The Las Cruces School of Dance & Music 

Choosing a Dance Studio For Your Child

 

Many parents find that their children express an interest in dance at an early age, but they are not themselves familiar enough with “the dance world” to know how to choose the right studio. A Google search provides an array of apparent options from schools that are geared toward serious dancers with professional aspirations to those that appear to have tacked on a dance program as an afterthought. Some look very serious and perhaps a bit intimidating; while others look like a place “to get your feet wet”. Which type of studio best suites your child?

 

While we can’t answer that question for you, here are some thoughts to consider.

 

While there are a few schools in the world that really are geared only to pre-professional training, many elite dance schools are also excellent places to simply try out some dance classes – even if your child is more of an aspiring doctor than an aspiring ballet dancer! Here’s why:

 

 

• Elite schools tend to have more knowledgeable faculty. Children from ages 3-8 are at a crucial stage of neuromuscular and behavioral development. Dance instruction provides some of the greatest benefits of any physical activity in terms of alignment, coordination, and poise. Excellent faculty who make an effort to keep on top of their field are best able to provide your child with those benefits. Conversely, poorly trained faculty can actually create alignment and motor patterns that can be difficult to correct.

 

• Sometimes we underestimate our kid's potential. Many professional dancers, in fact, started off as “awkward kids”. Dance involves performing physical actions in time to music and research shows that coordination and rhythm are directly linked. It can take time, sometimes years, for all of the nueromuscular pieces to fall into place. But when they do, watch out! 

  

• The presence of older classes with advanced-level dancers doesn’t intimidate your child, it inspires them! Psychologists tell us that kids model the behavior of the older kids around them. In elite schools, these older kids are dedicated, persistent, motivated, and very hard-working -- just the sort of transferable skills you’d like your child to have.

  

• Elite dance schools are usually filled with people that LOVE to dance. That passion is contagious. Whether it’s a teacher who wants to pass on her knowledge or a peer that is excited about an upcoming performance, people who are doing what they love are happy. And happy people have the best energy.

 

At our schools, we try not to take ourselves too seriously, but we are serious about dance. We aim to create an open, friendly environment that is welcoming to everyone, regardless of age, skill or ambition.

 

So whether your child is an aspiring dancer or an aspiring doctor (or both!), we hope you will give our classes a try.