Should my child do dance or theatre to improve her skating?

Great question—and honestly, both can help, but in different ways.

Dance builds the musicality and body awareness that make skating beautiful. If your daughter takes ballet or contemporary, she'll develop better line extension, smoother transitions between elements, and a stronger connection to the music. These things matter hugely in competitive skating, especially as she moves into higher levels where presentation counts alongside technical skill.

Theatre develops performance confidence and storytelling—the ability to hold an audience and skate through a program with intention rather than just hitting her marks. That's invaluable for competition day when nerves kick in.

If you're choosing one, I'd lean toward dance, especially if she's under age 12. The physical skills transfer directly to her skating posture and fluidity. But if she's naturally drawn to theatre or performance, that confidence boost is real and worth it.

The sweet spot? A once-weekly dance class that complements her skating schedule. Most skaters at Pre-Preliminary and Preliminary levels benefit from that additional movement training without overloading their week. Just make sure the dance teacher understands figure skating so they're not reinforcing habits that contradict her on-ice technique.

What does your daughter gravitate toward—the physicality of dance, or the storytelling side of theatre?

Want to see this in your child's skating? [SkateMarks analyzes every jump with per-second AI coaching notes.]