As a preschool dance teacher, you're tasked with guiding young learners through a world of movement, rhythm, and expression. You have a unique opportunity to plant the seeds of creativity, coordination, and confidence in your little dancers. But before you dive into the lesson planning process, there's a critical step that often gets overlooked.
Read MoreToday, I bought my oldest son, Hudson, ballet shoes. I was trying so hard to contain my excitement. Being a boy mama, I knew my chances of buying any of my kids a pair of ballet shoes were slim.
Read MoreWhen I set out to create our 7-12 year old curriculum, the OUB Story Ballet Curriculum my biggest struggle was not having everyone’s students in front of me. Not knowing how long your classes would be or how many times per week your students are taking ballet.
Read MoreVisit Briarwood Ballet in Birmingham, Alabama and you’ll likely see Once Upon A Ballet Certified Teacher Danielle Brabston sparking the imagination of her three to eight year-old students. “I think it’s really important with that age group to use imagination as much as you can in the classroom, that really seems to help inspire them. It keeps them engaged, and they just come alive with that.”
Read MoreWhen Once Upon A Ballet Licensed Studio Owner Kari Novikoff found the OUB program, she immediately fell in love. “I love how sparking their imaginations helps in getting them to dance with correct technique, but in a fun way! They pretend they are princesses and pretend they are wearing a beautiful necklace or tiara. It improves their posture immediately, and I don't have to just tell them, they do it automatically. They are learning and it is fun.”
Read MoreAs a Once Upon a Ballet Licensed Studio, fairytales and dreams can certainly be found at Kidz Gym and Dance. Owner Vickie Szeplaki makes a point to empower and spark her students’ imaginations by bringing creativity and fantasy into her classes. “I love the program. It’s one of those things that made my studio in my area stand out and be different.”
Read MorePreviously, I talked about why your dance studio’s brand is important for growing your business. But what exactly is your brand?
It does comprise your logo, and the fonts and colors you use. Visual design is important, of course!
Read MoreWalk into Autumn Cantrell’s North Carolina dance studio and you’ll be swept into a world of creativity and inspiration. “I try to be as creative as possible… keeping the studio space very positive and inspirational too. We have all kinds of cute things in there, motivational things,” she tells us.
Read MoreWhen you understand child development, so many things change in your classes. First, you'll see your young students differently. I can remember when I first started teaching preschoolers. I THOUGHT my students would stand in lines, wait their turns, and work hard just like my older students had.
Read MoreOver the course of her dance career, Once Upon A Ballet Certified Teacher Kristin Mueller has discovered that to inspire her students, she can’t just watch them imagine and make believe— she has to participate in the magic herself.
Read MoreWe focus a lot on posture in Once Upon A Ballet even from early on. Posture is important in the early years to promote good habits in the future. We focus on students’ posture mostly during the more technical portions of class like centre barre or barre, centre allegro, and traveling exercises.
Read MoreI want Once Upon a Ballet to help teachers inspire their youngest students. All of our materials are meant to bring FUN into the dance classroom, but in a way that is educational, age-appropriate, fosters child development, and gives students a strong foundation for beginning levels of dance later on.
Read MoreTo see the [OUB] curriculum lay everything out… and have things that you’re really focusing in on… I really enjoyed having that plan laid out.” Now that Lee Ann has gone through the OUB training and is implementing it in her classes, she wants to take all of her upcoming apprentices through it who are wanting to learn how to teach.
Read MoreToday I want to give you a few quick tips for teaching tots—on helping your students wait for their turn during travelling exercises.
Read MoreFor seasoned teachers and newbies alike, you can never have too many tips in your teacher’s “toolbox”. If you’re just starting out teaching pre-ballet, here are some tips that will help your classes run more smoothly...
Read MoreYou’ve likely heard the term “BrainDance” before, but what exactly is a BrainDance? And does it differ for toddlers and preschoolers when compared with older children?
Read MoreIn Once Upon A Ballet classes, children learn their first dance steps through fairy tales and classical ballet stories. Many childhood care facilities and schools teach theme-based curriculums in their classrooms.
Read MoreWhen children come to ballet class, their dance activities take them through a fairy tale story, allowing them to be part of the fairy tale.
Read MoreMost often done during the barre portion of class, degagé is so important for jumps in ballet. It helps to develop the feet and legs for quick footwork...
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