if princesses took class at tiny dancers

At Tiny Dancers, we love our princesses! Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine– you can dress up as them all. But what if the princesses joined a Tiny Dancers dance class? What style would they choose?

I think Cinderella would choose ballet.

While you can do ballet barefoot, having a good pair of slippers is a great place to start! Who is the princess with the best slippers around? Why, Cinderella of course! Cinderella also has a Fairy Godmother on her side and could probably wish for a great studio space and a pianist to accompany the class.

Ariel would love tap dancing.

Ariel grew up as a mermaid, so she’s a princess who really appreciates having feet. I think she would choose a dance style that highlights that body part the most: tap dancing! Since tap dancing is making music with your feet, she can still be her musical self when the sea witch takes her singing voice.

Tiana would choose musical theater.

Tiana would be so good at dancing, singing and acting her way through one of our broadway classes. Her jazz roots would shine during technique time and of course her voice would ring out on the recital stage. My guess is that she would act like a frog when we play charades!

Belle would break out the hip hop.

Belle would totally go “beast mode” in a hip hop class. She would read up on the rich history of hip hop and have plenty of time to practice in Beast’s Castle. All the castle objects could give her some pop and lock tips and she would be windmilling in no time!

Elsa wouldn’t care what the style is as long as we play freeze dance!

Elsa wouldn’t be picky. She just loves a good warm up! Her favorite would be freeze dance and she would be tough to beat!

While it’s fun to imagine the princesses taking our classes, it’s even more fun to dress up and dance like them. Luckily, at Tiny Dancers, that’s what we’re all about!

Bring the Tiny Dancers Magic to Virtual Class

Whether you’ve taken a Tiny Dancers’ virtual class all session or just dropped in for a make-up, you know that virtual class just isn’t quite the same as being in the studio. So I have gathered these tips to make virtual dance class more like our in studio class with that extra touch of magic!

Let’s kick it off just like we do in class… with sparkles! At Tiny Dancers we always start class with glitter. Even with virtual classes I love giving pretend glitter through the screen to my students. They can apply their own homemade glitter at curtsy time with this homemade glitter recipe: 1 Repurposed Jar/Container for Glitter + Any Color Craft Glitter or Makeup Glitter + Aloe Vera Gel. Fill the container with as many sparkles as you want ( I usually put enough to cover the bottom of the container) and fill the rest of the container with aloe gel. Mix with a popsicle stick, wooden skewer, chopstick or by putting an air tight lid on the container and shaking it. Use your finger to dab on homemade sparkles! 

Our ballet classes as young as 2 years old use the ballet barre every class. If you want to splurge and really give your dancer that in-studio feel, have your dancer use a barre instead of a chair for their virtual lesson. If you prefer buying a barre, a less expensive one can be found on Amazon for $5. If you prefer the DIY method it will take a trip to Home Depot and cost less than $30 for materials. Here are 10 steps (from teacher Sarah-Marie Belcastro) on how to build your barre!

Tiny Dancers really knows how to bring the magic at story and dress-up time! While virtual classes age 2-5 read and dance out a weekly story, there is no way of getting everyone at home a coordinating costume. We encourage our dancers to bring their creativity and costume trunk out for virtual class! Let your dancer put on a special tutu, old recital costume, or princess dress while the story is being read. As long as they can move freely and are able to leap and jump without tripping they are good to go! If you crave even more creativity (who doesn’t??) you can make a new costume or costume accessory every week with this super cool no-sew costume puzzle. 

 At the end of class I like to give a virtual stamp (ok sometimes, it’s a full-on stamp attack) for a job well done. Recently one of my students gave ME a stamp and it made my day! Let your dancer get a real stamp after virtual class for that in studio class feel. You can get inexpensive, non-toxic self-inking stamps for kids here. Stamps a bit too messy for you? Stickers are a great end of class reward as well!

Every child deserves the most fun and engaging dance experience they can get so we are constantly thinking of new ways to make classes fun. We hope you enjoyed these tips and we hope they make virtual classes even more magical for your dancer! 

summer camp survival guide

It's summer camp season at Tiny Dancers! We hope this survival guide for dancers new to our summer camp program—and veteran campers—will provide some tips to make camp a breeze. You may look at this post and think, is my child going to summer camp or training for a marathon? The answer is YES! Our camps are 3 hours long and full of dancing, crafting, snacking, reading, and dress-up. That is quite a lot for children who are not school-age yet. The tips below will help your dancer get the most out of our camp and possibly their nap later that afternoon!

First things first... a good night's rest. This is easier said than done, I know. Try to make it easy on yourself by not scheduling a camp the morning after your 16-hour flight back from your family vacation.

Next thing: Fueling up for the day with a hearty breakfast. Try to avoid things that are overly sugary, and instead go for protein-rich foods that will keep them going until snack time. You can check out my blog post on snacks for kids-on-the-go in Karly's Corner.

For camp: Pack a filling and fueling snack. Once that breakfast wears off, the teachers notice a significant difference in campers' ability to listen and stay focused. Eating a well-rounded snack helps bring that attention back.

Arrival: All you need is 10-15 minutes before camp starts to have time to settle in and meet the teachers. Getting settled is an important step for children who feel anxiety when their parents aren't in the room. It helps tremendously in making them feel comfortable and safe.

Checklist:

Proper Dance Shoes

Ballet Camp= Ballet Shoes

Hip Hop Camp= Sneakers

Tap Camp= Tap Shoes

Musical Theater/Tiny Broadway Camp= Jazz Shoes

Try it Out Camp= All the shoes!

*Everything but sneakers are available to borrow.

Snack

Medications

Change of clothes for campers who just finished potty training.

Shoes to wear to and from the studio; dance shoes should never be worn outside.

Proper Dance Attire

Ballet= Leotard and tights (tutu or skirt optional)

Hip Hop/Tap= Comfortable stretchy clothes you would wear to the gym or yoga

Tiny Broadway/Musical Theater= Black jazz pants or leggings and a leotard

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Finally, please be here promptly when your child's camp ends to take pictures of them in their costumes. Showing you their costumes and dance moves can be the highlight of their day!

Well, that's about all the tips I have this summer! Stay cool and keep on dancin'!