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Why Dance Is Good For Kids

Dance is a great form of exercise for the body and brain. Finding a love for the art of dance can motivate kids to stay active into adulthood. Dance helps your child increase their flexibility, physical strength, range of motion, and stamina.

Here are some of our favorite benefits of taking dance classes!

Promotes Socialization

Within dance class children learn how to work as a team. As well as gain a great sense of truth and cooperation. Dance is a highly social activity, and with every class they interact with other dancers. More often than not those connection grow into live long friendships.

💕Dance friends are forever friends! 

Improve Physical Health

Dance will enhance your child’s flexibility, strength, and stamina. As well has help you child in other activities beyond the dance studio.

Emotional Development

Through experiencing the joy of dancing your child will learn how to express them in a new found way that is beneficial for their health. This form of expression provides an outlet for healthy emotional and physical release. Children who are given the freed to channel their emotions in a safe space helps build up their self esteem and confidence.

Encourages Creativity

No matter what style of dance your child it encourages your child to express themself while exploring their imagination. Early childhood is the best time for creative development. By encouraging your child’s creativity they will learn how to think critically while building trust.

 

 

 

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Tips for First Time Dancers

 

Starting something new is always a little scary at first, but joining dance doesn’t have to be. Here at Reach For The Barres we strive to create a fun and inclusive dance experience. We believe dance is for everybody, and everybody can dance. And the best way to learn is through fun. So please don’t fret if this is your first time stepping into the studio! 


TRY A VARIETY OF STYLES

There are so many different genres of dance that you may be unsure of which to choose when deciding to learn to dance. The simple answer is to try lots of different dance styles. You and your dancer may just fall in love with all of them! 

IT’S GOOD TO MAKE MISTAKES!

Dance class is where you learn, and you can’t learn without making mistakes. The dance studio serves as a safe space for growth. You often have to keep getting it wrong until you eventually get it right. We encourage your dancer to not see mistakes and failures as setbacks, but rather to see them as part of the learning process that they need to move onto greatness! 

PATIENCE IS AN ART

All good things take time. Learning new steps is a reward that comes from patience and practice. No one can become a star dancer over night. We will teach your dancer the art of grace and patience! Rome wasn’t built in a day.

PERFECTION DOESN’T EXIST 

The beauty in learning dance is the potential to blossom. With dance one’s ability to improve is endless. Dance is a skill that everyone can keep crafting for life. Even top professional dancers can watch videos of themselves, and see where they have a chance to improve.

RELAX AND HAVE FUN 

Always remember dance is meant to be fun. It’s a beautiful art form of expression, which also allows your mind and body to stay healthy. Our studio is here to allow you and our dancers to the  shake off stress, and enjoy a powerful mind-body-soul connection that comes by way of movement (and great music)! 

 

 

 

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Back To Dance

ARE YOU READY FOR THE SEASON AHEAD!

IF YOU’VE ALREADY FOUND YOUR CLASS WE WANT TO REMIND YOU 3 TIPS TO STAY ON POINTE! 

1. Find Your Focus
Embrace the fun, double-check those dance schedules and get ready to adjust to busier weeks spent ferrying dance-loving kiddos to and from classes.

2. Be Prepared
Double check your ‘what to wear list’ and make sure your dancer is prepared with all the right clothes, and hair for class! Showing up dressed appropriately for each class sets your child up for success.

3. Fuel up
If you’re heading straight to dance after school, pack your snacks in advance. Food is fuel, and the key to performing you’re best in class. A dancer full of nutrition is a happy dancer ready to take on a day/night full of classes.

IF YOU’RE STILL TRYING TO FIND A CLASS BEST SUITED FOR YOUR DANCER – LET US HELP YOU! 

Choosing a style for you dancer can seem daunting, but we hope we can help guide you in the direction that best suits your child. The style or discipline of dance your child should begin learning is ballet. If your child finds ballet colorless then starting with a class such as; jazz, hip hop or tap is perfect! Why ballet? Ballet creates the foundation and strength for movement. It teaches kids how to point their toes, and how use their arms guided with technique, develop flexibility, increase balance and strength which are key in all other types of dancing.

If your child is interested in learning hip hop, jazz or, tap? It is important that your dancer is interested in what they are learning. The more interest they hold the more motivated to improve. That being so if they love dancing to more upbeat music a hip hop or jazz class might be more beneficial for them to develop their love of dance first.
Here are some other styles of dance that we offer that you may be unfamiliar with.

WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY?
Contemporary dance is a style of expressive dance that combines elements of several dance genres including modern, jazz, lyrical, classical ballet and even hip-hop. Contemporary dancers strive to connect the mind and body through their movement.
BENEFITS: Expressive and emotional outlet, self confidence, body and spacial awareness, strength, endurance.

WHAT IS  MUSICAL THEATRE?
This fun class combines upbeat, stylized movement with proper technique. Jazz dance is based on ballet principles with each class consisting of a warm-up using isolated movements, across the floor progressions, and current choreography all set to age appropriate music. Emphasis and high focus will also be placed on musical interpretation, and learning performance skills such as connecting with the audience and telling a story through dance and facial expressions, along with character building.  We highly recommend this class for all young dancers especially those who love to perform wherever they go. 
BENEFITS: Self confidence, coordination, strength, flexibility, endurance.

WHAT IS POM PEP PREP?
Is a beginner pom class for 8-11 year old students that teaches sharp movements with poms, which blends jazz technique, turns, and leaps with strong arm positions. This exciting class will consist of cheer and dance team technique including pirouettes, toe touches, leaps, pom placement, safe stunts and more. Pom Pep Prep is not a cheer class, but rather a dance class that teaches dance combinations to integrate into pom squad routines.  Students will learn several sideline and pom routines through the season to help them prepare for a cheer and/or dance team future. These pre-choreographed routines will help prepare your child for future performances on the sidelines – or the end of the year recital! Complete with poms, bow, sparkles, and more – This class will be a fun and perfect fit for your aspiring dance team member or cheerleader!
BENEFITS: Team building, showmanship, precision, coordination, strength, endurance and self confidence

WHAT IS  HIP HOP (NINJAS)?
This class if for those high energy movers and shakers that are always ready to show-off their latest moves, and in the mood to hop + bop around with new tumbles + tricks. It combines the basics of hip hop (only age appropriate movement and music – we promise!) with basic acrobatic and tumbling skills. Dancers will perform a hip hop dance in the year-end-recital.
BENEFITS: Self confidence, coordination, strength, flexibility, endurance

No matter the style of dance you and your child choose we can assure they will have loads of fun, and learn lessons they will carry with them beyond the classroom.
We cannot wait to see you all in the studio again, and have another year full of dancing!

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July Blog Series: Summer Self-care Essentials, Pt. 1: MOVEMENT

We’re half-way through the summer, and even though school’s out, life certainly hasn’t slowed down. Packed with vacations, summer camps, parties, and outdoor activities, summertime can be one of the busiest, most active time of the year- and also, the hottest. These elements combined have a powerful effect on the body, which makes practicing self care during this season not only paramount, but also, potentially life-saving.

This is where our new July blog series steps in: Summer Self-Care Essentials. Each week, we highlight an area of health & wellness to inspire you to connect with your physical wellbeing and ultimately, ensure that your ideal “summer bod” is one that is balanced, nourished, and healthy.

But first, let’s take a look at how the hotter temperature during summer months can affect our bodies.

As humans, its built into our biological make-up to experience physical changes alongside seasonal ones. While winter time is the more severe season on average, summer offers its own set of challenges for our physiological climate to accommodate, including changes to the functionality of the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. Due to the increase in temperature, studies suggest our bodies are more vulnerable to dehydration, heat stroke, decreased lung function, and, especially, an impaired mental state with summer months usually boasting more admissions to the ER for mental healthcare services than winter.

Keeping this in mind, let’s jump into this week’s first summer self-care essential: MOVEMENT.  
No matter the time of year, implementing a physical activity into one’s self-care routine empowers one to have awareness of and take responsibility for one’s physical wellbeing. Depending on the activity, integral functions of the body, such as the cardiovascular, nervous, and respiratory systems, are engaged, leading to benefits like stronger muscles, reduced stress, increased mobility, and the release of certain brain chemicals- like endorphins- which promote positive feelings and also combat depression.

 

Without further ado, let’s dive into some summer movement tips for your summer self-care routine:
  • Hydrate- Before, during, and after your workout, be sure to drink water! Its our number 1 tip for a reason. As mentioned above, when the environment warms up, it makes the body more vulnerable to heat related afflictions that can take a serious, sometimes fatal toll on our bodies. Among a number of benefits, water helps regulate body temperature, maintain blood pressure, protects joints during movement, prevents dehydration, and boosts energy to stave off lethargy.*More on water and it’s benefits in our next blog post, but keep reading along for more movement related tips below!*
  • Cool off- Consider indoor/outdoor activities that will not only help you break a sweat, but will also keep you cool. Below are a few of our favorites:
    Indoor activities: dance class, barre classes, yoga, pilates, gymnastics, strength training at a gym, stationary bike, treadmill, indoor rock climbing, racquet ball, basketball, at-home workout
    Outdoor activities: swimming, surfing, hiking, walking/running, jump-roping, soccer, baseball, softball, golfing, cycling, inline skating, skateboarding
  • Slow down- No need to stack your routine with long, high intensity workouts to achieve your summer fitness goals. The one thing you DO NOT want to do is overexert yourself.
    To start, try peppering your workout routine with shorter, lower intensity exercises to accommodate both the physiological and seasonal change (see above for ideas and inspiration). It’s usually recommended to commit to 20-30 mins, 3 x a week, and practice consistency in whatever activity you choose to do.
    Also, consider dedicating 5 -10 min of your routine specifically to cooling down after exercising; this helps with easing your body back into a regulated state by decreasing the heart rate, expanding your intake of oxygen, and enhancing relaxation.
Hope you enjoyed the first of our Summer Self-Care Essentials series! Stay tuned for next week’s post, and be sure you’re signed up to receive our newsletter, so you don’t miss a beat!