| Choosing the best dance studio to serve your needs can be complicated, especially for novices. Proximity is not necessarily the best factor in choosing a studio. As a parent and/or student, the following guidelines created by Dance Expressions Unlimited - Tyngsboro can help you make an informed decision. THE STUDIO’S PHILOSOPHY
Does the studio provide a comprehensive DANCE EDUCATION PROGRAM? Does the studio emphasize dance competitions in favor of proper technique and/or sequential learning? Do the programs cater to everybody - regardless of age, size, and talent? What makes this studio unique? - FACULTY
• Does your specific dance teacher have proper training in the genre s/he is teaching
• Does the teacher have a college degree in DANCE? Most dance teachers do NOT as many teachers are former student assistants. Teachers with at least a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance have the most current teaching methods (pedagogy) and resources available at their disposal. - What kind of background does the teacher have: a) teaching, b) dealing with children, c) performing?
- Does the dance teacher still perform and/or take classes to stay current and maintain/improve his/her dancing and teaching techniques? Keep in mind that not all teachers are great performers and vice-versa. Many great performers/professionals are terrible teachers. A good dance teacher AND good performer is ideal.
- Does the dance teacher have any unique qualifications? For example, a Registered Dance Educator (RDE) is a member of the National Registry of Dance Educators. It is an honor to be an RDE because that means the teacher’s teaching methods have been tested and evaluated and found to be of superior ability. Just being a member of a “dance teaching club” doesn’t guarantee a great teacher.
- Does the dance teacher teach what they are truly qualified to teach? You wouldn’t want a ballroom teacher to teach ballet, tap, or jazz; nor would you want an inexperienced student teaching the younger students. Teenagers may be qualified to demonstrate skills in class, but should not be left in charge of a class of 15 children with no adult supervision. What if there were an emergency?
- Does the dance teacher have patience in dealing with students? The youngest children (1st grade and under) are the hardest to teach, requiring patience and humor.
- Have any of the teachers been published in dance-related magazines? This would indicate expertise in that area.
QUALITY OF TEACHING - Is the dance teacher caring, knowledgeable, patient, and willing to work with EACH student?
- Does the dance teacher have a working knowledge of anatomy?
- Does the dance teacher provide a disciplined, encouraging, and FUN learning environment?
- Does the dance teacher inspire, motivate, and instill a joy of movement in his/her classes?
- Does the class have a moving spirit?
- Does the dance teacher encourage individual expression?
CLASSES - How large is the class? Large classes cannot not be concerned with the growth and development of EACH individual child. Small classes mean more dance space and, more importantly, individual attention.
- How are students placed in class - according to age or ability? The younger students (1st grade and younger) can appropriately be placed according to age (yet 3-7 year olds should not be lumped into one class). However, school-aged students need to be placed in class according to ABILITY and age. School-aged children placed in class solely based on age results in classes with different degrees of ability. Then the teacher has to decide to teach the class geared for the beginner, the intermediate, or more advanced level of the class. At any rate, someone in class is neglected.
- Does this dance studio offer a comprehensive dance program (i.e. ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip hop, and modern)? Or is the dance studio predominantly ballet or another discipline?
- Does this dance studio offer a variety of classes for children AND adults? Is there a comprehensive ADULT PROGRAM with a variety of levels? Studios with a variety of levels of ballet, tap, AND jazz classes for adults are a RARE FIND!!!
TECHNIQUE - Does the studio have technique classes through the majority of the year? Or does the studio start working on recital or competition routines before Christmas? Studios stressing the importance of technique will have more talented and skilled dancers as opposed to those who rehearse recital and competition dances for months and months. Most of the time, students who rehearse and rehearse and rehearse can only perform those rehearsed dances proficiently - but they lack the technique to DANCE - they can only perform the various “tricks” involved in those rehearsed numbers. Emphasis should be on DANCING and the individual growth of EACH dancer, not drilling a competition or recital piece.
- Is there a logical development from the 3 year old class to the 4 year old class to the 5 year old class and so on? Do you see the more challenging skills performed as the student gets older? There should be a logical progression from age group to age group.
- Is the class time appropriate? The older a student gets, the longer the class should be. School-aged children (2nd grade and up) should no longer do combination classes as they are ready to delve into the technique of the dance more thoroughly (technique should NEVER be ignored!!!). For example, 9 year olds should not be taking a 1 _ hour long combination class of ballet, tap, and jazz. There can’t be any emphasis on technique and development with only a half an hour for each discipline. They should have hour long classes for tap and jazz, and at some point a 1 _ hour long class for ballet (or longer).
ALUMNI and STUDENTS - Does the dance studio have any alumni pursuing careers in dance - Performing? Teaching? Choreographing? Other related fields?
- Does the alumni have careers in the various disciplines of dance - ballet, tap, jazz, modern? Or are they mostly working in one genre? A well-rounded dance education program should have alumni in the various disciplines, whereas a ballet school will have predominantly ballerinas.
- Based on this knowledge, is this dance studio a predominantly ballet, tap, jazz, or modern school? You ideally want to find a dance studio that is proficient in all areas.
- Do any current students perform in other venues other than the annual recital? For example, does anybody audition and perform in local Nutcracker productions? Does anybody participate in master classes taught in the area? Is there a resident company?
FACILITIES and POLICIES - What kind of floor does the studio have? Is it suitable for all styles of dance?
- What is the viewing policy? Is there a window, door, or observation monitor? There are two schools of thought on observation policies: 1) open door policy where students can watch weekly; 2) certain viewing days. The disadvantage to weekly observation with younger students (younger than 1st grade) is that parents don’t necessarily understand what they are watching and they can misinterpret repetition of skills for lack of learning. The advantage to watching weekly is knowing exactly what is being taught and how. It is our belief that parents should watch younger students once a month so they can see the growth from month to month. However, we feel it is preferable to allow parents of older children to watch weekly – why not share the experience with the parents? A dance teacher should be proud of accomplishments, achievements, and the growth of the individuals AND class.
- Is the director of the studio organized? Are the parents informed easily and regularly of studio happenings?
In a nutshell, parents and students first need to decide what they want from a dance studio and then they should seek out the studios that most suit their needs. Try a class first to see if it is indeed what you want. For more information call DANCE EXPRESSIONS UNLIMITED, TYNGSBORO - (978) 649-2022 | |
