Dance With Jenny!

All classes begin with stretching and warm-up.  Stretching is very important to prevent injury.  After we finish warming up, we practice some basic steps depending on the type of dance we are doing.  For ballet, that would be barre work, including plies and tendus from first and second position.  For tap, that would be nerve taps, stomps and stamps, and shuffles.

I was a competitive dancer and cheerleader in middle school and high school.  I continued taking dance classes (jazz, hip hop, and modern) throughout college.  I have coached cheerleading and dance at local elementary schools.

Group classes at my studio are $60 per month for one class per week.  Two group classes per week at my studio are priced at $80 per month.  Private lessons are generally $40 per hour for the first lesson, and $50 per hour for all following lessons.

One day while surfing the Internet, I saw an advertisement offering certification in the Dance to Learn! curriculum, which is based out of Denver, Colorado.  I liked that the curriculum combined dance and movement with educational themes and gave the director of Dance to Learn! a call.  She certified me in her curriculum and I began to teach it in local preschools.  From there, I realized that true passion lay in teaching children and adults recreational dance in a studio setting.  I continued to build my student base until I felt ready to open up my own studio.

I have worked with children as young as 20 months in a Mommy & Me setting and adults in their 20s.  I have coached elementary school girls and prepared them for a recital dance at their school and prepared a young woman for trying out for a professional cheerleading team.  I enjoy working with students from different backgrounds.

When my studio had its ribbon cutting ceremony, a lady and her daughter walked up to me.  She explained that her daughter danced all the time at home and she was so glad that a studio had opened up near her home.  I was filled with joy as I realized how much impact I could have on someone by opening my own studio.

I would advise them that dance is not something you learn and perfect overnight.  The little steps and the technique can take years to master.  However, dance is a lot of fun and students should enjoy the journey of learning and honing their technique and not judge their rate of progress against anyone else.  In the end, dance is about expressing yourself, and I believe that is more important than how many pirouettes you can do in a row!

Students should consider their age, their goals, and their physical condition before talking to teachers about their needs.  Are you hoping to be a professional dancer, or do you just want to learn to move to the music and become a skilled recreational dancer?  Do you have any physical limitations that the teacher should be aware of?  Anybody can express themselves through movement, but it is important that a teacher be fully aware of physical limitations or disabilities so that they can work around them and still produce successful results.  For example, a student with limited mobility in his or her legs may want to focus more on perfecting steps and technique that require more use of the upper body.