Why We Are Thankful for the Arts

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s almost time for Turkey! This time of year always makes us stop and think about how lucky we are. It’s the season of giving, the season of thanking, and for us, the season of DANCING! 

For most of us here at Positions Dance Studio, dancing is more than just a hobby. It’s what lights us up and keeps us going. We know that some of our dancers already feel the same way, and some of them are still figuring out what dance means to them. The arts can bring so much magic to a child’s life, whether they are just hobbies or lifelong passions. 

Today we are sharing the magic as we list 4 reasons why we are thankful for dance:

1. Self-Expression

Do you ever get sick of using words to explain how you feel? Us too! The arts let us take a break from the hectic world and dig down deep. Instead of talking, artists can make a dance, paint a picture, write a poem… the list goes on! 

We are thankful that we had dance growing up. It gave us an outlet for self-expression that made common struggles a whole lot easier. More importantly, it helped us learn how to think through our emotions and use them in a positive way. Artists of all kinds are usually pretty good at this skill because we have a safe space to explore the most vulnerable parts of ourselves. 

2. Performance Opportunities

Take it from us, there is NOTHING quite like getting up on stage and presenting your most lively self to an audience. Performing artists (like dancers, actors, and singers) rehearse long hours for performances as short as a couple of minutes. Why? Because the spark that happens at the theater is usually enough joy to last a lifetime. 

Witness the spark for yourself in just a few weeks at one of the best dance performances in Babylon! Our Positions Dancers are busy rehearsing for this year’s production of The Nutcracker! We are watching closely as these young, growing dancers step out of their shells and gain the confidence to dance on-stage with real professional ballerinas. Get your tickets online today!

3. Creativity

In today’s world, finding a time and place to be creative isn’t always easy. For those of us that have the privilege of a weekly dance (or painting, drama, etc.) class, we are able to break away from boring, every-day tasks. We get to create beautiful things and discover new ideas that come from the heart. 

Not only is being creative fun and exhilarating, but it also helps us celebrate our individuality. Even if two people are doing the same exact dance, it will never look exactly the same. Each dancer’s personality and individual style will shine through. The same thing goes with a painting or a spoken word poem. We are thankful that dance lets us be uniquely ourselves. 

4. Stress-Relief

We are confident that if you ask any of our older students how they feel BEFORE dance class, most of them will say “tired” or “stressed”. We are even MORE confident that if you ask them how they feel AFTER dance class, their answers will be a lot more positive. 

Dancing releases endorphins and gives you a chance to unwind. Creating something beautiful with your body makes you feel GOOD. Pushing yourself to try new things you’ve never done before is exhilarating. And above all else, a dance class is one hour of NOT thinking about your to-do lists, your personal drama, or whatever else is stressing you out. And for that, we are thankful. 

And with that, join us as we recite a big, giant THANK YOU. Thank you to the arts for making our lives brighter every day. Not everyone in the world has a chance to enjoy a dance class, experience dance performances in Babylon, or express themselves week after week. We are beyond thankful that we are the lucky ones! 

Be on the lookout for turkeys at the studio this month! We invite you to grab a feather and tell us what YOU are thankful for! 

Class Feature Time: Dance Abilities

At Positions Dance Studio, we believe that dance is for ALL. We hold this value close when planning our schedule for the year and deciding what we want to pass on to our kids. Striving to make dance accessible for everyone, we create classes that welcome students from all backgrounds. 

Our Dance Abilities class is one of the classes we are proud to offer at the studio. This weekly class is specifically tailored for students ages 7-adult with Down Syndrome, Autism, and other developmental disabilities. In class, dance allows students to gain balance between the two halves of the body, express emotion, and gain muscle control, all while having a ball and making some new friends. We absolutely LOVE watching our Dance Abilities students grow throughout the year. 

So today we wanted to take some time to feature this amazing class on the blog. We truly believe that this class does wonderful things for our participants. Read on to hear about the Top 3 Benefits of Dance Abilities!

1. Confidence Building

We see it all the time, dance brings people OUT of their shells. The nonverbal nature of dance offers a great opportunity for special needs populations to explore their senses. This often leads to a burst of self-confidence, as our students learn to express themselves and trust their body’s abilities! 

More importantly, dance can feel vulnerable sometimes! We often see our Dance Abilities students start out the year with small, shy movements. But by the end, they jump right in with huge, full-bodied dancing. That right there is the beauty of trusting oneself! It’s so rewarding to watch as our students learn self-confidence through dance. 

2. Improved Coordination and Motor Skills

Right & left, up & down, open & close… our Dance Abilities students learn it all! Dance requires focus and muscle control to execute skills. We meet students where they are by breaking down skills and modifying our requirements based on their skill levels. They learn to use both sides of their body, move their legs and arms together, and even move in opposition. The improvements we see are truly amazing! 

3. A Sense of Belonging

This one is by far our favorite! Everyone deserves to feel like they belong somewhere and fit in with their peers. And we sadly know that’s not always the case for special needs populations. That is exactly why we are proud to offer Dance Abilities.

In class each week, our students dance alongside their peers, learning how to share space with others and use their bodies to communicate. We watch as they make special connections with other dancers and build friendships that matter even beyond our studio doors. Bring your dancer to our class to give them a consistent group of dance friends that they look forward to dancing with each week. Dance brings people together!

We can’t wait to kick off our Dance Abilities class this month! It is not too late to register! Head over to our website and sign up online! 

This class is SO important to us and we hold it near and dear to our hearts! Come see for yourself what Dance Abilities can do for your family!

5 Benefits of Performing

Positions families! We are SO close! Recital is coming right up and we really think that this could be the best dance recital in Babylon yet! Our dances are starting to look fabulous and the students are beginning to feel the pre-show excitement. We can’t wait!

Aside from all the excitement, we also get a little sentimental around recital time. Our staff at Positions Dance Studio all treasure the memories of their dance recitals growing up. It is SUCH a special time for kids and families. We really value our Spring recital because it gives our students the chance to perform. Performing has SO many benefits for children, so today on the blog we wanted to share our 5 favorites!

Benefits of Performing:

1. Self-Confidence

Once you get on stage, the lights are shining, the music is playing, and the audience is watching. There is NO hiding. Performing is a great tool for teaching kids how to step out of their comfort zone and be confident in themselves.

At our dance recital, we see sparks light up in our kids every year. If they have insecurities, they are forced to leave them behind on recital day in order to shine on stage. Knowing your loved ones are in the audience cheering you on is a great feeling. And strutting off-stage after nailing a 3-minute dance routine is an even greater feeling. Performing builds our kids up and teaches them that they are capable of incredible things.

2. Goal-Setting

We love recital because it gives our kids something big to work towards all year. Everything we teach in class becomes a whole lot more meaningful to them when it means they will look AWESOME on stage. We work on setting goals throughout the school year in class and we love seeing them reach those goals on-stage.

3. Overcoming Fears

Performing teaches kids that they can do anything in life, even when it seems scary. It’s no secret that performing in front of a theater of people can be a little intimidating! All eyes are on YOU, which can stir up nerves and anxiety in many kids. We absolutely LOVE giving pep-talks backstage to nervous dancers before they step out. It is amazing to watch as they work through those emotions and get on stage despite their fears. Performing teaches them to let go, trust themselves, and just GO for it!

4. Teamwork

At Positions Dance Studio, we emphasize the importance of working together when performing and perfecting dance routines. We tell our students that the goal is to look like ONE dancer on stage by dancing perfectly in sync with one another. We use counts, music cues, and breath to help our kids stay together and work as a team. Teamwork is an essential part of life! Performing is a valuable tool for teaching kids to step outside of themselves and into something bigger.

5. Sharing Joy

This one is probably our favorite! Performing (and dance in general!) is FUN! It often lights up joyful feeling in kids. We tell our students that the stage is their chance to share their love of dance with others. When a kid learns that they have the power to entertain an audience or put a smile on someone’s face with their dancing, recital becomes so special. It is important for kids to learn that what they give to the world matters.

Putting together this list has made us even more hyped for the big day. Recital is so much more than just another day at the studio, and we hope this list helps our families see how special it is. Performing is fun, but what our kids gain from it is just priceless!

Tickets for this amazing show are available online now! We can’t wait to see all of our dance families in the audience cheering the dancers on. Be sure to check out our recital page to stay on top of important dates and info! See you at the theater!

For The Love Of Dance

If you’re anything like us, February gives us ALL the good feels! Love is all around and we just adore it. It has us thinking here at Positions Dance Studio, what was your first true love? We would like to share ours with you today and it may not come as much of a surprise, it was DANCE! Dance has been with us through thick and thin and it never gets dull or boring. From the very first wiggle as a toddler, we were hooked. Our relationship through the years has transformed into something much deeper and significant now. Even still, dance has a way of surprising us even after years and years together. Although there are SO many more, we have listed a few reasons why it is our truest love this February.

• Dance is for everyone! Dance doesn’t have favorites and it LOVES innovation. We just love that dance is for everyone no matter what your age or ability level is. There is no wrong way to dance. As long as you are enjoying yourself, you’re doing it right!

• Dance can tell a story. We absolutely love dance as an art form. We love that we can create movement from the emotions in our hearts and we love that we can tell a story without using any words at all. Throughout the years we have learned that dance can be an emotional outlet. The best part is that beautiful things can come from any emotion in the form of dance.

• Dance is FUN! Whether you are learning new skills in dance class or celebrating at a wedding, dance is an incredible way to bring people together. It feels great to let your body move to interesting music while surrounded by friends. It also is an amazing experience to learn new things through dance. We wish we could take a photo of each child as they master a new skill in class, it is pure joy!  

Can you blame us for loving dance so much after reading this? It is a gift we are extremely thankful to share with our students at Positions. Hopefully, their love for dance will continue throughout the years just like ours has. Why do you love dance? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page!