T
he hysteria about school
places means that
competitive tiger parents
can be found planning
extracurricular activities from birth
– so many classes to attend, so many
skills to learn, so little time. We hear
urban myths of kindergarten kids not
being accepted at schools because they
didn’t play the right instrument. Oh,
the pressure!
But this isn’t another story about
coaching kids for interviews and
paying insane debentures. As a mother
of a sprightly three-year-old who likes
a little rough and tumble, and who
loves fishing with her dad just as much
as her ballet class, I wanted to know
what happens when your kids don’t
want to play piano or a take part in a
traditional sport. In this crazy town
of interviewing toddlers for pre-school
places, what happens to kids who don’t
fit the traditional mould?
The short answer is: they thrive.
Hong Kong’s entrepreneurial spirit
trickles down, all the way down, to the
smallest boy ballerinas and youngest
medal-winning fisherwomen. The
lesson here is to get your little one
involved in whatever takes their fancy.
Hong Kong offers a plethora of sports
for boys and girls, just dig around a
little and you’re bound to find a warm
community of like-minded parents,
and lifelong friends for your little
adventurer. Some of their stories break
the cute-ometer. Check them out.
Leo, age 5.
Champion hip-hop dancer,
rugby player, tree climber, and
heartbreaker-in-the-making.
Leo has dreamy eyes and dreamy
moves. At five, he’s already an award-
winning dancer, having out-moved
everyone in the Island Dance Under
6 Freestyle/Hip Hop division in 2014,
when he was only four. He’s also got
big ambitions. “I want to be a famous
dancer when I grow up, like Michael
Jackson,” Leo declares, much to the
shock of his mum who’s surprised Leo
knows who Michael Jackson is.
Leo is an active kid who enjoys lots
of sports. “I play rugby and also love
to go swimming,” he says. “I’ve tried
squash and Gaelic football too ’cos
my mum plays them. I love riding my
scooter at the park with friends after
school and climbing trees.”
But dance is his favourite activity,
“I just love to dance and I like to listen
to music, a lot.” When Leo is touring
the world as the next dance sensation,
his older cousins can reference this
article, because Leo credits them with
introducing him to his passion. “I
went to one of my cousins’ funky disco
classes and really liked it, and wanted
to join the class too,” he says.
His parents do have some concerns
about Leo’s choice of dancing. “We
worry about potential bullying or
people making fun of him, especially
because he’s one of the few boys in
the class, actually he might be the
only boy,” says his mum, Kate. “Yes
definitely, that’s our biggest worry, but
I think that comes with any sport or
activity a child does that deviates from
the typical ‘socially accepted’ gender-
defined ones. He loves it and we love
to see him dance, plus he’s also very
Hong Kong has a sport or activity for everyone,
so let your child follow his or her passion, not follow
the crowd, says
Rebecca Simpson
.
good at it so we want to embrace it and
encourage it as much as we can.”
Dance teacher Rohita Menon is
passionate about the power of dance
for young men. She teaches classes
devised specifically for boys at Island
Dance, a Hong Kong dance school
with studios across the city. As a Royal
Academy of Dance/Imperial Society
of Teachers of Dance trained teacher,
she shares her thoughts on why dance
is so beneficial for boys.
“The art of dance helps with
the development of motor skills in
children,” she says. “It is a fun, social
activity that helps boys and girls
gain strength and flexibility, posture
and balance. Dance invites boys,
specifically, to learn an art form that
keeps them fit and helps them engage
with space, energy and time in a
creative way.”
Rohita finds boys often embrace hip
hop, a class where they can learn tricks
and express themselves. “The classes
I teach with the most boys in them
are hip hop and they love engaging
in something they find cool,” Rohita
explains. “Just like sport defines your
personality and style, so does dance.
Young boys seemingly love being able
to do tricks they can pull out of their
sleeves without a ball or field being
involved. These boys also do very well
in school talent shows and seem to
enjoy performing.”
Boys who dance are often athletic
and involved in many activities, a
combination that enhances brain
development. “A high percentage
of my students do several activities
throughout the week alongside taking
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