dance-ballet-first-50.html
0917 SEPTEMBER
51 / 76
technique or performance? when it comes to investing time, energy, and money into
dance
, consider your overall goal. does your child hope to one day grace the stage of s o you ?ink you can
dance
? or does your child long to shine on the local stage in sequins at the annual recital? ?ey can do both here in baton rouge. carrie pursued her dream all the way to los angeles and
dance
d commercially until she chose to come back to teach the children of baton rouge. her studio specializes in training. ??ey take whole classes in every subject all year, and they get better fast. we put on a show at the end of the year, but we do it in a different way,? she shares. training this way ?maximizes their potential in 10 months rather than only progressing in the recital
dance
. everyone
dance
s in our intensive level programs, so if a child just wants to come take class, they can, and they?re with
dance
rs who want to
work
hard. everyone is growing and
work
ing together. other studios incorporate recital and technique classes. ?e baton rouge community needs that.? ?e defrances academy of
dance
is one of those studios who offer both. gwyn also made a career out of
dance
before joining her mother and sister in the family
dance
business of 47 years. ?we have several layers of classes that we offer, classes for the recreation student with their goal being our end-of-the-year annual
dance
recital and technique-only classes for the more serious students, but which some of our recreation students also take,? she says. both studios offer the staple subjects: ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, contemporary, and lyrical. ?ey each have competitive teams as well, which require more time and more finances. it?s all about the style just like in school, a
dance
student may have a favorite subject. some may prefer ballet, while others may adore hip hop. both carrie and gwyn insist that while that may be the case, being well-rounded is best. ?each style of
dance
has it's own benefits. ballet
teaches
children not only discipline, but it also
teaches
children control and body placement. tap, hip hop, and contemporary teach children rhythm and musicality. jazz
teaches
strength and lyrical
teaches
expression. learning all of these will create a well rounded and talented
dance
r,? gwyn explains. carrie also preaches that ?versatility is a big deal with regards to
dance
training.? she continues, ?to be the best at something, you've got to wear many hats. ?e
dance
world is full of styles, and all styles are meant to entertain and share with an audience. it all builds greatness, and with any profession, the more well rounded you are?the better.?
dance
lessons
dance
is a "loophole to life," gw yn proudly proclaims. no matter how long a
dance
r trains, whether one year or thirteen years, life lessons will follow. ?
dance
is such a great tool to cultivate hard
work
and discipline in your children,? natalie shares, speaking from experience. just like team sports,
dance
builds core values that will help young women and men navigate life?s challenges. carrie and gw yn both promote that
dance
teaches
discipline, respect, dedication, and hard
work
. they are confident that their teaching goes beyond the stage. "i'm here to help raise humans," carrie says. she believes that
dance
teaches
you ? how to
work
with a group, how to fail, how to succeed, how to
work
hard for what you want, and unfortunately, how to
work
hard and still not get what you want. it
teaches
you about sacrifice and making wise choices.? ?e lessons continue. gwyn adds, ?
dance
also
teaches
children how to learn,
work
with others, manage their time, and appreciate that each individual has a purpose and something different to contribute. it
teaches
that with hard
work
, anything can be achieved, but also that you are going to fail or be disappointed at times if you aren?t placed where you want or cannot do ?that particular step.? ?ese are life lessons that need to be learned in order to function and be a respectable and responsible human being in the adult world one day.? 2016-17 cover kids mikelyn w. and maci w. s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 7 | b r p a r e n t s . c o m 5 1
page-52.html