Frequently Asked Questions:
Is your child allowed to try a class before committing to full registration?
YES! Art of Dance, LLC welcomes interested students to take a trial class, complimentary.
Each studio has its own teaching
philosophy and energy ... come experience what makes Art of Dance special and unique!
Call 203-544-9821 or e mail artofdancegtown@aol.com to make arrangements, thanks!
Why should my child study at Art of Dance?
We make the study of dance fun and students learn discipline, how to focus and how to work hard while never giving up. These qualities will follow a child into their adult lives. Discipline is absolutely necessary to form structure and to give direction to a child's life. Good grades are encouraged. Dancers are taught to pay attention to how the body works, why the body works and how to improve it. A school philosophy has always been that it is a teachers job to train the whole body, mind and spirit, not to just teach a dance routine. Dancers who stay in the program for a significant number of years generally have a higher level of thinking, better self-esteem and a better work ethic than most children their age.
What are your class sizes?
Art of Dance maintains a low student to teacher ratio allowing each student to receive more personalized attention for optimum learning and instruction. By insisting on a low student to teacher ratio Art of Dance ensures students are learning correctly and not developing bad habits with their technique.While many other studios and after school programs pack classes full with students Art of Dance intentionally is a boutique style dance studio and maintains the following maximum class size:
Pre-K classes ~ 6 students
Ballet Levels ~ 12 students (classes larger when levels are combined)
Jazz/Tap/Hip Hop ~ 12 students
What class level would my child be in?
Students are placed by ability, not by age or grade level, regardless of previous training. Every child learns at a different pace and has individual capabilities of coordination, timing, attention span, strength, stamina and determination ...aka the mind/body connection. A student may spend six months, one year or multiple years in the same level. Only the Director and/or teacher will determine a student's readiness to be advanced to the next level. It is unrealistic to believe every child of the same age and/or grade level possesses the same ability. It is unrealistic to expect a child to advance to the next level each year. While we make the study of dance fun, we educate or students on the necessity of repetition to become a proficient dancer. It is through the repetition and fine tuning of previously learned movement and fundamental technique while adding new skills that leads a child to become a dancer.
How many classes a week should students take?
It is recommended that students take at least two classes per week with one being a ballet class as the foundation for all technique. Understandably, the child who takes more classes, especially ballet, on a regular weekly basis will advance at a quicker pace than a student taking only one class per week. It takes time and effort to become a dancer.
What are the studio's criteria for allowing a student to go en pointe?
Parents this is a health issue! Point work requires a degree of strength, dancing ability, discipline and commitment beyond that needed for dancing in soft ballet slippers. In addition, there are inherent risk factors that are increased when a student is allowed to begin point work before they are ready: damage to the tendons and ligaments of the knees, ankles and feet causing chronic tendinitis for the rest of their life, increased chance of developing bunions which will require surgery later on, and permanent damage to the bones of the feet (these bones are not fully developed & hardened until sometime in the teenage years). Do you know that point shoes average $70 per pair and as a dancer becomes more advanced, they can easily need one new pair of shoes per week!
The following is the criteria a dancer needs to accomplish before being considered for point at Art of Dance, LLC:
* 11 years of age or older (most students go en pointe nearer to 12 yrs old.)
* Has well placed feet; no rolling and keeps the heels forward towards the big toe (no sickling)
* Has a strong, straight back
* Holds turnout while dancing
* Has enough of an arched instep to stand on point
* Points feet while dancing
* Can hold a passe balance on half-pointe
* Pique Passe with a straight leg
* Single, well placed with clean landing, pirouette En Dehors & En Dedans right and left
* 3 Ballet technique per week and attends consistently
* At least four years of classical training
* Pays attention in class and works well
* Is responsible enough to bring all ballet equipment needed
* Is well groomed, with hair out of face and in a bun (no ponytails)
Often teachers face tremendous pressure to put students en pointe. Parents try to demand it or threaten to take their child to another studio that allows point work to begin early, before a student is ready. Art of Dance is very strict about putting a student en pointe in order to insure that the best interests of the student's health and high quality dance education are maintained! Special note, Art of Dance does not offer a "pre-point" class because if a student is working consistently and correctly in their weekly ballet technique classes they are learning and developing all the skills necessary to eventually go en pointe.
What type of floor does your studio have?
Art of Dance proudly provides its dancers with a Harlequin Liberty Sprung Floor with Harlequin Cascade top layer, this is the best floor available for providing shock absorption, reducing stress on a dancers ankles, knees and back. Our Harlequin floor system sits on top of a plywood sub-floor which provides an additional level of shock absorption ... many dance studios just have a Marley surface over a regular hardwood floor with a concrete or tile sub-floor, leading to fatigue and strain on the dancers body. Go to www.harlequinfloors.com for full product description. Art of Dance along with its sister school Millennium School of Irish Dance are the only studios in this area to use this professional floor system!
What performance opportunities are there?
End of year Spring Performance: All students ~ with the exception of Pre-K students who have an in-studio performance ~ are invited to be a part of our Spring Performance. The show involves a time commitment of stage rehearsal, dress rehearsal and actual performance in addition to regular class. Art of Dance is known for its professional, polished and entertaining performances, we have "the best show around". The show runs approximately two hours.
In addition to the spring production Art of Dance invites the more advanced dancers to participate in extra performances such as Winter Celebration, DanceFest, Collaborating for a Cause etc. These events usually require a financial commitment separate from the regular class tuition, require additional outside of class time and usually include some Sunday rehearsals.
What age is appropriate to begin dance classes?
While ours may be an unpopular view, around five years old is a good age to introduce formal dance training to your child. The ability to go up and down stairs, one foot in front of the other, without holding on, the ability to sit with a book on their own without being distracted, being able to understand and follow simple directions i.e. get in a line, and being completely toilet trained are basic guidelines to determine if your child is ready. While there is inherent value in learning music appreciation, rhythm and steps at the early ages of three and four, it is not until the ages of five, six and seven (depending on a child's maturity) that a true dance education can begin. Additionally, because of the major growth spurts that happen at a young age, if here is not a qualified teacher in the classroom teaching, watching and correcting foot plant, body alignment, etc. the potential for learning bad habits and improper technique increases ~ it is far easier to teach correct technique the first time then to break bad habits and retrain!
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