Celebrating One Year of Ms. Jaiden at Reach

There are some people who bring an unmistakable energy into a room, and from the moment Ms. Jaiden joined Reach, she brought hers.

This week, we’re celebrating Ms. Jaiden’s Teacher Anniversary, and what a year it has been!

Ms. Jaiden has become such a special part of our teaching team and studio community. Whether she’s leading a room full of dancers through choreography, encouraging them through a challenge, or simply making space for them to laugh and connect with one another, she has a wonderful ability to make the classroom feel like a place dancers want to be.

And that matters to us.

Because some of the most meaningful growth in dance happens when dancers feel connected enough to take a chance, comfortable enough to make a mistake, and supported enough to keep trying.

Ms. Jaiden brings that spirit into her classrooms week after week.

She also brings something we deeply value at Reach: a commitment to continuing to grow herself.

When she isn’t teaching, Ms. Jaiden is out dancing, training, performing, and continuing to develop her own artistry. Our dancers get to learn from someone who isn’t simply teaching the craft she loves, but is actively living it, challenging herself within it, and bringing those experiences back into the studio.

That example is powerful.

This last year, we’ve watched Ms. Jaiden build relationships with her dancers, create friendships within her classrooms, contribute to our performance programs, and become an important part of the community we’re building together.

And through it all, she has remained unmistakably Ms. Jaiden: warm, energetic, encouraging, and always ready to bring a little Dancing Queen energy into the room. 🪩💃🏻

Ms. Jaiden, thank you for sharing your talent, your energy, and your special spark with Reach. We’re grateful for everything you’ve contributed during your first year and excited for all the growth still ahead.

Happy Teacher Anniversary!

Here’s to another year of dancing, growing, creating, and reaching higher together. 💖

A Little Page With a Lot of Purpose

At Reach For The Barres, getting to know our dancers has always been about more than learning their names, remembering their favorite steps, or knowing where they stand at the barre.

We want to know the person who walks into the classroom each week, too.

That’s why, at the beginning of each season, our dancers receive a Dancer About Me Page to complete and return to their teacher. It’s a tradition we’ve continued in different forms for nearly a decade, and one that has become a meaningful part of how we begin each new season together.

A Little Page With a Lot of Purpose

For Season 12, we asked dancers to tell us things like what makes them happiest, what helps them feel brave, how they like to be encouraged, and something they simply want their teacher to know about them.

For our dancers, it’s a fun opportunity to share a little bit about themselves.

For our teachers, those answers can offer another window into the child they’re teaching.

Every dancer responds differently to challenge, correction, encouragement, and connection. One child may light up with enthusiastic praise, while another may feel most supported by a quiet word from their teacher. Something as simple as knowing a dancer’s favorite song, what makes them laugh, or what helps them feel brave can give a teacher another way to build trust and connection in the classroom.

And sometimes, the answer to “Something I want my teacher to know about me is…” tells us something we might not otherwise have known to ask.

Giving Dancers a Voice in Their Experience

Part of helping children grow is giving them opportunities to understand themselves and communicate what they need.

Our About Me pages give dancers, from our littlest students to our oldest, a simple way to say: This is who I am. This is what matters to me. This is how you can help me.

As teachers, we get to listen.

Over time, these pages become something else, too: a snapshot of who our dancers were at a particular moment in their childhood.

We’ve been collecting versions of them for nearly a decade, and there’s something pretty special about watching the answers change as a dancer grows. Favorite things change. Personalities emerge. Confidence develops. The little dancer who once needed help feeling brave may one day become the older dancer helping someone else find their courage.

 

Meet Our Season 12 Dancer About Me Page

Want to complete one at home?

Click the image to open and print a copy of our Season 12 Dancer About Me Page. Your dancer can fill it out, decorate it, and bring it with them to the studio for their teacher.

Because meaningful connection begins with knowing the child in front of us. And when dancers feel known, supported, and understood, we create more space for them to learn, take risks, grow, and experience the joy of reaching higher.

Together, we reach higher.

Your Recital Dance Video Is Waiting for You

As recital approaches, we’ve had several families reaching out asking where they can find their dancer’s recital practice video.

Good news: it’s already waiting for you inside your Parent Portal!

We uploaded recital practice videos during Spring Break and shared reminders during Bring Your Person to Class Week, but we know this time of year gets busy and it’s easy for details to get lost among costumes, performances, and all the excitement leading up to recital.

Here’s how to find it:

Step 1: Log in to your Parent Portal.

Step 2: Click Files from the menu on the left-hand side.

Step 3: Select the Class Files tab.

Step 4: Click on your dancer’s class recital dance file.

That’s it! Your recital practice video, or class materials will be available there for easy access.

📸 See the image below for a visual walkthrough.

These videos are a wonderful tool for helping dancers feel confident, prepared, and excited as recital approaches. While there’s no expectation that dancers practice constantly at home, having the opportunity to review choreography, music, and performance details can be a great confidence booster.

As we head into recital week, we encourage families to take a few minutes to log in and make sure they’ve located their class materials. You might be surprised by what treasures are waiting inside your portal!

We can’t wait to celebrate all of your dancers on stage very soon. 💕

Keep reaching,

Team Reach

 

Screenshot

 

Elevate & Celebrate Our Final Week of Season 11

It’s hard to believe we’ve arrived at the final week of Season 11.

There’s a certain feeling that settles into the studio this time of year. The excitement is bigger, the hugs last a little longer, and everywhere you look, there are reminders of just how much growth has happened over the past nine months.

As we prepare for recital weekend, we’ve been reflecting on everything this season has held for our dancers and our studio community. So many firsts. So many breakthroughs. So many moments of courage, confidence, joy, and resilience that happened little by little inside our classrooms each week.

Our theme this season has been Elevate & Celebrate, and honestly, we can’t think of a better way to describe what this year has meant.

We’ve watched dancers elevate not only their technique, but their belief in themselves. We’ve watched children step into leadership, form meaningful friendships, work through challenges, and discover what they’re capable of through consistency, encouragement, and community. And alongside all of that growth, we’ve celebrated every bit of it together.

That’s what makes recital feel so special to us each year. It’s never just about the performance itself. It’s about honoring the journey that brought our dancers to this moment. The classes attended week after week. The courage to keep trying. The teachers who poured into them. The families who supported them. The memories made along the way.

As we close out our 11th season together, we just want to say thank you. Thank you for trusting us with your children, for believing in what we’re building here, and for continuing to make Reach For The Barres such a meaningful community to be part of.

We cannot wait to celebrate our dancers on stage this weekend and close out Season 11 together the best way we know how: by elevating, celebrating, and soaking in every magical moment. 💖