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10 Things to Consider When Signing Your Child Up for Dance

June 8, 2016 by Jennifer 12 Comments

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would care so much about the nuances of children’s extracurricular activities, I likely would have laughed at you… politely of course. Then if you had said that dance was going to play such an important role in my future, I would have rolled my eyes and said “we’ll see”. Alas, 6 years ago I married someone who’s fam is in the ballet biz, and own the Bountiful School of Ballet. Then a year later we had a little girl. And now I take all the hypothetical eye rolling and “we’ll see”-ing back.

I have learned a lot these last few years about the ins and outs of what makes a good dance studio, and why you should actually care before blindly signing your child up for lessons somewhere. Because in reality, not all studios are created equal, and not all children are created equal. And if you chose the right activity for your child, it becomes so much more than just “something to do”. It sets the stage for bringing out their full potential in life, even if they are inflexible, flat-footed, rhythmically challenged hot-messes.

So whether or not you’re still deciding if your child is even a good fit for dance lessons, or you’re all in and just need to know how to find the right studio. These tips should help you narrow down, and answer, either question:

1) Ask What the Floor is Made Of – I had no idea this was even a thing, but it makes complete sense. Your child’s developing bodies are jumping up and down on this surface, it needs to be resilient and work with them, not against them. Tile or cement could lead to terrible injury. All the BSOB floors are marley floors. It was a new term to me, but it’s a type of flooring that allows dancers to slide with a certain amount of “controlled slip”, but it’s not slippery so there is less risk of slips and falls. Very few studios use professional marley floors because of the expense involved, but they are much safer for dancer’s bones and joints.

2) Observe the Older Students –  Do they appear to have a breadth of levels and seemingly “good” kids at each level? Can you see the progression of what they may have learned after having gone to that studio for a while? There is something to be said for a studio that does not have a high student turnover rate. The students stick around for a reason. And then if they come back to teach, well you know it’s gotta be good.

Recital Dancers en Pointe

Original Photo by Timewave Studios

3) Find Out the Teacher Qualifications – Speaking of the teachers… find out what their background is. Are they qualified to be doing what they’re doing? Do they have proper knowledge, and the right balance of teaching technique and skill as well as having fun? Both the owners of BSOB hold a BFA in ballet with a teaching emphasis, as do many of their instructors.

A Ballet Teacher and Her Students

4) Are the Classes by Age or Skill Level – You may want to note if the studio just lumps kids together based on age. It’s important that they consider the skill level of the dancer as well. BSOB seems to have grouped the kids really well. It allows the teachers to really focus on individual strengths and coach on weaknesses, which then makes a much more cohesive class.

Little Kids Dancing

Original Photo by Lee Hester Photography

5) When do They Put Kids en Pointe – On a similar note, you want to make sure the studio doesn’t put kids en pointe too soon. According to one of the partners at BSOB, “Students should not go en pointe before the age of 10 – and 10 if and only if they are advanced for their age and strong enough. Certain criteria should be met before they are allowed to enroll in a pre pointe class. In this class special exercises and skills should be taught to prepare students for pointe work. This class should last anywhere from 6 – 12 months. When students start pointe it should be done slowly and carefully for no more than a ½ hour at time. Initially most work will be done at the barre. Careful fitting of pointe shoes should take place at a professional store, all pointe shoes should be checked off with an instructor before sewing and wearing. Pointe shoes cannot be passed down or fitted with room to grow.”

Ballerina en Pointe

Original Photo by ALC Photography

6) Does the School Participate in Competitions – This may be what you are looking for, and that’s fine… but it’s a whole other world that really becomes less about the art of learning how to dance and everything technical associated with it, and more about learning a dance or series of dances and routines for the sake of a competition.

7) Make Sure it’s About the Students Not the Parents – Are you looking for a fulfilling activity for your child, or an excuse for more drama in your life? Sure, Dance Moms  may suck you in with it’s bad reality tv (I’ll admit, I’ve been sucked in before) but it’s not healthy for you our your kid. So don’t look for a studio that looks like it could be a reality show on television. Plus those costumes seem very age inappropriate, and I wouldn’t want my little girl strutting around like that… and I am VERY liberal and non prude-y.

8) Dance Teaches MANY Skills For Even the Worst of Dancers – Dance is not just about the act of dancing. Dance is about discipline, listening, teamwork, confidence, musicality, respect, and appreciation of music and the arts.

Recital Dancers en Pointe

Original Photo by Timewave Studios

9) It’s Not Just for Girls – This is kind of a standard cliche, and it drives me nuts. Dance teaches boys all the same amazing values as girls. Why wouldn’t you want them to be taught these things? Are you afraid of him learning confidence, respect, teamwork, and discipline?

Dance is Not Just for Girls

Original Photo by Lee Hester Photography

10) You Want There to be a Sense of Regimen and Organization – It’s a reflection of how the studio runs and teaches their classes. You may be annoyed at their requests to have hair and makeup done perfectly, or the idea of a specific “uniform”, or requiring timeliness and attendance. But let me tell you, if they are like that it means they are GOOD. They are like that because they care about your children and want to see them succeed. They are like that because that is what produces amazing results for your child both internally and externally, and your child will dance at that studio for 15 years because of it. That is what comes of a studio that cares.

And when you find that right place, you want to hold on to it. I could not be more thrilled with how much my little girl has progressed both physically and mentally in her three years at the Bountiful School of Ballet. Of all her various activities, that’s the one she is always excited to go to, never wants to give up on, and that she also gets the most out of.

 

10 Important Things to Consider When Signing Your Child Up for Dance

Original Photo by ALC Photography

 

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Filed Under: Parenting, Toddlers & Elementary Tagged With: ballet, classes, dance, kids, lessons

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Erin says

    June 9, 2016 at 9:15 am

    Opened my eyes to some great tips thanks!
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      June 9, 2016 at 9:42 am

      Great! I know it was things I never would have thought to ask.
      Reply
  2. Chloe Crabtree says

    June 9, 2016 at 1:05 pm

    Wow, my daughter was not a dancer, but she has two little girls now and we may see one or both of them headed that direction, I am sharing this with her and going to Tweet this out for anyone who might be planning on putting their little ones in dance in the future!
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      June 9, 2016 at 3:07 pm

      How fun!
      Reply
  3. Megan says

    June 9, 2016 at 3:58 pm

    Jen..you absolutely nailed it!
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      June 9, 2016 at 8:03 pm

      Thanks Megan!
      Reply
  4. Jenny says

    June 10, 2016 at 10:22 am

    As a dance teacher myself, I would agree with much of your analysis. I would point out that a number of excellent studios that teach the art of dance also participate in a minimal amount of competitions. So it's a bit sweeping to say that any studio that does competitions doesn't teach technique adequately. I do feel that it's possible to balance both. Great article though. I wish more parents would take this more seriously when deciding where to start their child in classes.
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      June 11, 2016 at 9:31 pm

      Jenny, you're so right. That was a broad generalization that I don't really know enough about... I'm sure there are plenty of places that have a great balance and do it right.
      Reply
      • Megan says

        June 17, 2016 at 4:18 pm

        Jenny I would agree that some do, and it's nice that your studio has found that balance. Unfortunately SO many don't, they charge a small fortune and these kids walk away with no technique. It's also so alarming how unqualified many of the instructors are! I am guessing you have seem so many, just as we have, come to your studio who "have taken since they were 2" and literally don't even know what 1st position is!
        Reply
    • Tracy says

      June 29, 2016 at 7:50 am

      I agree. That's too broad. Yes there are some studios that don't focus on art or technique. Just pieces. But there are also other studios that hide behind the curtain of "we don't compete" because they can't hang with the local level of dance at competitions. If their clients attended a comp and saw what else was out there, they would switch studios. I've had untrained dancers come from both competitive and non competitive studios. I also think that the sub floor is more important than the surface. You could lay Marley on cement and have a huge risk for injury. Look at the padding and sub floor. Traditionally wood was the most preferred and is still used in some of the top studios in the world.
      Reply
  5. Tracy says

    June 29, 2016 at 7:42 am

    I would clarify and say that what is under the floor is much more important than the surface of the floor. You could lay Marley right on top of cement and have huge risks for shin splints and other injuries. Much better to look at the sub flooring (High end padding, sprung floor, etc). I also disagree on your competition note. It's too blanketing. While there are some studios that focus too much on competition and don't teach the art of dance, I would also say there are many studios that don't compete because they aren't good enough to hang with the competition. Some of the best studios in the country are competitive.
    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      July 2, 2016 at 12:56 pm

      Tracy, you're right about the floor... I even think my collaborator mentioned this but I must have left it out. As far as the competition, yes I am sure there are wonderful studios that know how to combine skill and competition. I think my point was more if that's what you want, great, just make sure you're aware of what you're getting into.
      Reply

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