With our summer session well under way, we are busy in the classroom learning new skills and having a blast! Our Fall Session is approaching quickly and with it comes a handful of new dancers. In our latest post, we gave you a few hints on how to make your child’s first dance class a success. This week we thought it would be helpful to get an introduction to dance class etiquette.
Before your dancer’s first class every year, it is a great idea to talk about the classroom customs and rules. Not only will it make for a more pleasant experience for YOUR dancer, it enhances the experience for the OTHER dancers in class as well. Each teacher may have specific rules depending on the kind of dance class and the age of the dancers. However, you can assume the following class etiquette guidelines will be expected in any dance class.
- Respect yourself, your dance friends, and your teacher. This one is SO important! We talk about it even with our littlest dancers. In our classes at Prestige, we want to respect ourselves by trying our hardest and working toward our goals. We respect our dance friends by being kind, keeping our hands to ourselves, and waiting our turn. Finally, we respect our teacher by listening, following directions, and being kind.
- Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, and blow your nose before class starts. Asking to do one of these things in the middle of class is not the worst thing in the world and sometimes it cannot be avoided (especially with little ones). But it can be a distraction and often starts a waterfall of kids leaving the classroom. Try your best to keep these requests at bay by asking your dancer to take care of it before class starts.
- Keep the chatting to a minimum. We totally understand that dance class is FUN and is a reason to see all your best dance friends. Whispers during short breaks are OK but make sure your dancer knows that it is not OK to talk when the teacher is talking and that most conversations should wait until after class.
That isn’t so bad right!? Our top priority is to make sure that your dancer has an amazing time in whatever class they take. These etiquette rules help make that happen and keep the focus on what is important- DANCE!