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You’ve got 6 weeks off in front of you and children to entertain and keep amused – what do you do? Well, if you’ve got children who are interested in dancing then why not enrol them in a summer school? What a great way for them to keep fit, have fun and spend a few hours out of the way of mum’s feet! If your daughter or son already attends a dancing school then it might be worthwhile finding out if they offer any activities during the summer. If they don’t attend a school then have a look through the local press or ring round a few dancing schools and ask if they are running anything over the summer. There are so many advantages to attending dance summer schools and listed below are just a few of them: -
Dancing is a wonderful form of exercise. It improves co-ordination, musicality and deportment. Dancing during the summer holidays has got to be a lot more beneficial than just sitting in front of the television playing on the playstation. Just attending a couple of classes a week or a day/week course will provide a good source of exercise and with the government warning us that we are raising a generation of obese children, it is an ideal way of getting them fit in a fun way.
Enrolling in a summer school is a good way of ‘testing the water’ to see if your daughter or son enjoys dancing. Often they have their own views on what dancing they want to do and sometimes the classes do not live up to their expectations. By participating in a summer school it will give them a good idea of what all the different types of dancing are and whether they enjoy it. If they do, then perhaps you can enquire about lessons on a more permanent basis.
When your child gets to a certain age and dancing is becoming a serious hobby, then taking a six-week break can often do more harm than good. As Wayne Sleep used to say ‘every time you miss a weeks dance class you will go back technically and physically two weeks’ (something I am often reminding my own students!). Obviously everyone needs a break, but it is sometimes nice to enrol your daughter/son on a summer course, as it will often offer him or her a different experience. Try to pick subjects or courses that offer different styles of dancing or other forms of performing that they are not used to. This will then keep them interested and offer them a different challenge to the one they usually have in their dance class. It will also broaden their knowledge, something they will need to do if they wish to take their dancing further.
It is always a good idea to check with the dancing school to find out who is taking the summer classes. Some schools bring in choreographers and artistes from outside their own college, often with professional experience, which those attending will be able to benefit from. Others will have their own teachers taking the courses. This can be very beneficial for the very young as a familiar face is always nice when walking through the door of a dance studio.
Make sure that you enrol your daughter or son onto a course that is suited to their ability. If they have had no dance experience it is not ideal to enrol them on an advance course even if you’ve been impressed watching them dancing in their bedroom to Britney Spears! With no technical experience a child enrolled on an advanced course will very quickly fall behind in class, which is not an ideal situation. The last thing you want to do is put them off dancing – it is meant to be fun and it can be if they are in the right class for their ability.
And finally, make sure it is what your daughter or son wants to do. At our Academy we run various summer courses all with different themes; we offer half hour fun classes for our little ones and more in depth workshops for our older ones. We offer pure dance classes and also one day Theatre Workshops where they get a chance to do dancing alongside drama and singing. The idea is that there is something for everyone, whether they have experience or not so it is important for you to do a little investigation first to make sure that you have the right course for your child. And who knows, you may find you end up nurturing a talent you didn’t know your daughter or son had!
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