No matter what age, accolades, or skill level you’ve achieved, it is so important to keep taking dance class.  Being a perpetual student—with a desire to continue learning, growing, and improving—will undoubtedly make you a stronger performer and more well-rounded artist.  Here are some of the many reasons why taking class matters:

1. There’s always more to learn.  Even in the most basic ballet class you can work on turnout, extension, balance, and performance quality.  We’re all striving for “perfection,” but that’s never really achievable.  We just keep working harder to inch closer and closer to that goal—as dancers, we’re always growing…and that’s what makes our art form so exciting.

2. You’ll keep your instrument in tune.  If you’re dancing on Broadway, you might do a triple left pirouette and ten kicks on the right leg eight times per week.  But to avoid injury, it’s smart to get back to class to work on technique, flexibility, and strength on both sides of your body.

3. It will inform your performance quality.  Taking new and different classes will make you a stronger and smarter dancer overall.  Learning East Indian dance can enhance your rhythm and food articulation while a modern class can help you feel more grounded.

4. You stay engaged with the art. Dance is always changing and evolving—new styles, choreographers, and techniques are developing in this very moment.  Stay engaged and involved in this incredible art form that we are so lucky to find ourselves drawn to.

If you find yourself bored in class or crave more of a challenge, research other studios, workshops, and summer intensive programs.  Talk to your studio owner or dance teacher about how you can amp up your training.  Of course, you want to stay loyal to your home studio, but if you’re not being challenged to reach your full potential, it’s important to recognize that and find out how you can change it.

Even prima ballerinas, Broadway stars, and Beyonce’s back-up dancers make an effort to get to dance class.  The best dancers, teachers, and choreographers—in our opinion—are the ones who never stop learning and growing.