Goal Setting for MOVERS!

One of our values at Positions Dance Studio is teaching our students how to be proactive about their training. This means that instead of always depending on their teachers for feedback and inspiration, they learn to look inside! This applies to BOTH our children’s dance classes and our adult dance and fitness classes. 

One of our favorite strategies for encouraging this skill is goal setting. Most dancers and fitness enthusiasts are naturally driven. It takes a lot of dedication to come to class week after week! Goal setting is one of the best ways to start taking more ownership of your training AND make sure you are being intentional week after week. 

The new year is an amazing time to set goals. Here at Positions Dance Studio, we can’t help to feel a little extra wave of motivation in January.  If you find yourself feeling the same way, we want to encourage you to take advantage of the inspiration! 

There are four simple steps to getting started with goal setting. This is an ideal framework to follow If you are new to goal setting OR if you are helping your child to get started. Lets’ dive in!

Step 1: Reflect

The first step is to take some time to reflect. You can’t figure out where you’re going without knowing where you’ve been! Think about a few moments when you felt really proud. What about a few moments that felt really hard? Did you check off any milestones this past year? 

Even a younger dancer will be able to answer these questions. Grab a notebook and take 30 min. to journal or draw! 

Most of us have a natural tendency to always focus on what’s next… don’t forget to celebrate how far you’ve come! 

Step 2: Make a SMART Goal 

Now that you’ve thought about the past year, we’re ready to start looking forward! We recommend using the acronym SMART to make sure your goals are clear and realistic.

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.

For our dance students, an example of a SMART goal is getting both their right and left splits by the end of the summer. 

An example for our adult fitness students is working towards 10 push-ups on your toes by June 1. 

We recommend keeping things simple. Set 1-3 SMART goals and work with a shorter time frame. Kids (and adults too!) can lose momentum if goal setting feels overwhelming. We want our goals to feel like a stretch… but also feel achievable!

Step 3: Write it Down

A study done by Dr. Gail Matthews at Dominican University in California found that people are 42% more likely to reach their goals just by writing them down every day. That’s pretty compelling! If you already have a daily journaling habit or keep a notebook for school or work, can you add 5 min. to your routine?

An alternative is to write down your goals and post them somewhere where you will see it and read it each and every day. Bathroom mirror, locker, a post-it note on your computer… it doesn’t have to be fancy! 

Step 4: Ask for help! 

You don’t have to reach your goals by yourself! The last step in goal setting is thinking about who can help you. Spoiler alert… at Positions you have a whole team of teachers ready to help! 

It can feel a little scary, but sharing your goals makes it even more likely you will reach your target. Our team is happy to share ideas, provide accountability, and support you every step of the way. 

Be brave and put your goals into the world!

Are you feeling inspired? Ready to reach for the stars in 2022? Goal setting should feel FUN. Taking a little time to think about what you want to accomplish is an amazing habit that you can apply to any area of your life. 

Whether you hope to nail your double turn, commit to a weekly class, or dream of getting your first pair of pointe shoes… you get to decide what’s important to you! 

Our team at Positions Dance Studio is here to help you every step of the way!  

The Best Balancing Act: 5 Reasons Why Dance is a Well-Rounded Activity

If you’ve ever taken a dance class before, you know that it’s a bit of a balancing act… pun intended! Our classes are jam-packed with conditioning exercises, skill drills, and routines that require a diverse set of skills. As teachers, we are often helping our students apply several corrections at once to make them the BEST dancers they can be! 

Because of all this, dancers are expert multi-taskers and versatile athletes. We know we are biased, but we truly believe that dance is unique because it cultivates a child’s whole self.

Dance is one of the most well-rounded kids activities out there, and we can’t wait to tell you why!

5 Reasons Why Dance Is a Well-Rounded Kids Activity:

1. All Elements of Physical Fitness

When it comes to athletic training, there are tons of ways to condition a working body. And of course, different athletes tailor their conditioning to whatever their specific sport needs most of. But dancers do it ALL! 

Flexibility, strength, coordination, endurance, balance… you name it! In our dance classes, we do the splits, get our heart rates up, balance in difficult positions, build muscle, and so much more. We move our arms, legs, heads, and hips all at the same time, building impeccable coordination. It’s no surprise that dancers become extremely well-rounded athletes!

2. Both Individual & Team Goals

Learning how to be a team player is a lifelong benefit of many team sports and extracurriculars. But while most sports are strictly focused on winning as a team, dance offers a child chances to succeed both individually and in a group. 

While drilling our pirouette turns across the floor, our dancers are focused on improving their own technique. If they nail a triple turn while the rest of the class is still working on singles, their individual success is celebrated. But while perfecting a recital routine, all dancers are working together as one to stay in sync and look amazing on stage!

3. Multitasking At Its Best! 

In just one pirouette turn, a dancer must remember the following: high relevé, straight supporting leg, pointed toe, foot connected to knee, hip down, strong arms, abs engaged, vertical spine, spot your head, and find a clear landing. Talk about learning how to multitask and remember a million things all at once!

4. Body AND Mind Working Together

There are very few activities that exercise a person’s body and mind equally, but dancing is one of them! Our students' memory skills are put to the test during their 3-minute routines, while they also get their heart rates up to start and end strong. Patterns, pathways of the body, and spatial orientation are all things that dancers learn while moving.

5. Both Creative & Technical Elements

Of course, we saved the best for last! One of the most beneficial ways that dance cultivates a child’s whole self is through the creative element. Yes, we drill technique and condition our bodies with repetitive exercise like most sports, but we also leave room for personal choice and self-expression. It’s incredibly rewarding to see a dancer bring their heart and emotions into their movement, especially when they really let go and just dance! 

Falling in love with dance (and sharing that love with young dancers) comes easy when it takes such a holistic approach to learning, moving, and expressing. But don’t take our word for it, try out a class today to see if your child loves it as much as we do! 

6 Ways to Celebrate The Holiday Season With Dance

The holidays create such a special spirit among our young dancers and each year we LOVE being a part of their joy. While it’s a tough year for all of us, we are determined to make the most of it and create some holiday magic for our kiddos!

That’s why we’re dedicating this month’s blog post to celebrating the holiday season with DANCE! Dancers create special memories around the holidays. Between hanging a ballerina ornament, seeing the nutcracker, or doing a rockette-inspired kickline at the family party, we all have our own traditions! 

Looking for some extra holiday magic for your dancer this year? Ready to bring dance into your family’s holiday traditions? Check out these 6 Ways to Celebrate the Holiday Season with DANCE!

1. Shop ‘till you drop at our Dancewear Store!

It wouldn’t be the holidays if there weren’t special gifts waiting to be opened! Good thing we’ve got everything your dancer wants and needs right here at our Dance Store. We carry dance class staples, Positions logowear, small stocking stuffers and more! Check it out and hurry to our store today!  

2. Watch our Positions Dancers in their virtual performance of the Nutcracker. 

The Nutcracker is a part of every young dancer’s holiday wonderland! We share this classic tradition every year with our students. This year, our performance went virtual, live on our Positions facebook page. You can watch a playback of the performance HERE and be sure to like us on facebook to see more of our lovely dancers! 

3. Grab a kid’s ballet book for bedtime or join us for a virtual reading!

Storytime can be SO magical for kids! We recently did a virtual reading of Misty Copeland’s new picture book, Bunheads on our Facebook page. It’s our newest book that we carry in our store, so if you LOVE the story as much as we do, grab it as a gift.

Join us on Tuesday, December 22nd for a virtual reading of The Nutcracker! Just days away from Christmas eve, we can’t wait to share the excitement with our dancers!

4. Take advantage of our December Gift Card Special and give the gift of dance this year!

Have you heard about our awesome promotion?! From now through 12/24 when you purchase a gift card valued at $50.00 or more, you get an additional $15.00 gift card for you to keep OR gift! Positions gift cards can be used on class tuition OR in our store. Gifting a child with a new dance class can be the perfect gift for little ones who just can’t get enough dance!

5. Host a virtual watch party of a dance movie on Netflix.

There are dance movies GALORE on all the streaming services nowadays. One of our favorite holiday dance classics is White Christmas which is available on Netflix! This year, we are SO excited to watch Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, a documentary of Debbie Allen’s groundbreaking production! Debbie Allen is a dance legend.

Did you know you can host a virtual watch party on Netflix? Check out this informational page. Viewers can chat virtually while watching at the same time. This would be great for family and dance friends to watch together, but from afar this year! 

6. Get crafty with some holiday ballerina decorations!

For those of us that enjoy a craft day with the kiddos, dancers love using their creative side! Check out these adorable ballerina crafts with snowflake tutus.

We hope this list helps you and your little dancers get into the holiday spirit! Pick one thing and roll with it… we promise it will create a treasured memory for your dancer.

From all of us here at Positions Dance Studio, Happy Holidays! We hope that amidst this difficult year, you can all find time to feel joyful with loved ones near and far. We are forever thankful for you, and we love seeing the holiday magic around our studio each year!

Perfect Price, Perfect Pair: November Dance Class Special!

Dance classes are like slices of pie on Thanksgiving, two is ALWAYS better than one! Yes, we know, we are a little biased! However, we aren’t the only ones who feel this way. Check out this AWESOME article that explains why knowing multiple dance forms makes you a better dancer overall! 

This November, we are running an extra special promotion here at Positions Dance Studio! Add a class before the end of the month and receive 50% off your first month’s tuition of the additional class! This is a great opportunity for your child to try something new or finally enroll in that class they’ve been waiting for!

So today on the blog, we are outlining which dance styles go GREAT together and why! The following class combos will help your child excel in their favorite style and compliment their training PERFECTLY!

4 Perfect Dance Class Pairings:

1. Ballet + Acro

While ballet and acro may SEEM like opposites at first glance, they rely on many of the same technical elements. Posture, body placement, control, and strength are at the forefront of both of these styles. These dance genres both require tight core muscles to keep your upper body held during difficult motions. Enrolling in one of these classes will undoubtedly improve the other! 

2. Hip Hop + Tap

Because Hip Hop and Tap are both American art forms that emerged within African American communities, they have similar qualities. Both rely heavily on rhythm and groundedness. Bent knees and a relaxed upper body are key to success in both dance forms. Most importantly, they both include a heavy emphasis on social connection. Taking both is a great way to become grounded and musically in-tune! 

3. Jazz + Leaps & Turns

Jazz and Leaps & Turns are directly related and a PERFECT combination for our jazz lovers! For many of our dancers, leaps and turns are their favorite part of jazz class, which is why we have a class that is totally dedicated to perfecting them! Ready to have the BEST leaps in your jazz routine at recital? Take Leaps & Turns and we will help you accomplish ALL your goals!

4. Hip Hop & Acro

Hip Hop and Acro is a common combination because many Hip Hop dancers mix style and flavor with the coolest stunts and tricks. Breakdancing, a form of Hip Hop, requires the same strength and agility that we practice in our Acro classes! Both forms are high energy and GREAT for the dancer who loves showing off their coolest moves. 

While taking one dance class is a GREAT way to start, we LOVE encouraging all of our dancers to branch out. Being versatile is so important for a dancer’s technique, but also for kids looking to get the FULL dance experience! Sometimes it takes two (classes) to tango around here… pun intended. 

Ready to take advantage of this super-sweet November Special?! Create the perfect class pair for your little ones by viewing our class schedule today! Be sure to hurry, this deal is only good until the end of the month! 

Happy Thanksgiving and remember, two slices of pie is ALWAYS better than one! 

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!

Behind the Scenes at the Nutcracker

‘Tis the season! Candy canes, hot cocoa, and the Nutcracker of course! Here at the studio, we are busy preparing for this year’s production of the holiday classic and we seriously can NOT wait! 

The production includes dancers of all ages from Positions Dance Studio along with members of the Babylon community. Presented at the Argyle Theater, the show will take place on November December 8th and December 15th. That’s right, just a few more weeks until our wonderful dancers hit the stage! 

Today on the blog we are taking our readers behind the scenes and into the world of Nutcracker preparation! The buzz we feel at the studio is exciting and we couldn’t help but share! 

Here’s a step by step, behind the scenes guide to preparing for our special holiday performance:

Step 1: Learning Choreography

Our dancers have been learning dances and rehearsing for this show since September. The amount of material that these kids hold in their brains is super impressive. It takes time, and above all, TONS of practice, but once they have the dances memorized, we are always SO proud. Enjoy these pictures of our dancers learning material!

Step 2: Clean, Polish, and Perfect

After the dancers each have the choreography memorized individually, it’s time to make them look like one cohesive production, doing the exact same thing, perfectly in sync. Take a look at this picture below of our dancers hitting a pose. Can you spot the difference in foot positions? How about hand facings? These are the meticulous things we spot when cleaning our dances.

Step 3: Dress Rehearsal at the Argyle Theater on December 3rd starting at 7pm

This is when the backstage buzz begins! Our dancers get ALL of their pre-show jitters out during dress rehearsal. We make sure they are comfortable with spacing, as the stage is a lot bigger than the studio. They rehearse in costume to get used to the feeling. And most importantly, they become comfortable with the idea of an entire theater of people watching their every move! It’s quite magical to see their confidence grow. 

Check out this short clip of our dancers rehearsing The Mouse Battle scene. One of the mice is practicing in costume to test out the length of the cape. Costumes can really throw off a dancer on stage if they haven’t spent time rehearsing in them, so these things require practice and preparation!

Step 4: Hitting the Stage

There is NOTHING quite like seeing such a huge production finally come together. The kids’ faces light up as soon as they step on stage. We can not wait to hear the grand applause and congratulate our dancers on a job well done. Here’s a sneak peak of our Waltz of the Flowers dance. Get your tickets today to see the rest of this amazing production!

Do you have your tickets yet? We are SO proud of our dancers and the work they have put into this show. We can't think of a better way to kick off the holiday season than attending this special performance! 

Tickets are on sale now, so hurry over to and reserve your seats. Supporting these amazing kids as they perform this holiday classic will surely create lasting memories for you and your family! See you at the theater! 

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!

Why We LOVE to Dance!

February has arrived and you know what that means! Hearts, hearts and more hearts. Every year at Positions Dance Studio we host a fundraiser for Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition.  BBCC is a local organization that provides community education and direct support to cancer patients. Each year we sell Pink Hearts during the month of February to raise money for their organization. Our dancers write why they LOVE to dance on the Pink Hearts and we display them in our studio windows. To get your thoughts flowing, here are 4 reasons to LOVE dance.

1. Dance is a tool for self-expression.

Sometimes words just aren’t enough to express how we are feeling. Dance gives us the opportunity to express ourselves in a way that nothing else can. It is SO freeing to move our bodies and portray emotions without having to say a single word.

2. We can spread joy to others through dance.

Putting a smile on an audience member’s face while performing is one of the most rewarding feelings. Dance gives us something to share with others. We can entertain an audience and we can also make them feel powerful emotions just by dancing.

3. It helps you stay physically fit… in the most FUN way possible!

Who doesn’t LOVE getting up on their feet and grooving when they hear their favorite songs. Dancing makes it SO EASY to be active. Your body is having so much fun getting lost in the music that it forgets that it is even tired. Not to mention the strength, endurance, coordination, and flexibility that dancers achieve after years of being in the studio.

4. Dance builds confidence in a way that nothing else can.

Coming to class each day and seeing all the fabulous things our bodies are capable of is truly a gift. Nailing a pirouette or landing a perfect leap reminds us that we have so much potential when we work hard. More importantly, getting up on stage and performing for an audience makes us feel HUGE in a world that can sometimes make us feel very small. When you hear a giant round of applause, and that applause is for YOU, it builds confidence.

Those are just 4 of the MANY reasons why dance is easy to love. Now it’s your turn. Tell us why YOU love to dance by purchasing a Pink Heart for Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition at the front desk for the month of February. BBCC is a great organization and we really enjoy showing support for their cause. We also LOVE seeing our dance families get involved and reading all of the heartwarming reasons why you love to dance. Keep spreading the love, Positions Dance families!