Five Things Every Parent Should Consider Before Choosing a Dance School
If most dance schools seem to have qualified, friendly teachers, experience teaching children and a big show at the end of the year, aren't they all pretty much the same? Does it really matter which place you decide to enroll? Yes. There are five main things that can make a huge difference in the quality of instruction your child receives, the costs and the overall enjoyment and satisfaction of being involved with a dance program. Here are five things that every parent should consider before deciding on a dance school for their child.
1. What is the size of the class?
If the dance class has fewer students in it, each child will receive more personalized attention, learn more and have more fun. With fewer students we make sure each student understand the concepts and instructions. Our smaller class sizes ensure that no fundamental concepts are being missed. A smaller class size also allows our teachers to ensure that students are not developing bad habits or improper technique. Rather then crowd 20 or 30 students in a class, trying to make as much profit as possible, we place limits on our enrollment. Our academy restricts student enrollment (ages 7 and up) to a maximum of just 10 students per class (12 students permitted in hip-hop). With our Primary and Pre level classes (age 3-6) we limit all of our classes to a maximum of just 6 students per class.
2. Are parents allowed to observe their child in class?
We are aware that parents are not usually allowed to watch their child in class. Parents often have to wait until the annual parent viewing day or a lengthy recital to see their child's progress. Such policies deny parents the right to view class structure and observe the student /teacher relationship. Considering parents to be interfering, parents are sometimes required to wait in lobbies while their child receives class behind closed doors. At our academy, we value parent interest. Our classes are open for parent viewing at any time and we welcome the chance to educate parents who aid in the nurturing support needed for significant student development. Occasionally, a student can be distracted by an observer. In which case, we simply ask the parent to refrain from visiting until the student is more confident.
3. What type of floor does the facility offer?
Dance is a very physical activity that requires a lot of jumping, which can put stress on bones and joints. A good way to prevent potential injury is by choosing a dance school with sprung floors. Many dance floors are simply tiled or have a thin mat placed over concrete! Even the best flooring specifically made for dancing can not protect the bones when placed over a very hard surface. Since each of our studios feature sprung floors constructed with space below their surfaces, our floors actually provide spring and bounce! We also provide a perfect Marley surface to prevent falls and slips. Additionally, our academy studios feature 20 foot high ceilings for jumping, wall mirrors and air conditioning. Our largest studio can be turned into a theater for intimate performances using our drop down backdrops, theater lights, state of the art theater stereo and more.
4. What are the "extras" required for the year- end show?
Most every dance school puts on a year end show in an auditorium or theater. Students who perform in the show must have a costume. Most dance competitions require several expensive costumes on top of the pricey competition fees! Sometimes parents are required to sew their child's costume or find their own seamstress to do the sewing. This can be frustrating and expensive.
Our Academy is home to our performing company, the California Theatrical Youth Ballet. Ctyballet invite our students and performers from the community to participate in their original Holiday season ballet, the Snow Queen. Professional designers and seamstresses sew and alter our beautiful handmade costumes, so parents don't need to worry about costuming. The California Theatrical Youth Ballet offers students the opportunity to audition and be cast in a professional quality production with elaborate scenery, lighting design and choreography set to originally composed music. Our students have benefited from dancing with a live orchestra provided by our composer. Ctyballet provides a training ground where dancers advance in performance skill and provides mentors for younger students. We offer many wonderful performance opportunities throughout the year and do not charge any fees for participation.
5. What type of instruction is offered? What can I expect as a result of training at the school?
Nearly every dance school offers a Classical Ballet Program, Jazz dance, Hip-hop and Acrobatics much like we do. But not all dance programs deliver a solid founding in technique and artistry. Our instructors are Dance Education Specialists and are not purely concentrated on teaching tricks, giving stylized exercises or wowing judges. We do not divide our attention with other activities such as trumpet lessons, but specialize in pure dance education. We extend the sphere of dance instruction to include the most current training methods to augment physical skills and increase student understanding of terms, rhythm, performance, picking up and retaining choreography, auditioning skills and more. Encouraging, creative instructional tools are used to build artistic expression and creativity. Our Academy is the only school on the entire West Coast with a teacher certified in MPT, a new supplementary program for ballet dancers to help maximize training time. We also offer specialty classes for pre-school, boys, teens and adults; allowing students to feel comfortable in a group. With good quality training students acquire grace, posture, work ethic, skill and a love of dance for a lifetime.
Our Classical Ballet Program prepares students for National Ballet Company auditions. We are pleased to say that many of our students have been consistently accepted into many of these prestigious programs. Several of our students have secured scholarship awards for dance and theater. Some alumni have gone onto Broadway style musicals and theater as dancers, choreographers and directors, while others have used their training to develop their acting television careers. Some students have entered performing arts schools and Universities to fulfill their dreams. We offer classes for all ages and skill levels, whether your child is a brand new student seeking a once a week class or you wish to set your child onto the path of a professional career
