Dance Studio Information
Dance Studio Information
ABOUT OUR DANCE PROGRAM
The Countryside Dance Studio offers students fun classes in a friendly environment while providing a quality dance education that enhances poise, self-confidence, self-respect, and fitness for children and adults. Our studio offers a variety of dance classes including belly dancing, clogging, ballet, hip hop and competitive dance. When you enroll in our studio, you may choose to commit to preparing for the spring recital or you may choose to sign up session by session and not participate in the recital.
Dance sessions begins in the fall, usually November, and work toward a spring recital generally held in May. Students must decide by November whether or not to commit to performing in the recital. Costumes are ordered in January. Students who choose not to perform in the recital are still welcome in class and will learn the recital routine alongside the recital performers.
Recitals are held at Lebanon Jr. High. While the time and date for recitals are determined by Lebanon Jr. High, Countryside Dance Studio will provide this information early in the year so that families can plan accordingly. In order to keep the time frame of the recital close to an hour, awards will be presented at a different time, often during a class that follows the recital. Dance instructors will make sure that parents are aware of the party/award ceremony so that they can attend.
Throughout the year, students will have the opportunity to preform at nursing homes, festivals, and other YMCA events. We take great pride in all the activities and accomplishments of our dance classes. Our dance studio is staffed by professional dedicated teachers who love what they do.
*See below shoe recycling and recital requirements
COMPETITION DANCE TEAMS
The Countryside Dance Studio offers a competitive dance team for youth ages 8-17. Because the time commitment to dance with the competitive dance team is demanding, parents and students who want to participate must sign a contract reflecting their understanding of this commitment. Participating on the competition team requires:
- Mandatory participation at two to three competitions per year
- Mandatory participation in one overnight competition (Columbus area)
- Payment in full for all competition fees, dance attire, and related expenses (fundraisers are available to help offset costs)
- Participation in classes from fall through spring (7 sessions)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
SHOE REQUIREMENTS FOR CLASS AND RECITAL:
The shoes required for class are also the shoes required for the recital. Make sure to purchase the correct shoes before starting class. Shoes that fit properly are fundamental to the learning process. Contact the instructor or check Christy's, or Karen dance page for details on the proper shoes (and shoe color) needed for class. Most shoes can be purchased at Payless or Diana's Dance 513-792-0970 or The Dance Shoppe 937-434-8686.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Good attendance is imperative. Not only are the best the results accomplished when a student attends class on a regular basis, but the student will also feel more confident about dancing when he/she has attended class and learned the routine. Please have your child at every class on time, appropriately dressed and wearing proper shoes. Also, encourage your dancer to take a restroom break before class so as not to disrupt class and miss vital instructional time.
RECITAL REQUIREMENTS
It takes a number of sessions for children to learn the recital routines, and this is a huge time commitment from parents and the student. In order to participate in the recital, Countryside Dance Studio requires 5 sessions of dance starting in November and continuing until spring. Before the recital, there will be approximately 25 hours of practice for a 1-hour class, and 12 hours of practice for half-hour classes. There is also a recital rehearsal, which is mandatory. For Dance
(click here) For Ballet
(click here) For Tap
(click here)
In addition to this practice time commitment, dancing in a recital also requires some financial commitments. These include:
- Costumes – payments are to be made at the front desk at the time the order is placed
- Shoes (same shoes for class)
- Recital tickets - $5 per person
- Class pictures- (optional)
- Recital DVD (optional)
The recital may be on Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Parents will drop off their children and children will be supervised by staff and volunteers prior to and during the performance. Children arriving for the recital must be dressed in full costume, shoes, and make-up. School auditorium doors open one half hour before the recital. Flash photography and video taping of the recital are prohibited. Countryside offers a video of the recital at a very low cost.
DANCE AND SHOE ATTIRE RECYCLING
Countryside Dance Studio has a Shoe and Dance Attire Recycling Program. You can donate dance items your children have outgrown and purchase items from the recycling program for under $10. The money goes to the Caring for Families Scholarship Fund. This is an excellent way to save money and help others. For more information contact
Phylliscro@countrysideymca.org or call 513-932-1424 x 226.
WEB NEWSLETTER
Throughout the fall and spring, Countryside Dance Studio will post a newsletter with information about upcoming dance events, costumes, and recital information to keep parents up-to-date on all pertinent information.
WHY BOYS NEED DANCE
For balance, strength, and grace. Both boys and girls need to explore a variety of movements of smooth, sharp, and fast. They need to feel the differences between these movements and to reflect on those differences.. Why do we expect girls to be graceful and boys to be strong? Shouldn’t both girls and boys have strength and grace? Ballet dancers are athletes, and awesome athletes at that. They practice hard, creating strong bodies, which give the student grace and movement that can enhance other activities.
