Tag Archives: ballet

Kick Dance Students Bring The Joy of Dance to the Seniors

December 17, 2015Blogballet, dance, Kick Dance Studios, NutcrackerKick Dance Studios

The holidays came early for residents of the Atrium at Navesink Harbor retirement community in Red Bank. Dancers from Kick Dance Studios in Fair Haven and Rumson visited the community December 12 to perform a variety of dances, including the holiday favorite, The Nutcracker.

“It’s really fun and it feels good to perform for the residents,” said Christina Alescio, 13. “It’s exciting to perform The Nutcracker since everyone knows it,” said Stella Demcsak, 13.

Amanda Pyne, an instructor at Kick Dance, choreographed the dance for The Nutcracker. “It’s good for them to do something different,” she said. “The Nutcracker is a tradition at the holidays.”

The residents enjoyed a solo hip hop routine, musical theater numbers, jazz performances and other dances.

“It’s so nice to have young people here at the holidays,” said Iris Hinchman, a resident of the Atrium. “I love The Nutcracker and the girls did such a great job.”

4 Reasons To Start Your Child in Dance Class at a Young Age

September 23, 2015Blogballet, classes, dance, dance for kids, dance school, young dancerKick Dance Studios

Sugar and spice and everything nice. We adore our young dancers at Kick. Little girls and boys as young as 18 months to 4 years old enjoy their first dance experience with us. They’re wide-eyed and eager to bounce to the beats and sway to the songs of Frozen. Sweet tutus with sparkles make us smile!

But….dance class can do more for your child than just help you to capture those adorable Instagram moments. When children experience the magic of dance class early in their developmental years, they build a base of fundamentals that carries them throughout life. Technically perfecting a child’s Plié or Pirouette is not our most important goal when they first start, instead we want them to gain a love of dance, develop strong bodies, confidence, and make life-long friends who share their passion for performing.

According to the National Dance Education Organization, dance is “basic to learning,” and provides a very natural method to learn expression and develop physical, emotional, and social skills. So it’s no surprise that starting children in dance at a young age can increase the benefits and skills learned.

“Dance is unique because it combines the cognitive benefits of learning an art, the auditory development of music education and the physical benefits of sports,” said Vanessa Berry, owner and instructor at Kick Dance. “Dance classes develop strength, flexibility, musicality, coordination, balance, self-esteem, listening skills and body awareness.”

Here are four reasons children should become involved in dance early on:

Increased physical and cognitive development.

Children can flex their muscles and gain strength and endurance through dance. “For babies and toddlers, the creative movement offers a range of experiences that facilitate natural, easy play and proper development of movement, coordination and creates building blocks for future learning,” said Vanessa. This means the ideal time to get involved in dance is at a very early age. “For preschoolers, two and a half to four years old, dance is an essential part of the educational experience,” said Vanessa.

Social skill development.

Dance not only improves physical development but helps to foster social skills as well. Through social encounters, interaction and cooperation, dance works to teach important life skills. “Dance allows children to learn how to work as a team, how to take turns, how to develop relationships, and how to follow directions,” said Vanessa. These skills are easier to learn at a young age, which is why it is important for children to become involved in dance early on.

Increased self-esteem and confidence.

“Dance is amazing for self-esteem!” said Vanessa. “It allows for recognition of children both as an individual and as part of a team. It’s amazing to see the year-long development and learning from their first day of class to their first performance on stage.” By learning to become comfortable in their skin, young dancers can work to understand their bodies and often develop a more confident attitude. This confidence lasts a lifetime.

Educational development.

By learning ballet early, children experience the foundation of dance, which can help maintain steady interest in dance for years to come. “We love to see our dancers learn this core foundation, as well as see them learn tap for rhythm and musicality, jazz for energy, and performance and creative movement for confidence, creativity and body awareness,” said Vanessa.

Kick Dance Studios combines styles into a few of their classes to allow for maximum growth. These classes include Tap-n-Twirl, blending tap and ballet, Shake-It-Up Hip Hop and Ballet Combo and Princess Ballet, blending classic ballet and princess fantasy.

Registration for classes is open now. Click here to register your young dancer today!

Kick Dance School Students Attend Prestigious Joffrey Ballet School Summer Program

August 31, 2015Blogballet, dance, dance for kids, dance school, Fair Haven, Joffrey Ballet, Summer Dance, TechniqueKick Dance Studios

The famous Joffrey Ballet School in New York City prides itself in turning passionate dance students into versatile and individualistic artists, and there’s no one group of students more passionate about dance than the dancers at Kick Dance Studios. This passion got three of the studios dancers accepted into the Joffrey Ballet School Summer intensive program in New York City.

Christina Alesio, Stella Demcsak, and Sarah Landy, all 13 of Fair Haven, spent hours and hours preparing for their auditions to the school. Each had private sessions at Kick Dance Studios to focus on their technique before the big audition. They worked one-on-one with Amanda Pyne, a Kick Dance instructor who attended the Joffrey Ballet School as a year-round trainee.

“Kick Dance Studio physically and mentally prepared me for the Joffrey Ballet School experience,” said Christina.

All the prep paid off for the dancers, who were accepted into the highly-competitive summer intensive program. There, they took classes in both new and familiar dance styles taught by professional dancers from different companies from around the world. Not everything was new for the girls at the Joffrey Ballet School, who had been exposed to different genres of dance from professional dancers teaching master classes at Kick Dance Studios over the years. The techniques they learned in those master classes prepared them well for the kind of things they learned at Joffrey.

“We got more out of Joffrey Ballet School than just the dance experience,” said Stella. “We danced a minimum of six hours every day. Joffrey pushed us to new levels that we didn’t think we could achieve.”

The Joffrey program exposes students to a rigorous ballet program, ending with a performance that illustrates the styles and techniques learned.

But the dancers from Kick Dance got more than just dance instruction out of their experience.

“At the Joffrey Ballet School we got to know students from other parts of the United States, and even some from different countries,” said Sarah.

Kick Dance Studios owner and director Vanessa Berry strives to provide her dancers with strong conditioning classes that prepare her students for programs like the Joffrey Ballet School Summer Program. Her students learn confidence, grace, stage presence and coordination while developing a love for dance in all its styles.

“The Joffrey experience is amazing for these young dancers,” said Vanessa. “They get to train with kids from all over the world who share the same passion for dance.”

About Joffrey Ballet
Classically trained to the highest standards, The Joffrey Ballet expresses a unique, inclusive perspective on dance, proudly reflecting the diversity of America with its company, audiences, and repertoire which includes major story ballets, reconstructions of masterpieces and contemporary works. Founded by visionary teacher Robert Joffrey in 1956, guided by celebrated choreographer Gerald Arpino from 1988 until 2007, The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under internationally renowned Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater who was recruited as a dancer in 1985 by Joffrey and Arpino before returning to lead the company in 2007 after a heralded tenure at San Francisco Ballet. The Joffrey Ballet has become one of the world’s most revered and recognizable arts organizations in America and one of the top ballet companies in the world.

About Kick Dance Studios
From a child’s first dance class to their graduation performance, Kick Dance Studios is a fit for everyone. The dance school specializes in beginners of all ages and offers training through pre-professional levels. Dancers go beyond technique to develop important life skills, learning to be respectful, confident and conscientious young people who share their gifts and talents with the community.

Kick offers a wide variety of dance, acro/gymnastics, theater and mommy and me classes for all ages and abilities, and the goal is to provide the highest quality training while developing a love for the arts. Classes are all instructed in a supportive, non-competitive atmosphere, and emphasis is placed on personal development and achieving goals.

Kick Dance school students come from Rumson, Fair Haven, Oceanport, Little Silver, Red Bank, Monmouth Beach, Long Branch, Eatontown, Shrewsbury, Oceanport, NJ and beyond.

Cover Photo (Credit Purlee Photography): Three students from Kick Dance Studios, Stella Demscak, Christina Alescio and Sarah Landy, all 13 of Fair Haven, were accepted into the Joffrey Ballet School Summer intensive program in New York City. The girls took classes in both new and familiar dance styles taught by professional dancers from different companies from all over the world.

The Elements of a Quality Dance School for Children

July 10, 2015Blogballet, children's dance, dance, dance for kids, dance program, performance, schoolKick Dance Studios

Dance education offers children a chance for both artistry and athleticism. In the right dance school, dance offers children the perfect opportunity for emotional development in both self-esteem and joy.

Look for teachers that are trained to teach. The best teachers may not be the best dancers, but their talents to teach and inspire are remarkable. A degree in dance education is a good sign of a professional teacher at a dance school. When selecting a teacher for young dancers (age 6 and younger), a teacher’s ability to engage and relate to the age group is imperative. Often, a mother makes the best teacher of the tiniest dancers from their hands on experience.

For older dancers, an experienced teacher is essential to developing proper technique in all disciplines of dance. Often teachers push young dancers into pointe shoes before their bodies are developmentally ready. Point work before ready can lead to major injuries and development issues, as well as really bad dance habits.

Corrections are an essential part of a dance education and dance school. Positive reinforcement is very motivating to young dancers as is goal setting and recognition of accomplishments.

Look for an atmosphere that is child appropriate in a dance school Are their scarves, bean bags, etc. for young dancers? Is the music engaging and lively? Is there a variety of music? Is there a variety of dance styles offered so dancers can achieve a balanced dance education? Is the studio warm and inviting?

The relationship between a dance teacher and a student is also an important part of the process. A teacher who knows each student’s name early in the season and offers a warm greeting likely has a great rapport with her students.

How about the kids? Are the dancers experiencing the joy of dance? Technique is essential to a dancer’s development, but if the class was not enjoyable, chances are the dancer will not return the following season.

Are there students who have continued for years? Are they excited to come to dance school? Are there programs available for more advanced dancers? Are there performance opportunities for ALL dancers – not just the most experienced?

Asking a dancer to take a class without performing, is like running drills for soccer, but never playing a game!

A quality school will integrate all of the technical skills in the curriculum for the level and style of dance into a well-choreographed dance for an end of the year performance. The end of year performance or recital is a celebration of the accomplishments of the year, as well as a showcase for talent. Done right, it is a wonderful experience that builds tremendous confidence, perseverance, and appreciation for hard work!

By making the technical skills part of the recital performance, we can ensure that the dancers are learning and accomplishing the goals for the year. By keeping each section of the recital short, we can offer the audience an enjoyable performance as well. Performance also teaches students how to turn a concept into reality.

To learn about Kick Dance Studios classes, click here.