Dance Spectrum

This is a large school that offers Jazz, Tap, and Ballet. The classes for the younger kids (K-​2) combine all three disciplines, while the older kids can choose which discipline they want to pursue. They also offer classes for 18 mo-​pre-​K, though these are listed as being more music and movement classes.
Prices are affordable, if not cheap. For the K class, it’s currently $ 67/​month for an hour once per week. The kids have to buy ballet and tap shoes ($ 20/​pair). There’s a suggested uniform of black leotard/​pink tights, but talking to the person who registered us, they don’t mind other colors, and some of the kids do wear the stuff they had from when they did pre-​K stuff at other places.
The class itself teaches elements from the three dance disciplines within the hour, so the kids are only doing each for 15 min or less. The teacher is the dance studio’s wife, and though she is nice enough as a person, you can tell as a dance teacher she gets frazzled when there are 10 kids who aren’t lined up when they need to leap, or plop down to sit when she says «sit» but really meant they needed to gracefully kneel.
For example, they were waving their arms and one kid wasn’t doing it correctly and instead of just saying «follow my movement» she said sternly «no, you’re doing it wrong. those are crazy arms».
The activities are also really, really repetitive. There’s been 3 classes and they’ve done the same routine. There are varying levels of ability in the class, and you can just tell the kids that are more coordinated are completely bored. Granted they’re 5, but kids do like variety — they’ll play with a slide, but go nuts in a playground.
There’s also little to no encouragement for creativity or expression. Maybe it’ll come along when the teacher feels satisfied that enough basic movements have been met, but so far it’s just been «follow me exactly» teaching.
I think the class would be really good for the eldest child and kids who lack coordination and need to tight discipline. However, and parents with younger children will understand this, the younger children will struggle as they are less prone to follow the book to the T, and creative kids will slowly have the enjoyment of dance suck out of them.
I tried to drop my sister off in class recently and she had a complete meltdown because she «wanted potato chips» from JJ. She ended up not attending so we had a discussion as I wanted to know her real reasoning (and if it really had been about the potato chips then I was going to give her the «you’re being silly and unreasonable» talk).
I knew she would say she didn’t like the teacher, as I knew her personality would clash with the level of strictness used in the class. However, I was really surprised to hear her say «it’s boring, the class is slow» and «i’m not learning anything».
For a 5 yr old who had come bouncing out of the first class with glee to only drag her feet a few weeks later when having to go to class, I knew that the it wasn’t a case of feel sad because she thought the teacher was «mean» which she really isn’t. This school is just a poor fit for her as she is ready to do things that the class is not.
Luckily I am taking her to an irish step dancing workshop being offered by the library. The love for dance is still there, it hadn’t been drained out of her so she is excited again. I just know that right know if I even say the word «tap» she gets an «I don’t want anything to do with it» look on her face, even though she couldn’t look away when she had watched the older kids dance a whole routine.
I convinced her to go to one more class to try it again, if she still thinks it’s boring and slow, then we’ll have to search for another school. I recommend trying the school, as the teachers do seem nice, but just know that the style of teaching won’t be for everyone, you may actually have to find different schools for each of your kids.

The school year is coming up, and it’s time to enroll kids in all the activities. Mine are grown, but I was fortunate to live across the street from here. My oldest is not the jock type, but being an artsy family I got him into this from age 9 –17. He started out in jazz, and wanted to get into tap. That’s where this school really has it down. Dancers always participate in a recital at St. Catherine’s auditorium, and it’s a reaaaly big show. Beautiful costumes, very professional. Dancing is serious here, and the kids love it, and they love the teachers. They are very good with the wee ones. The adult show is a spectacle. You’d think the students were preparing for Broadway, and when this schools done with them, they can.