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The Summer Stride

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The Summer Stride

Summer is just around the corner and here at Kick Performing Arts we are super excited about all our fantastic summer program offerings!

With the current dance season winding down and the new season ramping up, you might have been wondering lately if summer dance classes are right for your child. From our experience, every student has the potential to hit their “summer stride” … in other words, they all have the ability to keep their learning power going in the summer, without losing any momentum!

We believe there is a unique benefit for each and every student who dances with us in the summer, whether it’s during a weekly class, a dance camp, or an intensive. Read on to see which advantages might be in store for your child!

Making Progress
Because dance is built on muscle memory, summer study can help your child fine-tune their movement vocabulary and technique, allowing them to improve their skills, grow stronger, and be better prepared to take on new material.  With so much more available time, we see our dancers make huge progress each summer!

Being Consistent
Young children do well with stability in their routine, so maintaining that normalcy with summer dance can give them (and you!) peace of mind, even as the rest of your summer plans may vary.  For our older dancers the consistency allows them to stay strong all summer long!!

Getting Motivated
After the showcase, we find that some students are eager to try a new dance style (usually something they were inspired by!) to see how they like it. Summer is THE perfect time to test out those new interests, without a long commitment.

Gaining Confidence
Our summer programs, with their blend of both structure and fun, can give your child the boost they need to jump into fall classes feeling good about themselves. There’s nothing quite like the personal development that can be built in the summer!

It’s part of our mission to ensure that your child is learning how to balance their hard work with time off, and the summer offers the best of both worlds. We encourage all of our students to make time for rest and relaxation, and also make time to keep their bodies strong and minds engaged. This balance is what the true summer stride is all about!

There’s something for everyone here this summer at Kick Performing Arts. We’re happy to help you customize the right schedule for your family or make a special recommendation for your child … just ask!

Summer intensives Kick Dance

6 Reasons why Summer is the Perfect Time for Dance and Theater

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In our minds we think of lots of outdoor fun in the summer – swimming, tennis, surfing, fishing, boating are why we love to live here!  But with 10 full weeks of summer, there is plenty of time to add the arts to your child’s summer fun!

summer intensives

The arts are a great way to unplug this summer and unleash your creativity with summer dance!   We’ve got the perfect cure for the summertime blues with our line-up of summer classes.  With all of choices that are available to families over the summer, we’ve put together our top 6 reasons why summer dance is special and important!

 1.     Engage your brain! During the school year children are learning all day, every day.  Summer dance camps are a great resource to trigger young minds through physical and observational learning.  Students are memorizing sequences of steps, spacing, music, formations and keeping their brains active!  Studies show that when we make split-second, quick decisions (like when we dance), we create new neural pathways that increase our intelligence. Learning lines or song lyrics helps with memorization skills and public speaking.  Give your kids a break from school but keep their minds engaged through dancing!
 2.     Beat the Heat! 
While summer weather encourages us all to enjoy the nice weather and cool pools, a break from the heat is always appreciated.  Our dance camps take place in the mornings with snacks and crafts included with many camps. Switch up your summer camps and give your student a variation with their summer camps.
 3.    Discovery!
The Performing arts is a great way for children to discover what they are passionate about.  Many of our camps offer a specific style or fuse several styles together within the week and focus on fun!   Maybe it’s the discovery of jazz, or, maybe it’s the opportunity to discover how good they are at something.   Discovery is a wonderful thing for every child regardless of age.  It fires the imagination and allows children to dream.
4.     Engage in maximum creativity!
If your child is drawn towards creativity, summer dance camps are a perfect fit!  Dancers, musicians, actors, and acrobats have many opportunities to get their creative juices flowing through movement, arts and crafts, games and songs.  Theater camps even involve costume design, hair and make-up techniques for the stage, set design and more!
  5.       Stay Strong all Summer Long!  Summer is a long time for our serious dancers to take off!  By continuing their training in the summer months dancers stay strong, prevent injury and progress at a very rapid rate.  We find summer is the best time for technical development.
 6.     Make new friends
 One of the greatest benefits of summer dance is getting the opportunity to work with new teachers and meet new friends.  Dance involves a team like atmosphere and in many of our camps dancers spend several days together forming new friendships.  Receiving instruction from a new teacher is incredibly helpful and super fun!

Kick Dance Studios 15th Anniversary

15 Reasons to Celebrate Kick Dance Studios in 2016

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Fifteen years of tutus and sparkles, competitions and trophies, costumes and choreography. Fifteen years of watching kids make their dreams come true in classrooms every day. Fifteen years of watching hard work pay off. Fifteen years of tiny dancers in big tutus experiencing the first day of dance, then falling in love. Fifteen years of tears at graduation and fingers crossed they come back to visit. Fifteen years of teamwork and friendships that last a lifetime. Fifteen years of dance moms watching their dancers’ amazing accomplishments. Fifteen years of entrepreneurship and striving to make the studio the best it can be. Fifteen years of recitals and a year’s worth of teaching on display on the Count Basie stage. Fifteen summers full of amazing camps and plans for a bigger, better following season. Fifteen years of sharing the art and passion for dance with countless kids, building confidence with each step. It has been an amazing 15 years and the best is yet to come! Here are 15 reasons we’re celebrating this milestone anniversary:

Community Counts. Kick Dance makes giving back to the community a priority, encouraging community outreach and community service from its dancers. This fosters students to become great people, on and off the stage. Each year, the studio chooses a charity to work with, and all proceeds from fundraising efforts support that organization. The studio has worked with StrongMom.org, Project Write Now, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Monmouth Beach Elementary School, All Fur Love Animal Rescue, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer.Kick Dance Studios 15th Anniversary

Friendship is Forever. Good friends are irreplaceable. Having someone to love, support and get you through the tough times just makes life easier. For children, making new friends comes much more easily when surrounded by other children who have a similar interest. At Kick Dance Studios, students certainly have one thing in common — DANCE! The friendships made during classes and performances are often lifelong ones, and the bonds created make for strong and fluid performances.

Family is Foundation. Ask any Kick dancer or instructor and they’ll tell you their favorite part about being at the studio: FAMILY! Kick Dance Studios is a home away from home for all, and the love and support is obvious just walking in the door. This quote from a Kick dancer sums it all up: “Being at Kick is the best feeling in the world. It’s a joy that I don’t get at any other place, and when I’m there, I don’t want to be anywhere else.” – Jessie Boak, 17

Technique and Talent. Being a dancer at Kick is about having tons of fun, but it’s also about learning proper technique and form. Kick offers a wide variety of Dance, Acro, Musical Theater, and Vocal classes for all ages and abilities. It is our goal to provide the highest quality training while developing a love for the arts. Kick Dancers hone their skills through practice, then show off what they’ve learned at recitals and competitions.

Inspiring Instructors. Kick Dance instructors are the heart and soul of what we do. Without them we’d be lost. We have musical theater experts, classically-trained ballet dancers, jazz and tap pros, and even a former Rockette on staff. You can tell these teachers know their stuff, and they have a passion and love for what they do that resonates with each and every student. Their real-life experience translates into life lessons for our dancers.

 Activities Abound. Kick offers so many different classes it will make your head spin… in a good way. Traditional ballet training is the foundation for all great dancing, and at Kick it’s taught at a quick pace to keep our dancers moving and focused. There are no limits to choreography and expression in our contemporary classes, which blend ballet, jazz, lyrical and modern techniques. Jazz is all about the rhythm, featuring the sounds of the oldies, pop, funk, soul and more. Tap makes our hearts light and happy, and dancers develop rhythm, coordination and balance. Hip hop is high-energy and suitable for all ages. Acro lets dancers tumble and flip, with cartwheels, back bends, walkovers, chest stands, back handsprings, back tucks, layouts and aerials. Trust us, no one is ever bored at Kick!

Cultivating Confidence. Our 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. We focus on both personal development and teamwork to make our dancers the best the can be.

Team Togetherness. We teach dance to make great kids! That’s why our team programs are focused on compassion, teamwork, commitment and life skills. Kick’s competition team allows dancers with a passion for performing the opportunity to showcase their talents. We’ve performed at Walt Disney World, ABC TV, Madison Square Garden and many other places! Team Kick has won numerous awards at both the regional and national levels.

 Forget Failure. From failure comes learning, and often success. We teach our dancers to practice and try their hardest, all while having fun and making lifelong friendships. Our dancers support their peers and are there to lift them up when times get tough. It’s the Kick Dance way.

 Mentors Matter. Our instructors become mentors for Kick dancers, and that’s evident in the passion and heart they put into each and every class they teach. Our mentors are dedicated to serving our students, not only in teaching technique, but guiding dancers through life’s challenges and being there, in the good and the bad.

 Overcome Obstacles. Dance is an excellent outlet for young dancers to put life’s stress behind them and focus on something positive and affirming. Not only does dance provide many health benefits, such as increased flexibility and muscle strength, it also helps improve mental clarity and lowers stress. The dancers at Kick Dance Studios have incredible dedication and can do anything when they put their minds to it!

 Fostering Fitness. Team sports like soccer, baseball and football keep children in shape and active, but what about when those sports are out of season? Dance provides the ideal activity for children to build strength and stay in shape until they’re ready to play ball again. Many professional athletes attest to the benefits of dancing, like 320-pound Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Steve McLendon, who has been taking ballet since his senior year of college as a way to keep himself injury-free, and he attributes dance with strengthening his knees, ankles and feet.

Showing Support. When a Kick dancer is down, fellow Kick dancers lift them up and help to rise above any challenge. With supportive students and instructors, Kick dancers can do anything. Students at Kick not only support each other when the going gets tough, they support their community. With so many people in need, Kick is always ready to lend a hand and support the community they so proudly are a part of.

 Models of Modesty. Kick’s top priority is that kids will be kids. In a world where children grow up too fast, Kick prides itself on age-appropriate music and costumes. We believe in preserving childhood and that children can learn self-respect and love the skin they are in when allowed to be kids. Our program goes above and beyond to encourage positive body image so children can love who they are and feel free to be themselves. We teach and model modesty, teamwork and positive body image.

 Broadway Bound. Kick teaches dancers to reach for the skies and dream big, that’s why dancer’s interested in ultimately performing on Broadway’s big stage have the opportunity to learn and prepare right in the Kick Dance Studio. We pride ourselves on making our dancers triple threats, because the performer who can sing, dance and act can’t be stopped. Kick’s acting, vocal and musical theater and performance-based classes provide a supportive, non-competitive atmosphere for young dancers to bloom. Kick dancers have had opportunities to see Broadway shows in preview, as well as get up close and personal with a real-life Rockette. These brushes with Broadway are a great way for our dancers to imagine the endless possibilities dancing provides for themselves.

As Kick Dance Studios celebrates its big 15, we’ll be featuring some of our dancers and the personal stories that make them unique. Check out our first dancer profile on Sadie Marino here, and stay tuned for more inspiring dancer stories!

Photos by Purelee Photography

 

Sweet Words From Our Friends on Facebook

Congratulations Vanessa Berry and Kick Dance Studios on 15 great years! We’re proud to work with you! Hulafrog: Red Bank, NJ 

It was a privilege to be a part of it! Thank YOU Vanessa!    Polly Wardell 

Happy Dancerversary!  Susie Danzig

Happy anniversary. So happy to be a part of the Kick family! Michelle Tolson 

Congratulations Vanessa!!! You are such a huge inspiration to so many!!!! Alicia Knopps 

Congratulations on 15 Vanessa and family!!! The love of Kick really shines thru from you as well as the teachers and students! Keep up the awesome work! Min Hur Marino 

Congratulations! Our girls love Kick and all the instructors – thank you for providing a fantastic program. Matthew Scoble 

Vanessa, You are my children’s mentor, my best friend and our family. I’m amazed that you can juggle some many things at once and always remain smiling and professional. You are an excellent role model and a kind, sweet soul. Elizabeth Dipaolo 

Congratulations!! Wishing you many more years of success! So many great life lessons learned through dance! Cathy White Alescio 

Congratulations! We all love being a part of the Kick family. There is nothing like it. Starr De Angelis 

Congratulations Vanessa! 15 years…wow! My girls and I are thrilled to be part of the Kick family. Nancy Longo Mazzei 

Thank you for giving Cristina and our family many years of love, confidence, talent, fun, and forever friendships. We will never forget how important Kick Dance Studio was to her life. Congrats Vanessa & many more to come. Diane Dafonte 

That is so amazing!! Congratulations!! You gave my daughter the most amazing gift of confidence, how to work for her passion, gift of great friends and gave her a safe and fun place to go and do what she loves most. You are an amazing teacher! You gave her the gift of dance…..truly what you have given her is so priceless…I will be forever grateful for you and for Kick dance studio! Melissa Harris 

Happy Anniversary!! Happy to be part of it for NINE years! Kaitlyn Kurkemelis 

Congratulations, Vanessa- here’s to many more wonderful years positively touching children’s lives! Samantha Maguire Zaleski 

Holy cow!!! I had the pleasure and privilege to be a part of the Kick family and experience for 7 amazing years before I moved across the country (and the earlier years of the studio! I think 2004-2011?). And not a day goes by where I’m not only proud to see the progress of the studio and dancers here on Facebook, but where I genuinely miss being a part of the excitement and accomplishments of amazing families (you know who you are). Kick will always have a very special place in my heart!! Congrats and cheers to the beginning of 15 more!!   Alyson Christine 

Congratulations Vanessa…. So many of our greatest memories and friendships were created at Kick. Heather Cheney Kaiman 

My girls love being a part of the Kick family! Vanessa you know I have marveled for years at your uncanny ability to find a place for everyone to shine their best! I love that both of my girls have been inspired to try new things because you have believed in them and pushed them! Congratulations on this milestone! Debi Sanfilippo Demcsak 

Congratulations Vanessa! As a parent of a Kick graduate (who began with you when she was in 1st grade & danced with you for 11 years), I want to say THANK YOU for being a wonderful role model and offering a place where youth can dance and move in a positive, developmentally appropriate manner. Here’s to 15 more successful years! Liz DeBeer 

Congratulations Vanessa! I wonder if you knew 15 years ago that Kick would become so much more to girls than a place to learn dance. Here’s how I would describe it. A community where girls would be able to become who they really were meant to be in an incredibly supportive environment and make true lifelong friends. That’s what kick was to Sydney Ringer. I can’t even imagine life without it. A big thank you and lots of love! Kristi Bridges 

Congratulations!! What an accomplishment!! Emily loves every minute she is there!!!  Estelle D Ketterer 

Kick Dance Studio Shakes It Off to Build Up Local Families

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‘Tis the season for giving, and here at Kick Dance Studios we’re giving back to the community by doing what we do best – having fun with friends!

We are continuing our annual tradition of creating Thanksgiving food baskets to help local families in need. And new this year, we’re inviting T-Swift fans to a dance off and Lego build in our new Fair Haven studio, where all money raised supports our local community. There’s so much to feel good about at Kick and we’re calling on our dancers, their families and friends to join us as we shine merry and bright throughout the holiday season.

Holiday Happenings at Kick

 Join us from 2-4 p.m. for a Black Friday, Nov. 26 Shop-N-Drop Party at our Fair Haven dance studio located at 611 River Road. Ages 4-11 are welcome to shake it off to the tunes of Taylor Swift with a dance-off, complete with costumes and prizes. If T-Swift isn’t your child’s jam? Sign them up for the Lego build off. This activity is perfect for both boys and girls. The event is $25 per dancer; $50 per family. All proceeds benefit the Life Guard Ecumenical Foundation (LGEF). To register, click here and sign up under special events.

 Kick Dance is also proud to help LGEF with our annual tradition of creating baskets full of Thanksgiving food to give to local families in need. Collection boxes are located at each

Kick Studio, and those interested in helping can drop items off from 3-6 p.m., Monday through Friday, during the week of November 16. Items needed include grocery store gift cards, boxed stuffing and mashed potatoes, canned cranberry sauce, canned vegetables, canned yams, turkey gravy, pasta/rice, applesauce, apple juice, cookies, dinner rolls, apple pies and pancake mix.

Please also mark your calendar for our December 19, 4 p.m. MiniCracker Ballet performance in our Rumson studio. Our dancers can’t wait to entertain you for a good cause. Admission is a canned good or other food donation for the Red bank charity, LunchBreak.

About Our Holiday Charity Partner, Life Guard Ecumenical Foundation (LGEF)

Founded in 2009 in our very own backyard by a group of neighbors in Fair Haven, the nonprofit Life Guard Ecumenical Foundation (LGEF) raises awareness of those around us that are in need of assistance. Just as a lifeguard sits on his stand and actively searches for those in need, such is the purpose of LGEF.

LGEF has helped more than 80 families through organized events such as neighborhood barbecues and yard sales that have raised funds for food gift cards, overdue utility bills, excessive medical bills, and expensive life-dependent medications. This amazing charity is right in step with the needs of our community, and Kick is ready to dance, donate and collect food throughout the holidays to support LGEF’s inspiring mission.

“I’m always looking for ways to get more involved in our community so a charity that is about keeping an eye out for community members who need help is a perfect fit,” said Vanessa Berry, owner and instructor at Kick Dance Studios. “It’s a charity our dancers can understand and help.”

Helping Those in Need

Life Guard Ecumenical Foundation knows you don’t have to travel far to find families who are facing severe economic hardships. Each day, families in our area have to make the gut-wrenching decision to sacrifice paying a utility bill to put food on the table or make rent.

Mary was a Superstorm Sandy victim, living in motels after the storm with her two children, ages 2 and 4.  A single mom who worked full-time and received no support, she saved enough money to rent an apartment, but found she couldn’t get her electricity turned on because of an outstanding bill. Mary used all of her savings for the rent and security to move into her new apartment. Life Guard Ecumenical Foundation helped Mary pay her overdue balance so she could have electricity in her new home with her children.

Eight-year-old Tommy woke up one day and couldn’t move his legs. It took a week in the hospital to determine he had a bacterial infection that could be treated, but he would need physical therapy to rehabilitate his body. His mom needed time off work to help him recuperate, but her job didn’t provide paid leave and the family relied on her paycheck.  LGEF provided funds to help them with the hospital bills and groceries, easing the financial burden.

Each month, LGEF finds a local family in need and hosts a fundraising event to help that family. But they do more than donate monetarily. They volunteer time, skills and resources with the hope of spreading the spirit of giving, encouraging others to help community members in need.

“Life Guard Ecumenical Foundation is beyond grateful to be Team Kick’s charity for this season,” said Tori McAndrews, Board Member of Life Guard Ecumenical Foundation.

To learn how you can help support local families with LGEF, visit www.lifeguardnj.org.

To register for our special events to benefit LGEF, click here.

Kick Dance Studios is More Than Just Great Dancing

Kick Dance is More Than Just Great Dancing

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Being a part of Kick Dance Studios is more than just great dancing. Literally.

Kick Dance Studios is part of a group called More Than Just Great Dancing, an organization made up of dance studios around the nation focused on making a positive impact on dance students and the community. In fact, Kick Dance was one of 15 founding members of the organization, started in 2012, and is the only dance studio accredited by More Than Just Great Dancing in Central New Jersey.

“In addition to our network, we have live events to share and learn from each other,” said Vanessa Berry, owner and instructor at Kick Dance Studios. “We share both business and curriculum information, while learning customer service best practices.”

Kick Dance Studios is More Than Just Great Dancing
Vanessa Berry, More Than Just Great Dance founder, Misty Lown, and member Alicia Knopps.

But More Than Just Great Dancing has an even wider reach, encouraging community outreach, community service, and fostering and nurturing dance students to become great people, on and off stage.

“Kick Dance joined More Than Just Great Dancing to have a network of like-minded studio owners dedicated to elevating our industry and preserving childhood,” said Vanessa Berry.

And that’s precisely the mission of More Than Just Great Dancing — to raise the bar for dance studio education, and to honor, support and recognize the studios who desire to offer age-appropriate education for dancers growing up in a complex world.

Community service and outreach is a big theme at More Than Just Great Dancing, and something Vanessa and her instructors take very seriously. Each year the studio chooses a new charity to work with, and all proceeds support that organization.

This year, Kick Dance raised $10,000 for StrongMom.org, an organization supporting one mother’s battle with colon cancer, and Project Write Now, a group offering writing classes and workshop experiences to children, teens, and adults in Red Bank, NJ.

Two years ago, Kick Dance chose to support the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, and raised $8,500 with their annual “Kick for a Cause” performance on February 23. The charity was chosen to show support for a mother of one of Kick’s dance team students who has MS, a chronic disease that attacks the central nervous system.

Other charitable efforts include raising money for Hurricane Sandy-damaged Monmouth Beach Elementary School, All Fur Love Animal Rescue, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer.

Vanessa Berry and K-3 students during a Halloween flash mob rehearsal.
Vanessa Berry and K-3 students during a Halloween flash mob rehearsal.

“Our annual charity show has raised over $80,000 so far,” said Vanessa. “We also are very involved with our local schools. Right now I am teaching K-3 a Halloween flash mob dance to perform for the parents at the annual costume parade.”

This year, Kick Dance is standing up to bullying with the help of More Than Just Great Dancing. The organization is sponsoring a “Define Yourself” campaign to raise awareness about October’s National Bullying Prevention Month. The idea is for teenage dance students to start a movement to shed labels and define themselves by who they are and not how others define them.

“At More Than Dancers, we believe you are more than just a dancer,” said Misty Lown, founder of More Than Just Great Dancing. “You are a sister, a brother, an athlete, a student, a volunteer, a person of faith, etc. And you are even more than that! You are a person of worth and value simply because you are you. You are uniquely gifted and already have everything inside of you to reach your dreams!”

Kick Dance Studios is one of the first dance studios to support this anti-bullying movement, asking its dancers to fill in this sentence: I will be more than a dancer, I will be ______. Students may say “a positive influence to others,” “a good friend to everyone,” or “a person who tries my best.” The answers are limitless and are meant to remind us all that there is more to us than meets the eye. The campaign revolves around the fact that we all dance to a different beat and that we shouldn’t let others define us.

More Than Just Great Dancing and Kick Dance Studios are committed to excellence, both in the classroom and in the community. The close-knit group has proven to be a great resource and learning experience for Vanessa, her instructors, and the studio as a whole. For more information, visit www.morethanjustgreatdancing.com.

Now ask yourself, how will you define you? Then fill in this sentence:  I will be more than a great ______, I will be ________.

Photo 1: Vanessa Berry, More Than Just Great Dance founder, Misty Lown, and member Alicia Knopps. More Than Just Great Dancing provides dance studio owners with a knowledgeable and dedicated network of like-minded business owners who know the business of dance.

Cover Photo: Kick Dance students Anna Ciardiello, 9 of Fair Haven, and Lauren Connoly, 9 of Little Silver, on stage after a community performance at Harvest Fest at Knollwood School in Fair Haven. Kick Dance Studios is a member of More Than Just Great Dancing, a group of dance studios focused on making a positive impact on dance students and the community.