These basic movement classes offer a wonderful way for your toddler to explore the ways they can move and dance.  Students begin working on major motor skills, strength, coordination, and other classroom and social skills such as taking turns, sharing, and following directions.  Parents are allowed to sit inside the room if necessary, however, all children are encouraged to form a bond with the teacher to help make class more enjoyable.

Classroom structure at this age is open in order to allow freedom of movement.  The class activities are set up to be very playful and encouraging towards age appropriate behavior.  Toddlers have a blast coming in and playing in dance class while every activity has a purpose towards enhancing their fundamental movement skills.

 Creative Dance for Pre-schoolers   

Students 3-5 years of age will participate in an hour-long dance class that consists of approximately forty minutes of ballet and twenty minutes of tap.  These classes are playful and use games and props to teach lessons.  Students are taught discipline and respect as well through positive reinforcement.  Students will begin learning basic ballet and tap technique and terminology.  They will explore the fundamentals needed to pursue all facets of dance. 

            Classes will enhance their strength, flexibility, muscle control, and coordination, as well as their love and appreciation of the art of dance.  Children’s self esteem will strengthen as they watch themselves learn skills and improve with each class. 

    Ballet * Tap * Jazz * Hip Hop * Modern

Once students begin Kindergarten, they may choose the type of dance the enjoy most.  Each class meets once a week.  Students are welcome to take as many classes as they wish, but there are no combination classes at this age.  Although ballet is the core of all dance technique, and is necessary to excel at any style of dance, it is not required of beginning dancers.  Students may start out taking any style of dance for fun and recreation.  As they mature as dancers and make the decision for themselves to challenge their own abilities as a dancer, then it will become necessary to attend class more frequently and include ballet lessons.  All students are encouraged to try all types of dance before deciding which one to emphasize.  All new students will be allowed to try each style once at no charge before enrolling in the appropriate classes.

 Ballet is a slow, graceful style of dance.  Ballet is also a structured and disciplined art form.  To excel in ballet takes many years of training.  Ballet is wonderful for improving a child’s coordination, strength, flexibility, posture, and carriage.  After several years of training and proper muscle development, ballet dancers may be invited by the instructor to begin work on pointe.

Jazz is a more upbeat, free style of dance.  Jazz movements tend to be big, sharp, and fast.  Students will explore different styles of jazz including traditional, contemporary, and lyrical.  Jazz will enhance strength, flexibility, and coordination along with confidence in dancing socially.  Students are still expected to behave with respect, but are given more freedom of movement.

Tap is the dance with the noisy shoes.  Tap is great for improving ankle and leg strength along with coordination, rhythm, and musicality.  Students learn how to focus on precise movements with their feet and ankles while complementing the rhythm of the music.  Older and more advanced students will learn to create rhythms and sounds separate from, and occasionally without, music.

Hip Hop dance draws out the natural rhythm inside the dancer and offers form to instinctive movements.  By using the dancer’s natural desire to move to music, hip-hop dance creates a unique style in each individual dancer.  It is a fantastic aerobic means of improving coordination, rhythm, and strength.  Many students also enjoy the confidence it gives them with social dancing.

Modern dance is interpretive, emotional, and exists outside the boundaries of normal dance rules.  Modern dance was originally created as a decisive opposite to the rigid structure of ballet.  Dancers are taught to internalize music and project it’s sentiment and story through physical movements and facial expressions.  Modern dance uses postures and positions contrary to those of classical ballet.