Dance Essentials
Often students move one whole level by attending summer workshops. The
reason our Dancers Delight Workshop for children is successful
at developing such
improvements for our students is the daily training and exposure to a
variety of dance styles (ballet, jazz, acrobatics, folk dance, hip
hop etc..) while really honing in on basics. Yes. To learn to read you
have to really know your ABC's, but to become a dance artist you have
to know basics that are essential to all styles of dancing....I'm
talking about ( i ) the ability to learn and remember choreography,(
ii ) the
ability to improvise,( iii) use dramatic skills and emotion correctly
and ( vi ) use of rhythm and musicality.
Teaching these areas of dance
study for children is pretty
unique to California DanceArts. Usually the concentration is mostly on
physical
technique. But physical technical skills is only one aspect of
artistry. The interesting thing is that when training is approached
from this perspective, greater abilities of physical technical skills
follow. These Dance Essentials, as we call the area of study,
is very fun to learn, particularly when taught in
a way that is creative. At California DanceArts
we teach these Dance Essential skills in our classes year
round, but we are certainly able to work on them to a much greater
degree during summer workshops. I believe that students who really
understand these Dance Essentials obviously become better
artists with greater understanding. Not to mention that children who
engage in learning these skills become more out-going, creative, self
confident and develop sweeping increased abilities to communicate to
an audience. No matter the student's age, your child can really gain a
sense of artistry and performance skills. In a real sense
, young child
prodigies can be created in this manner.
Value of Learning to Choreograph
Not only does this workshop really boost students skill level,
but children work along-side like minded students who share a love and
desire to express themselves through dance. In
reality, students get the opportunity to live and breathe dancing, like
the "older" dancers...like pro dancers in a company, and work on huge
projects within a group.
Projects such as producing their own show to be presented at
the end of the workshop!
That's right. Its "THEIR" show. The group of students in the workshop
elect a theme for the show, they
create dances for the show and even decide the order of the dances to
be presented and how to introduce each dance. Working on group
choreography is a huge endeavor as there are basic
rules students learn about choreography...simple rules that
they
can understand and apply even at their young age. Students learn to
work out choreography problems and how to solve them by working with
each other. As a choreographer and director, I enjoying seeing students
increase their creativity and this is what I find most valuable about
the program. As a teacher, I see kids grow up before my eyes as they
learn
to take care of each other... take responsibility as a group
member, develop better communication and problem solving skills.
No limits with Inspiration
I'm not bragging when I mention that many of our current dancers in our
professional performing company, California Contemporary Ballet, grew
up attending Dancers Delight Workshop every single summer. Ryan
Morrison who performed as the Prince in our Snow Queen ballet,
never missed a Dancers Delight Workshop as a young
dancer at our school. He still attends the summer workshops offered for advanced dancers. Jaclyn Stryker danced
the role of the Enchantress in the Snow Queen this past winter and she
too grew up on Dancers Delight.
I point this out because these career dancers are examples of how
inspired young dancers can become when given daily training,
responsibility and high expectations. Instructed in a creative and
encouraging method, there is no limit to the potential of a young
dancer once inspired. Coupled
with high expectations and rewards such as dance games children love to
play and an occasional video of a great prima ballerina from history, this is a fun workshop...a Dancer's Delight!
Honestly, wouldn't YOU have loved to attend this workshop when you were
a kid? 
Please see all the information regarding the Dancers Delight Workshop
Here: http://www.caldancearts.com/pages/333/Dancers_Delight.htm Spaces in the workshop are already filling up! There are less then
12 spaces available! (Talk about exclusive instruction!) Some of our
workshops are already Full!
(The photo to the right is of an 8 year
old summer student in her costume for the show at the end of
the workshop. This young girl grew up to become a teacher at our school
for a time and a professional ballerina.)
Enroll by May 1st and receive 10%
off while spaces in the workshop last! Spaces won't
last, so enroll now! The discount is
available when you register with deposit online or in person.
Contact us by calling
818-790-7924
