As we approach the start of our studio's very first season, I wanted to take this opportunity to dive into a bit more detail on the factors that make our studio unique.
Each dance studio has its own individual personality and character - no two studios offer the same thing, and it's important to identify the stand-out characteristics that really make a studio what it is and decide if it is then the right fit for you. It can be fairly simple to point out the major factors that establish a studio: whether or not students compete, what styles of dance are offered, etc. But in an ever-growing world of dance education, it can sometimes be difficult to really discern one school from another.
At CNYAOD, there are several stand-out pillars we base our educational philosophy and studio culture on. Here are a few things about us that truly make our programs unique:
Evaluations and Progress Reports - Our studio will hold in-class evaluations at the end of each semester, once in January and once in June, to assess our students' technical and artistic progress. Parents will be invited to observe these classes and will be provided with take-home progress reports explaining their child's individual assessment in detail. Parent/teacher conferences can also be scheduled to follow up in person with your child's instructors.
Weekly Stretch/Conditioning Class - For our intermediate and advanced students, especially those pursuing their training at the pre-professional level, it's crucial that subjects like injury prevention and cross training techniques be introduced and practiced weekly. We offer this class free of charge to our dancers as part of their pre-professional multi-class packaging option.
New Facilities - The CNYAOD studio space features top of the line sprung floors under a new marley surface for the perfect blend of stability and shock absorption. Our entire facility has been renovated and perfected for our dancers and their families, complete with dressing rooms, multiple restrooms and a kitchenette/dining area for long class or rehearsal days.
Highly Educated Faculty - Our instructors are incredibly passionate about the style of dance they teach, but also have the education and experience to provide the foundation for great teaching. All of our teachers have earned either degrees in the dance field or teaching certifications and bring with them a wealth of knowledge to pass on to the next generation.
Adult Dance and Fitness Classes - In addition to our full range of children's and teen's dance technique classes, our studio also offers a thriving adult program. Our weekly offerings include adult ballet and barre fitness, with special events and workshops included throughout the year to bring our love of dance and fitness to the local adult community.
Varied Training Options - Although we offer a full range of classes and styles, the level of commitment to training is always up to our dance families. Whether a pre-professional student, recreational dancer or "a la carte" student supplementing their current training schedule with CNYAOD technique classes, we are always able to accommodate our students' individual needs.
Frequent Guest Instructor Masterclasses - From hip hop to musical theatre to African dance, we are committed to providing our students with a thorough and diverse dance education. We bring in specialized instructors 4-6 times per year to broaden our students' artistic awareness and abilities.
Year-Round Training Options - While our studio follows the academic school year from September - June, our summer programs provide an opportunity to train all year long without losing hard-earned progress. We currently have planned a 4-week summer intensive, two separate 1-week children's dance camps, a 1-week ballet technique intensive and a 1-week fairy-tale camp for our littlest dancers beginning summer 2019.
I hope this provides a little more information about our studio and what we're really all about here at CNYAOD. Feel free to get in touch anytime to discuss any of the studio elements discussed in this post - we'd love to get to know you better and find out how we can meet your needs!
Happy dancing loves :)