Prestige Dance Studio

How To Share Your Love Of Dance With Friends

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Share dance with friends! Free trial classes for cedar rapids dancers! Our Prestige dancers are SERIOUSLY passionate and that is one of the things we love most about our dance family. For a lot of dancers, it may start to feel like you have a whole secret life at the studio that your non-dance friends know nothing about. We want that to change! Doing something you love is great but it is an even better feeling to be able to share it with the people who are closest to you. That’s why we wanted to give out some excellent ideas to help your children share their love of dance with friends.

  1. Have a dance-themed sleepover. Get out the old dance costumes, pull out the dusty disco ball, and get ready to boogie! Your dancer can make a special playlist with all their favorite songs and help you clear a “dance floor” in the living room.  Your children’s friends will have a BLAST dressing up and dancing the night away together. Oh and don’t forget to have snacks and refreshments ready because your little dancers will need to refuel frequently hehe!
  2. Make up a dance together. Instead of playing that video game, make up a dance instead! There will be COUNTLESS laughs and giggles coming from the dance room for hours, it’s a guarantee. They may even put on a show for the parents later if you are lucky!
  3. Watch a dance-themed movie or musical. This may give friends a little perspective into what your dancer goes through at the studio. I mean really, who doesn’t like a musical?!
  4. Invite them to a performance. Friends will get a front-row view into what it means to be a dancer. They will sit in awe watching the result of all the hard work your dancer put in. It also feels GREAT as a dancer to step into the auditorium knowing you have your “crew” there to support you!
  5. Invite them to try a class at Prestige. If your non-dance friend is interested in learning more, what a better way to show them what it’s like than having them TRY it! Of course, we recommend having them try a class that matches their ability level. That may not always be the same class that your dancer is currently enrolled in. Our trial classes are FREE and we are still accepting enrollment in most of our classes up until October 31st.

Have any other ideas to share the love of dance with friends? We would love to hear about them!

To share dance with your friends, click here for more information on our free trial classes . We can’t wait to get to know your friends! 

How to ROCK your Parent Observation Week

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Parent Observation

With Parent Observation Week right around the corner here at Prestige Dance Studio (October 16th-22nd), we thought we would spend a little time talking about what you can do to ensure a successful week.  I mean, not to put too much pressure on you parents out there but it really can influence what happens next in your dancer’s career. Don’t sweat it though! Prestige has your back. We want you to ROCK your Parent Observation Week, so here’s how:

  1. Talk about it before you arrive at class: Don’t throw off your dancer! Kids like predictability and perform better when they know what is going to happen. Surprising your dancer at the studio can send them into a spiral of doom. Nerves and too much excitement aren’t usually processed very well by a young dancer. Instead, a couple days before class just start talking about it. Mention that you will be in the room and that you get to see all the hard work they have been doing.
  2. Be positive: This goes from the moment you start talking about Parent Viewing Week until you (eventually) stop talking about it. Your dancer wants nothing more than for you to be proud of him/her. So get excited for them to show you what they know.
  3. Listen and watch: During class, keep your ears open for any important information from the teacher (sometimes information about upcoming events are discussed) and really watch your dancer! This is their moment, don’t get distracted by your phone (unless it is to take that adorable picture of course!).
  4. Have realistic expectations: If your dancer is not the “best” dancer in class, don’t be disappointed! Instead, focus on if they are having fun and if they are learning new skills. Those things are much more important.

That is all it takes to ROCK your week! We can’t wait to see you there!

Parent Observation Week: Monday, October 16th- Sunday, October 22nd.

Parents will be invited in for the last 10-15 minutes of class. Cell phones or tablets should be left in the lobby or put on silent. We encourage you to take photos of your dancer but ask that videos of class time not be shared on social media.

 

 

Dance-Inspired Halloween Costumes

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Cedar Rapids Dancers will love our ideas for halloween! Halloween is JUST around the corner, do you have all your costumes ready and picked out? If not, you are not alone! We are sure that many of our dance parents out there are starting to panic a little. We have just the thing for those parents, the ultimate dance-inspired Halloween costume list. Feel free to go through it, check your closet for things you already have and put together something amazing! These costume ideas would be perfect for any dancer OR any parent hehe!

Do you have a favorite dance icon? We LOVE the idea of dressing up as your favorite version of Brittany Spears, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, or Audrey Hepburn. Pick your favorite look and go for it! There is also a slew of professional dancers to choose from. Try Misty Copeland as “Firebird”, Martha Graham from “Lamentation”, Maddie Ziegler from a Sia video,  or even a judge from “So You Think You Can Dance!”

What is your favorite dance movie, Broadway show, or ballet? Can you make a costume inspired by a character? We ALL love “Dirty Dancing,” “Footloose,” “Grease,” “West Side Story,” “Swan Lake,” etc. There are SO many memorable characters to choose from! The best part is that most wouldn’t even require a trip to the store!

For people who want to keep things a little simpler, we think the classics are FABULOUS as well! Be a ballet, hip-hop, jazz, or modern dancer. Wear your favorite dancewear and call it a day. Also taking on dance from your favorite century can be super fun! We love a good poodle skirt or side pony. If you are going for a more edgy look this year, a zombie dancer or cheerleader will ALWAYS give a good scare.

You see? There are SO many great options to choose from that incorporate dance in some way. We hope this gave you a little inspiration for this year’s festivities. We can’t wait to hear your Halloween costume plans and see what you come up with!

 

 

 

Fall Fun In Cedar Rapids!

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Great ideas for fall fun for families in the Cedar Rapids area!

Fall is the perfect time to fit some family fun into your busy schedule! Not only is the landscape breathtaking but there are TONS of fun things to do for all ages. At Prestige we love hearing about all the fun family adventures our students go on during the fall. This year we have gathered a few great resources for you to pick and choose what sort of activities suit your family best. Whether it is a trip to the farm to pick pumpkins, getting in a few thrills with a haunted house, or just spending some time in the kitchen, we have you covered! So pick one or two fun activities or tackle them all, just get out and spend some quality time with your family this season.

Apple and Pumpkin Picking– This site has put together a great list of orchards and farms. Whether you are looking for rides and petting zoos or your more traditional farm, you will find it here!

Festivals– Festivals are a great place to explore a new area, try a new food, or see some amazing talent! This list contains festivals from all over Iowa so you can make a fun weekend out of it if you like.

Haunted Houses – This list may not be for everyone but we know that there are people out there that go CRAZY for a good scare. If you dare to try one, let us know the thrill factor so we can steer clear hehe!

Halloween Crafts– With Halloween quickly approaching, you will start needing to prepare costumes and decorations. Why not have the kids help out? Check here for some great inspiration and how-to.

Apple Recipes and Pumpkin Recipes – The smell of ANYTHING baking in the oven is often irresistible. Add some pumpkin or apple and we can’t resist. Here are some delicious ideas so you can use up all those apples and pie pumpkins in your pantry. If you have any left over, we know some hungry dancers that would gladly take care of them hehe!

What do you have planned this fall? Anything going on around Cedar Rapids that we missed? We hope you are able to take a little time enjoying this amazing season. We would love for you to tell us all about your fun fall adventures!

 

2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s

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As many of you know, the Alzheimer’s Association and the Walk to End Alzheimer’s is very near and dear to our hearts here at Prestige Dance Studio. Miss Jess’s mother, Duanne, battled Alzheimer’s for 10 years before passing away this past February. Duanne was extremely loved by her family and A HUGE supporter of Miss Jess and her dance career.

We have connected with the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s to show our support to Miss Jess’s family, honor the memory of her incredible mother, and to give back to our community. The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. The event is held in over 600 locations across the country, including Cedar Rapids.

Each year, Prestige Dance Studio organizes a team called “Dancers for Dude.” Together as a studio, we raise money for the cause and participate in the walk. Along with enjoying the event, we are looking forward to special performances by our Company and Community teams. For the past several years, Dancers for Dude was the largest team in Eastern Iowa.

We hope you will help us in achieving that again this year and appreciate your continued support and acknowledgment of a cause that is so special to us at PDS. Please contact us if you need any further information. It is free to join our team and we would love to have you join us!

Event Details:

When? Saturday, September 30th

Where? McGrath Amphitheatre, 475 First St SW Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

What Time? Registration Opens at 8:30am, Opening Ceremony at 9:30am, Walk begins immediately after ceremony

How long is the walk? The walk has a 2 mile route going through down town Cedar Rapids and the Cedar Valley Trail. There is a shorter, 1 mile route available for those who would like to walk a shorter distance.

How do I sign up? Register Here

How can I donate? Donate Here

We want to be the biggest team in Cedar Rapids again this year and we can’t do it without you!

Thank you for all your support,

Prestige Dance Studio

walk to end alzheimers

 

 

 

3 Reasons To Try Dance As An Adult

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Why Dance Classes are awesome for adults in Cedar Rapids.

Did you dance as a kid? Were you on dance team in high school? Have you stood in awe watching dancers from the sidelines? Do you want a fun way to incorporate exercise into your life? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you are a GREAT candidate for our adult dance classes!

If you haven’t heard yet, Prestige Dance Studio offers ballet, tap, and hip hop for adults ages 18+. We want to encourage you to take a chance and try one of our adult classes no matter what your ability level! In case you need more convincing to give it a try, check out the 3 reasons why you will LOVE dancing as an adult.

  • The workout. Dance is an amazing way to get your exercise in. In our classes, you will use your WHOLE body and probably use muscles you didn’t even know existed. It is cardio, strength training, and stretching all in one class. We promise you will leave class feeling like you got the most out of your time and have fun while doing it!
  • Dance challenges your mind. Whether you are a beginner or more advanced, your brain will constantly be challenged during class. You will learn new choreography along with new steps that require deep concentration. Learning how to connect your mind to your body takes practice and you will do just that during our dance classes. As Henry Ford has said, “Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”
  • It is dedicated time to focus on YOU. As adults, we spend most of our day focusing on other people. Whether it is our kids or people at work, we don’t often get time to focus on ourselves. Dance classes at Prestige will allow you to do just that. We physically and emotionally close the door to all outside distractions. When feeling stressed and overwhelmed, a little time to focus on YOU can be the best medicine.

Doesn’t that sound amazing?! We think so too! So what are you waiting for? You can view our current adult class offerings here.

Want to try an adult dance class before you commit? Schedule a FREE trial class by contacting us. We can’t wait to dance with you!

Perks of Performing

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Perks of Performing

Have you had an opportunity to watch our recent Market After Dark performance? Our dancers performed beautifully! Anytime our dancers hit the stage we are SO proud. There is so much work that leads into a performance. Dancers spend hours in rehearsals. Teachers and choreographers work behind the scenes on choreography and costuming. Families drive their dancers to weekly technique classes. All this preparation for a few precious minutes onstage!

We pride ourselves on providing performance opportunities for our students. The sweat, the hard work, the stress… we think it is 100% worth it! When our students step on stage, they are not only getting a chance to showcase their hard work; they are learning life skills!

Live performance teaches our dancers how to handle pressure, the value of preparation, and how to quickly adapt to the unexpected. These skills are extremely valuable to dancers both in and out of the dance studio.

Today we wanted to dive into a few more perks of getting on stage. Performances are SO much more than make-up and costumes! Our favorite perks of performing:

  1. Performers gain confidence. It takes a lot of grit to step on stage  and perform in front of a crowd. Once you have danced onstage, tackling that school presentation or introducing yourself to a new friend doesn’t seem too bad! Dancers learn how to command the space and how to perform their best when in counts.
  2. Dancers learn how to be resilient. Live performance is not always predictable. The stage can be slippery. Music mistakes happen. Dancers forget their choreography. Performers learn how to recover from set backs. They get a TON of practicing dealing with unpredictable conditions. The show must go on! From a very young age, dancers are taught to KEEP going! Ignore that dropped prop!
  3. Performances require teamwork. Outside of solos, most dances require working alongside others. You have to learn choreography together, trust your peers to remember their parts, and depend on each other to deliver a solid performance. Any group of dancers has their strengths and weaknesses. Dancers have to learn to come together in a performance to do their collective best!
  4. Performances allow our dancers to share dance with their community. Performances force us to get out of the studio and into the world! We get the opportunity to share what we love with others. Maybe our performance will make someone smile or inspire an audience member to seek out a dance class. It is a privilege to be able to spend our time doing something we love- performances remind us of how lucky we are!

 

 

Back to School with Prestige Dance Studio

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back to school with prestige dance studio

Who is excited to head back to school this fall?? We are sad to see summer end of course, but there is a certain amount of buzz at the start of the new school year that is SO invigorating! Fresh school supplies, new backpacks, and first day of school pictures… what’s not to love?

We understand that our families at Prestige Dance Studio are balancing dance class schedules, work schedules, school responsibilities, and all the needs of their family members. We want to help our studio families start off on the right foot! We have already covered how to prepare for your child’s first dance class. Today we want to talk about preparing for the start of the school year!

We have put together a round up of helpful articles to help you get organized, inspired, and most importantly, excited for the start of another school year. Have any tips to add? Let us know in the comments.

We are thrilled to head into another GREAT year at Prestige Dance Studio! We can’t wait to see our dancers back in the studio and hear ALL about their first few days back at school!

  1. Back to basics. We love this helpful article from PBS. Great reminders of some simple things your family can do to make the transition into the school year a little easier!
  2. Get a plan in place for dealing with the paperwork! Be proactive about dealing with all the notes, reports, pictures, and memos that come home from school and dance. Love this method! All you need is a Tupperware and you are on your way.
  3. Are you ready to take your lunches to the next level? Bento boxes take lunch beyond ham and cheese. This gallery of lunch options is inspiring!
  4. Prep ahead! This article gives some great advice for ways to streamline your lunch making process. Doing a little prep work may make it easier for your kids to take a more active role in the lunch packing.
  5. Make sure to leave room for fun! This round-up of school supplies is SO fun! We have our eyes on the nail polish highlighter:)

Is Your Dancer Ready For Fall?

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A few extra steps to make sure your dancer is ready for the fall season

You have picked out your dancers classes and have registered for fall classes, you are all set right?! Yes! We could NOT be more excited to get in the studio but there are some extra bonus steps you can take to help your dancer prepare for class. These are in no way required and will not make or break your dancers season so sift through the list and take on what you can handle.

  • The outfit. Check out your dancer’s current dance wardrobe. Does everything still fit? Find any holes? Have all the right shoes? Noticing that your dancer doesn’t have the right “uniform” ON the first day of dance class is the worst! Do your stress levels a favor and take an inventory now. Also, have your dancer try everything on. Before purchasing anything new, make sure to check out our dress code. There are some changes to look for in the 2017/2018 season.
  • Water Bottle. This is one of our FAVORITE things to shop for every year. We love starting off a new dance year with a fresh new water bottle. Help reduce waste and keep your dancer hydrated at the same time. Check out your local Target for some great options.
  • Dance Journal. As rehearsal directors, we LOVE to see dancers using a dance journal! All you need is a basic journal or notebook designated for dance. It is a great place for dancers to keep track of goals, class notes, and new choreography. It can be really tough remembering all that goes on in class week to week. Using a dance journal will ensure your dancer is ready for what is next.
  • A First Dance Class Of The Year Photo. OK, we know. This one is a little cheesy BUT just like the first day of school each year, it can be SO MUCH FUN to look back and see your dancer grow each and every year. It can be the perfect opportunity to get the younger students excited and although you may get an eye roll or two from your older dancers, they will be so glad you did it years from now.

Now that you have the extra bonus steps to get ready for fall, we can officially get excited! We cannot wait to see all that your dancer accomplishes this year in class. Still need to register? You can do so online or contact the studio for more information.

Is Your Child Ready For More?

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Knowing to add another dance class is tough! The article will walk you through the decision for those dance studio parents.

Knowing when your child is ready for more can be a tough decision. Juggling activities with school and family time is a struggle with every family and each and every one has different needs. Some kids are able to do it all without breaking a sweat and others have a more difficult time balancing all that is going on. As a parent, you know your dancer best. You know when they get overwhelmed or bored and you know how to calm them down and challenge them. Nevertheless, deciding to put more on your dancer’s plate is not going to feel totally great until you give it a try and see the results. Luckily there are a few things you can do to make the transition a little bit easier for everyone.

Does your child constantly bug you to add another dance class? If yes, it seems they are hooked on dance and are loving every minute of class. Asking for more is often the first sign that your child may be ready to take another class at the studio. Once they start asking, it is important to evaluate how they are handling their current load. Do they spend enough time on homework? Are you happy with their grades? Do they often get overwhelmed? Are they getting enough sleep? If in any of these areas, things are not going so well, it may be a good idea to delay things a bit. When breaking the news to your dancer, talk about an action plan. What can they work on to add another class? This may help them understand your expectations and give you the opportunity to sit down and talk about how you can accomplish it together.

If everything is going ok with your dancer’s current work load, go ahead and give it a try! Before you start the newly added class, it is a great idea to talk to your dancers about a plan. When and where are they going to do homework, eat dinner, sleep, relax, etc. The more you can talk through a strategy that works for both you and your dancer, the better chance they will handle the transition positively.

If you are unsure about adding another class, please feel free to talk to us! We can give you a little perspective on what we see in class from your dancer and help you weigh the perks and drawbacks of adding more to your dancer’s plate. Adding more can be a challenging decision to make for parents. At the end of the day, I’m sure all you want is your dancer’s happiness. Luckily, that is what we want for your dancer too! We make sure to support ALL of our dancers, whether they are taking 1 class or many. We recognize that not every dancer is the same and we think that is one of the things that makes our Prestige Dance Studio family so great!

Still need to register for Fall?? Check out our schedule and register today!