. Ages 4 to 18.

Semarang

RDC Studio, Semarang Barat
A kids' dance class, taken privately or as a group. Ages 4 to 7.

Solo

Urban Step Dance Studio (USDS), Pajang, Surakarta
A studio running baby, kidz, beginner, K-pop and intermediate classes, plus workshops with national and international choreographers. The listed children's class is ages 7 to 12.

Manado

Hiro Education Center, Manado
Modern dance in a kids' band and a teens' band, ages 5 to 18, inside a centre that covers other subjects too.

How do you tell whether a class is right for your child?

Ask which of the two routes the school runs before you ask anything about price. A child who likes a target will take to the graded examination route; a child who wants to be on a stage this year will do better in a studio that builds toward a showcase.

Then look at the age band on the listing. Where a band is wide, ask the school whether that is one mixed class or several separate ones, because the answer changes what a beginner walks into. Ask where the classes are actually held as well, since some of the schools above teach at your child's own school or at a second address rather than at the one on the listing.

On money, the figure on a profile is what the school entered itself, not a quote for today. Ask what a full term costs, and whether costumes, a showcase or an examination entry are counted inside that figure or billed separately.

You can browse everything that is currently listed at dance classes for kids and ballet classes for kids. Both of those pages are drawn straight from the directory, so they stay current as schools update their own listings.

Read also: What Dance Does for a Child