4 Reasons Why Being in a Dance Class is SO Important Right Now

Being a parent during a pandemic is not exactly a walk in the park. When a child is hungry, you feed them. When a child is sick, you take them to the doctor. When a child experiences a pandemic, sees the world flipped upside down, and probably doesn’t completely understand why, you…? 

Well, if you’re feeling lost on how to support your kids right now, check out this great article from the Child Mind Institute that we stumbled upon a few days ago. It’s got some great tips! When we read it, we couldn’t help but realize that dance class just so happens to check off quite a few things on that list. 

Dance is amazingly beneficial for kids. We’ve known this for years, which is why we’ve chosen to dedicate our lives to it. But when we think about what kids NEED during a pandemic, dance class seems even more magical than ever before. We are SO excited to dance with your children this Fall, especially because we know they will need it more than ever before. 

4 Reasons Why Being in a Dance Class is SO Important Right Now:

1. Back to a Routine

Kids need structure in their lives, and with almost nothing normal these days, finding that structure is super difficult. That’s why a weekly dance class that remains consistent throughout the ENTIRE school year is so valuable right now. 

We guarantee that when you sign up for one of our Fall Dance Classes, your child will have something to look forward to every week. They will settle into a groove when they have that consistency in their lives. More importantly, when they have consistent activities and structure, they will be less likely to act out and need YOUR attention at home. 

2. Socialization

In the year of social distancing, all of us are feeling the negative emotional impacts of isolation and being apart from others. While we may not be able to help your kids feel physically closer with their friends, we certainly can help them feel connected once again. 

In dance class, the smiles are contagious. The community feel is automatic and comes about organically. When you’re in a room dancing together, you feel together, no matter how far apart. We can’t wait to help your kids bloom into the social butterflies that they were before quarantine!

3. Physical Activity

With many sports cancelled, and A LOT more use of technology over the past couple months, I think we could ALL use some move-your-body time. Here at Positions Dance Studio, that is what we do BEST! 

Send your kids to us this Fall for a full body workout and a feel-good endorphins boost. In class, we get our heart rates up while also utilizing muscle control and flexibility. Dancing really is the whole package. Not to mention our adult fitness classes! Come move with us this Fall! 

4. Supportive and Positive Adults 

We KNOW you’re already doing this at home. But parents are humans too, and it’s unrealistic to expect yourself to stay positive for you kids 100% of the time (especially during a pandemic). That’s where we come in. 

It’s our JOB to be there for your kids. Our goal is to bring our students unwavering and unconditional positivity. At dance, we’re here to build them up for their own sake, but also so YOU don’t have to be the only one doing so. We’re here for both you and your child, now more than ever. 

Are you ready to make all of this magic happen for your child this Fall?! We are too! We are now accepting enrollment for our 2020/2021 Dance Season. Click here to view the schedule and register today! 

Making this list got our warm and fuzzies going, simply because we LOVE what we do. It’s time for another great year of dance at Positions Dance Studio, and we can’t wait to bring your children all the things that they need MOST right now. 

How We Are Safely Returning to the Studio

Positions Families, the time has finally come! The moment we’ve ALL been waiting for: a return to in-studio classes at Positions! For months, our staff has been saying that we CAN’T wait to be back in the studio with our dancers. Now that we are preparing to do so, the excitement is building, but this big step is certainly not one we take lightly. 

During all the chaos these past couple of months, one thing has always stayed the same. Your safety is our number one priority. Our staff is busy transforming our facility and re-thinking our procedures to ensure that our students are safe when they walk in our doors. We are dedicated to you and our responsibility to the community. 

As we accept enrollment for our fall and summer classes, we have put together a new set of policies that we’d like all of our families to take note of. The studio experience may look a little different than years past, but we are confident that it will be a great one.  

How We are Safely Returning to the Studio: 

1. Limiting Class Sizes

To ensure that there is room in our studios for proper social distancing, our class’ capacity numbers will be smaller than usual. If classes fill and there are dancers interested in joining, we will open new classes to ensure that our families get the classes they need. 

With limited class sizes in mind, be sure to view our schedule and register before your preferred class time fills up! 

2. Now Requiring Pre-Registration for All Adult Classes

Adult classes are being offered in-person (outdoors) and on Zoom. Due to limited class sizes to allow for social distancing, we are utilizing a new software to ensure that our drop-in adult dance/fitness classes do not exceed capacity limits. We’ve made it easy for you! Just visit our website and click the registration link next to the class you’d like to attend. 

Those who previously purchase class cards will be able to reactivate them. Please contact the studio to unfreeze your account! Our Summer 2020 Adult Classes run from July 20th - August 28th. View the schedule today! 

3. Drop-Off Only Policy

For all students over the age of 5 years old, parents will not be allowed in the studio to watch class or relax in the lobby. You will have the option to remotely view class via the Zoom Links posted in the parent portal. Parents of preschool children may accompany them inside and occasionally check on class, but we ask that you rotate your time in the lobby. This change was made in order to reduce the amount of people in our space at any given time. 

4. Hand sanitizer and temperature checks at the door!

When arriving at our facility, your student will be greeted by a Positions staff member who will use a touchless thermometer to check the temperature of each dancer before. We’ve also added hand sanitizing stations at the entrance, which will be mandatory for all dancers to use. 

5. Now Requiring Masks to Enter

Students must wear a mask while entering or exiting the building. However, the mask is not required while dancing. Need a mask? We’ve designed special Positions Dance Studio masks for our dancers who are ready to enter in style! Stop by our dance store to get yours today!  

6. Now Requiring Props for Ages 5+

In order to keep our surfaces free from cross-contamination, all dancers ages 5+ are required to bring a yoga mat and hand towel to class. View our graphic below to double-check that your child has everything they need!

Positions Dance Studio is now offering special, branded back to dance packages! Take 20% off when you purchase all 3 items!

7. Socially Distant Dancing! 

We’ve prepped our studio from top to bottom - literally! Our dance floors are now equipped with floor stickers for our dancer’s feet, surrounded by individual, taped boxes. 6 feet apart, but dancing together! 

8. A Revamped Cleaning Schedule

Our staff will be sanitizing high traffic areas such as barres, doorknobs, and bathrooms between each class. Heavy-duty cleaning will be done at the end of the night to prepare for the next day of classes. 

As you can see, we’ve put great thought and detail into our back-to-studio planning. We’re committed to a safe return to the studio. The safety of our dancers, families, and staff is always number one on our list. Be well, and we can’t wait to see you at the studio!

Seeing the Silver Lining: Top 4 Takeaways of Online Dance Classes

Month number 2 of quarantine is almost complete and let’s be real… staying positive is not an easy task. If you let your mind start to wander too far, heading into worry-land happens pretty quickly. We get it and we’re here to offer support wherever we can. 

There is one positive thing that we all agree on at Positions: seeing your kids on zoom every week makes all of the madness disappear for a few hours. Not only do we love seeing their faces, but we’ve also been having tons of magical moments in class. While our online classes could never take the place of being in the studio, they are SO valuable during this time. 

Between our free and paid facebook groups, our LIVE classes on Zoom, and other fun initiatives on our public facebook page, we’ve completely dedicated ourselves to moving our programs online. As we witness our students learning in new ways and smiles flying left and right, we’ve been seeing the silver lining more and more. 

Check out the Top 4 Take-Aways of Online Dance Classes:

1. A Slice of Normalcy

Any sense of stability that your child was used to has probably shifted during this time. Schedules, schooling, social interaction, end of the year festivities… you name it, it’s probably been changed or non-existent. Which is why we LOVE providing our weekly classes. 

Your child sees their regular teacher just like normal. Your child can depend on the same class every week just like normal. Your child practices their recital dance just like normal. Your child reviews the same skills they were learning before quarantine just like normal. We hope this has lowered the levels of crazy at your house, even if it’s just for an hour each week! 

2. Staying Connected

One of the best feelings is when we unmute a child on zoom and they start exploding with stories and questions! We love watching as they finally let it all out. When we are all dancing together on the screen, everyone is reminded of the community we built at the studio earlier in the year. The kids feel like they belong again. We know they miss their friends and teachers, so we love giving them a chance to connect each week. 

3. Individual Attention

Besides dance class, when was the last time your child heard someone outside of their family say their name? It’s probably been a while. When we give our students corrections via zoom, we watch as their faces light up and they stand a little taller each time. It’s seriously magical!!

We recently read this article by the Institute for Family Studies that outlines 4 things that children need right now. Number one on their list is to feel heard. While our kids are muted, it may be difficult to accomplish this on Zoom. BUT, we do make them feel SEEN, which we would argue is EVEN better. It’s a good feeling to know that others are noticing you, seeing you, and investing in your success. 

4. A Creative Outlet

Even though your little ones might not understand the full capacity of the current situation, I think we all know they are feeling effects. When a child’s world gets turned upside down, it’s important to have a creative outlet. Just like our in-person classes, our virtual classes allow dancers to let go, forget about all the confusion, and dance it out! That has never been more important than right now! 

We hope this list gave you a glimpse into the warm and fuzzies that we feel during every Zoom class we teach. Their smiles are what remind us to stay positive during this time. 

While we know you might not get a “thank you” from your child after each Zoom class, trust us when we say that they are grateful. And from the bottom of OUR hearts, thank you. Thank you for your continued support during COVID-19. Thank you for supporting your child’s passions. Thank you for your flexibility and positivity. Our dance families are simply the best.