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Hello parents!

 

I just want to let you know what a JOY it has been to teach your children this year (and for many of you, over several years!). It has been such a delight to see them learn and grow.

 

Some of you have shown an interest in continuing your child’s dance training and I wanted to share some suggestions as to where to send them. I’ve even found a nearby studio with boy’s classes! Yay! See below.

 
Where you should go next depends on your personal philosophy and what you are looking for when it comes to your individual child and family.
 
Here are a few things I look for:
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1.       What is the experience and training of the teachers? I prefer a studio that only hires teachers with a degree in dance. I feel like it is at the university level that an understanding of proper pedagogy and safe training practices are taught.

 

2.       What type of emotional environment do they foster? If your child continues in dance they will spend A LOT of time in the studio and as a parent I look for a positive environment for them to be a part of.

 

3.       How is the facility—is is safe and clean?

 

4.       What is their emphasis and how much “ownership” do they feel they have over your child and your family’s resources? Extreme competition studios require a great deal of time and money and also demand an unspoken degree of ownership of your child. These studios produce amazing dancers. There is no way around that. Many “recreational” (meaning non-competition) studios are much more relaxed but do not produce very strong dancers. Obviously, this is where each family will vary in their ideals and commitment.

 

5.       What are the typical end results from dancers who train at that studio? Can most dancers make it onto their high school dance company or drill team? Do any of their graduates go onto major in dance at a university level?

 

6.       What is the financial investment?

You can interview the owner to learn many of these things, but you can learn a lot from looking on social media as well as attending their performance.


i do not endorsed one specific studio over another. However, I am going to highlight three specific studios That I am either currently having my children attend or that I am considering: 

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DanceMaker STudio
(https://www.dancemakerstudio.com/)

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This is where my daughter is currently attending. Classes fill up FAST and her new student registration opens April 15th. 

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This is what I liked:

 

1.       Body positive, non-competitive environment 

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2.       Age appropriate music and movement (she teaches ballet)

 

4.       In my neighborhood 

 

5.      She has a degree in dance and from my understanding has dancers that have gone on to make high school companies

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6. Only one recital a year

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7. Affordable 

 

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There are three things I have found about this studio that are not my favorite that I thought were also important to share:

 

1.       As with any dance studio that is non-competitive, often the dancers technique lags behind their peers that choose a more aggressive/competitive studio (that requires more time and $$$)

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2.      Although I have felt that most of the material is sound, I feel like the flexibility training is not up to best practices 

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3. Classes seem pretty big (at least in the younger groups) which means the students don't get a lot of individual feedback and might not progress as quickly. 

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4. No creative exploration and choreography training

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Miss Margene's Creative Classroom  (http://missmargene.com/)

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I have had a chance to take some dance classes last year at Miss Margene’s dance studio and I feel like I know enough that I would feel comfortable recommending her studio.

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This is what I liked:

 

1.       It is a VERY warm and friendly environment. I was taking their alumni class and they were inviting, genuine and kind to me. They were very much about building each other up and being your best self, not about competing. 

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2.       Creative philosophy that seems to be balanced with technique—While I don’t think their dancers have the strongest technique (because it isn’t an extreme competition studio) They have students on high school companies and that have gone on to major in dance. 

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3.       Affordable—it is about as low as I have seen for a studio

 

4.       About 11-15 minutes from my location, depending on traffic.

 

5.       Boys’ classes! Hooray! I’ve heard great things about them as well.

 

6.       From my understanding grandchildren of one of my professors at BYU attend that studio—that is a good sign to me :)

 

 

 

There are three things I have found about this studio that are not my favorite that I thought were also important to share:

 

1.       Two performances a year. I would like less time preparing for performances and more time working on regular class. I have heard the performances are LONG and a big time commitment as well. However, for many people two performances is a plus. 

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2.       From my understanding there are no parent observation days. As a parent I want a chance to watch a class to see teaching practices as well as to see how my child responds.

 

3.       The studio is not the freshest, newest facility. I think that the lower tuition cost is a trade off for that.

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The dance Box
(https://www.thedanceboxstudio.com/)

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I don't know much about this studio but wanted to highlight it because from what I have seen online if my studio grew up this is what it would look like :) They only teach up to fifth graders. I am going to do more research and update this page when I do.

 

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Below are some other studio suggestions for you to look into to get you started. I don’t endorse any particular studio, and please know this is NOT an exhaustive list by any means. I have not personally researched all of these options comprehensively, but have heard enough about them from other people to pass them on as suggestions. I suggest looking into the options on your own to make sure it is a good fit for you and your child.

 

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Creative Dance

South Valley Creative Dance (Sandy) 
http://southvalleycreativedance.com/

 

Miss Margene’s Dance (Taylorsville) 
http://missmargene.com/

  

 

Ballet

gives a great foundation for technical training and with classical ballet training you don’t have to worry about the content of the music and movement :)

 

Barlow Arts Conservatory (Murray)

http://www.barlowartsconservatory.com/


Ballet Centre (state street in Murray)
http://theballetcentreinmurray.com/

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Classical Ballet Conservatory (West Jordan)

http://classicalballetconservatory.com/

                                                                            

 

Local Recreational Ballet—casual, very non-competitive environment

 

Dancemaker Studio (In-home ballet studio in our neighborhood—fills up VERY quickly)
http://www.dancemakerstudio.com/

 

Murray Community Dance

http://www.murrayschools.org/mce-dance-program/

 

 
Musical Theater

Clayton Productions (Sandy)—offers just dance classes as well
http://claytonproductionsonline.com/

 

 

General—offer mix of different genres of dance

 

Center for the Performing Arts (Sandy)
http://www.thecenterarts.com/

 

eMotion Dance Studio—(Sandy)I have talked to a couple of the creative dance teachers there and they are fantastic
http://www.emotiondance.com


Studio 56 (two locations in Murray—has competition teams)
http://www.studio56dance.com/

 

Body Logic Dance (Murray)
http://www.bodylogicdance.com/

 

Utah Dance Artists (Locations in Draper and South Jordan)

http://www.utahdanceartists.com/

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