When it comes to ballet classes, which Matthews dance studio should you go to? Find out in today’s post!
With a lot of different Matthews dance studios to choose from, how do you know which one to send your child to?
Here are a couple of things you should look for before you make a decision:
Expert Instructors
One of the first things you should look for in a Matthews dance studio for ballet classes is quality instruction. You want a team of dance instructors who are not only excellent dancers, but top-notch teachers as well. After all, knowing how to do something and knowing how to teach others to do it are two very different things.
Of course, instructors who are only good teachers but mediocre ballet dancers may not be up to the task either. If they can’t even teach themselves, then how can you expect them to help your child become excellent dancers, right? Obviously, this isn’t always the case, but it’s still safer to just go with an instructor who’s both a world-class dancer and teacher.
Proven Track Record
But what if you don’t know how to identify a good ballet dancer and instructor? Well, this is where testimonials, awards, and success stories come in.
The first thing you need to do is look for testimonials and ask around. What do people say? Is the Matthews dance studio you’re looking at known in the community for providing top-notch ballet instruction or does it have lots of negative reviews?
What about the overall experience? What do past and current clients say? Are they encouraging others to come in for lessons too or telling them to stay as far away as possible?
Another thing to look for are awards. Has the Matthews dance studio you’re eyeing been recognised by reputable institutions for their excellence? What about their instructors? The more awards the studio and team behind it have under their belt, the more likely it is that they’re a good choice.
Finally, you need to check if they’ve produced any success stories in the past. Have any of their students moved on to become successful professional ballet dancers? There’s no clearer proof of the quality of dance instruction a studio provides than students who ended up building a successful career using what they learned.
A Fun, Welcoming Environment
Another consideration for choosing a Matthews dance studio is its overall environment. Is it a pleasure place to learn ballet in or will your child end up dreading each class? What about the people and other students? Will your child enjoy spending time with them or will they wish they were someplace else?
Keep in mind that for your child to become an excellent ballet dancer, they’ll have to put in hours upon hours of practice—which there’s no way they’ll do if they hate every minute they spend doing it. So, the goal is to find a Matthews dance studio that makes them keep coming back for more.
The last thing you want is for your child to lose their passion for dancing just because the studio you chose ruined the experience for them, right?
Passion for Dancing
Speaking of passion for dancing, you want the ballet instructors at your chosen Matthews dance studio to be just as passionate—maybe even more—about ballet as your child. You want a team that can not only match, but also fuel your child’s love for their art.
Stay away from instructors who just view what they’re doing as a means to make a living. There’s no way they’ll be able to provide the same level of instruction as someone who’s truly passionate about the art form—that and they may even end up causing your child to lose their passion for dancing as well over time.
Passion for Teaching
Of course, passion for dancing is one thing. Passion for teaching is a whole different story. Your chosen Matthews dance studio needs to have a team of ballet instructors that have both.
You see, having a passion for ballet simply drives a person to work hard to perfect their art and share it with others in the form of performances. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be as determined to share it through teaching.
Instructors who are actually passionate about teaching ballet would not only be more driven to help their students succeed, they’re also more likely to be more patient, supportive, and caring towards each of them. In addition, they’re also more likely to constantly be on the lookout for better ways to help their students learn, which can only help improve the quality of the instruction they provide over time.
Expertly Designed Curriculum
Now, while everything we’ve talked about so far is, without a doubt, important, they won’t really mean anything if the ballet curriculum at the Matthews dance studio you’re looking at is no good. After all, it’s supposed to outline the path your child would follow to transition from being a complete beginner into a professional ballet dancer.
But what exactly does ‘expertly designed curriculum’ mean?
Simply put, it just means it covers all the essential ballet techniques and movements your child needs to learn and presents them in a logical progression that follows the natural skill progression of students. The last thing you want is a curriculum that randomly jumps from one concept to the next. You can just go to YouTube for that.
Is There Really a Matthews Dance Studio That Has All These?
We get it. At first glance, finding a studio that satisfies all the conditions we’ve talked about may seem like a tall order. Fortunately, such a studio exists. It’s called Visions Dance Academy.
Located in Matthews, NC, our dance studio is home to award-winning instructors who are not only excellent dancers, but exceptional teachers as well. Each one of them is as passionate about the art form as they are with sharing their skill with others through teaching—in line with our expertly designed ballet curriculum that has produced countless success stories throughout since we first opened our doors in 1998.
As for the overall vibe of our studio, our students and their parents seem to love coming here, so we’re probably doing something right in this regard as well.
But don’t take our word for it. Sign your child up for a free trial class today and experience the difference for yourself!
