December Dance Newsletter

Happy Holidays! Wishing you and your family the very best this season. We enjoy the opportunity to work with your family and love teaching your children!

YOU COULD WIN $100 IN TUITION for January! We need your help! For every 5-star review you write (or update if you’ve done it before!) on our Google profiles, you’ll be entered into our drawing to win $100 in tuition next month! You can get four entries if you copy and paste your review to all four. We really appreciate all your support! Thanks in advance!

• Bountiful Dance

• Centerville Dance

• Bountiful Preschool

• Centerville Preschool

FROZEN FRIENDS CAMP! Who has a kiddo that loves Frozen? Register to attend our Frozen Friends Camp and we will give you an elegantly wrapped box with an ice blue tutu and special invitation to put under the tree this Christmas!

• When: January 11th, 10:30-12noon

• Where: Expressions Dance, Bountiful location

• To sign up, click here

• *Space is limited; no refunds or exchanges.

• Gift boxes will be available for pick up Dec 9-20 @ Bountiful

PARENTS NIGHT OUT- DROP AND SHOP! We have SO MUCH fun at Parent’s Night Out! Mark your calendar for your DECEMBER DATE NIGHT and we will take the kids…Friday, December 6th from 6-10 pm at our Centerville location! We have lots of fun activities planned for the kids and you can enjoy a night out CHILD FREE! Cost is $15 per child and $12 for additional siblings. Pizza will be served at 6:15pm. Must be potty trained. Register HERE or in your parent portal!  Space is limited!

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Dec 23- Jan 3 | NO CLASSES FOR WINTER BREAK! We hope you all have a wonderful December! Our schedule stays the same when we return on January 6th. The classes you are currently registered for will continue through June 2020.  NOTE: We charge the same amount every month for convenience and consistency to our families. Holidays and studio closures are factored into the season’s tuition amount and is then broken into even monthly payments.

 PAJAMAS AND BOOKS ARE DUE BY DEC 14TH! On December 14th, we are hosting "Dance For Life," a benefit performance and pajama/book drive to support the Utah Foster Care Foundation and several other local Utah charities.  We are still collecting pajamas and books at the studios. We hope you will join us in this cause! 

Get Involved!

• Our lobbies both have “pajama trees” next to the donation boxes. Pick a few snowflakes off the tree to purchase pajamas and books for kids in need this holiday season. Snowflakes list specific ages, gender of children, and pajama sizes that we are gathering.  It is not required to pick a snowflake; we are still accepting any and all donations!

• We are also collecting monetary donations. This will go towards more jammies and books! Bring in cash or Venmo donations to @danceforlife and include the dancers name so the amount can go toward their service society recognition!

• Get your friends and family involved in this amazing opportunity to make a difference! We have involvement letters you can share that are available HERE.

Winter Service Project: Service Society Recognition

The “Dance for Life” project is an opportunity for our dancers to qualify to become a member of the “Expressions Dance Service Society.”  To meet the qualifications for Service Society, each dancer needs to donate 10 pairs of pajamas, or 20 books, or $50 in cash donations. We will also accept a combination of the three donations (ex. 5 pjs and 10 books).  We want to encourage students to put their hearts into this by asking friends and family to get involved and donate towards our project.  Students that meet the donation requirements will be recognized for their service with a certificate and collectable award. These credentials will acknowledge their involvement in a good cause and will look amazing on future college scholarship applications and resumes! We are so excited to have a program within our studio to help teach our students the importance of service and community involvement! How to get credit for your donations:  When you bring your donations to the studio, please make sure to fill in your totals by your name on the clipboard that is next to the donation box.

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 HOLIDAY SHOW INFO

Our Stars, Hip Hop, Company and Preschool Dance classes are embarking on an amazing journey as part of our holiday show “The Night Before Christmas.” We have started our holiday routines and will be performing at Dance for Life on December 14th at Viewmont High School. We are super excited to see these darling kids take that step out onto the big stage!

Dance for Life is an amazing event hosted by Expressions Dance and several other dance studios. Proceeds from this event go to the Utah Foster Care Foundation and other local charities. More details on how you can get involved along with performance details for your dancer visit our website. All the details can be found at www.dancetoexpress.com by visiting our parent portal and clicking performance info!

Cast announcements were emailed out in November and can be found in your parent portal. Please reach out to the office at info@dancetoexpress.com if you have questions on your cast.

Performance times:

• Company Cast: call time 8:30am, show time 9:30-10:15am

• Leap’n Learners Cast: call time 10:45am, show time 11:30-12pm

• Candy Cane Cast: call time 1:15pm, show time 2:00-2:30pm

• Gingerbread Cast: call time 2:45pm, show time 3:30-4:00pm

Tickets to Dance for Life HERE

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CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS!

We can help you out this time of year! Great stocking stuffers could be new tights or dance shoes! We have limited studio beanies, hoodies, and water bottles available on our online store HERE! Order yours today!  While supplies last!

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 FOR PARENTS OF PRESCHOOL DANCERS- DECEMBER THEME

In December our theme is "From My Heart to Yours."  Each class will be focused around Christmas!  This month we are focusing on:  gallop, moving your head, shoulders, 6th position (feet together), sharing, and toe touches. We hope you can find time to review these elements with your dancer at home.  It is a great way to get EVERYONE moving!!

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 FOR PARENTS OF SCHOOL AGED TUMBLING/ACRO STUDENTS

December Stretch of the Month- Straddle  |  Strength Challenge- Superman

We are so excited this year to have a “stretch of the month” and a “strength challenge” in our acro/tumbling classes! Encourage your child to work on these skills at home to help them improve even faster!  Be more involved by printing off the at home practice tracker HERE.

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 HIP HOP CLASSES- SHOE POLICY

With winter weather approaching, we need to remind you that we CANNOT have wet, salty, muddy shoes stepping onto our dance floor. Please carry your hip hop shoes into the studio and change into them before you enter the classroom.  You will be asked to dance with no shoes if you don't have a dry pair! Thank you! 

EARLY BIRD RECITAL SAVINGS FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER!

Can you believe it, we are already preparing for our next big show! Coming up in June will be our Tumbling Exhibition and our year-end Recital. More details on these two events will be coming your way as we get closer! Recital commitments were done at the time of registration, however, it's not too late to sign up! SAVE $20 by registering for the recital before Dec 15th. Not sure if you have registered for the recital? You can see your recital registration by logging into your online account HERE.

1. Click account login

2. Click the dropdown menu (hamburger icon) in the top left corner

3. View all my classes

   • There you will see the enrollment for recital pay in full or 7 installments

   • Company members are automatically enrolled in the show and will not appear here

4. First installment payment for the recital processed December 1st.

Not sure what recital is all about? Read about the benefits of recital and watch this highlight video.

Head over to the online consent form to view the details and fill it out now! Sign up and save NOW!

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The Benefits of Recital - Beyond the Performance

New knowledge and skills abound when it comes to preparing for the recital … and we’re not just talking about learning dance steps!  There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to all of the advantages of recital participation.  Check out some of the unique benefits your child will acquire that go beyond the performance itself:

Memorization Skills

Not only is your child enhancing their gross motor skills by learning choreography and improving their technique, they are also building strong memorization skills.  Remembering a recital dance requires lots of repetition with the correct movements so that the dancer’s brain and body can work together to recall the steps during the performance.

Musicality

Learning and practicing a recital dance also helps a dancer develop his or her musicality.  Counting music and using rhythmic patterns are a part of every style of dance, at every age!  From a syncopated hip hop routine to a classical ballet waltz, recital routines can showcase a range of musical skills and boost your child’s confidence with moving in time to the music.

Backstage Etiquette

Your child will also be taught proper backstage conduct, such as waiting respectfully for their turn onstage and applauding others after each routine.  In addition, they’ll begin understanding basic stage directions and terminology, such as “upstage,” “downstage,” and “wings.”  Participation in the dress rehearsal also helps acquaint them with all of the relevant cues they need to know for the big day.

Courage

Let’s be honest, being onstage can be daunting no matter how old you are!  The recital offers your child the opportunity to build their courage in front of an audience, a skill that will continue to serve them throughout school and eventually, in the workforce.  Courageously persevering through fear, anxiety, or insecurity is something we want all of our students to learn … and something we know will continue to benefit them multiple times over! 

It’s pretty cool to see how the recital positively affects our students, year after year.  It’s quite special for us to have a role in their lives introducing these benefits and helping them grow!  And while we know you expect to see your child’s progress as a dancer (and we love seeing that too) we also hope you will see their growth in unexpected ways, like the ones we’ve talked about here.

Have you noticed some of these qualities and skills in your child already?  We’d love to hear about the advantages your dancer is already experiencing as we move closer and closer to the recital!

The Benefits of Recital – Confidence

Dance is the ultimate performing art, and dancing onstage at the recital serves as a powerful tool for building a child’s confidence in themselves—a confidence that easily carries over into a dancer’s home life, schoolwork, and friendships.

So how can one special event create such a big difference?  Well, it’s not just about that day.  It’s also about the process leading up to it, followed by the culmination of all that hard work.

In our experience at Expressions Dance, a rise in confidence begins with effort in the classroom.  Our students begin learning new steps and choreography, and as they make the effort to execute those skills, their confidence builds.  With compliments and corrections from the teacher, each dancer becomes more determined to improve.

In some dancers this confidence boost comes easily over time, but in others it can be more daunting.  For example, sometimes there is a student who feels down on themselves when they aren’t learning a step or concept fast enough.  We teach them that everyone learns at their own pace, and with their continued practice and perseverance, they’ll make progress.  And when that student begins to see their effort paying off, their confidence soars!  Overcoming that temporary “slump” actually helped them see that they can rely on themselves and be stronger for it.

As we get closer and closer to the recital and the choreography for the routine is complete, we will oftentimes see a spike in confidence along with their excitement for the big day.  The more they practice, the more assured they become.  They can also begin to picture themselves performing, and that visualization inspires them from the inside out. 

Of course when recital day is finally here, sometimes shyness, nerves, or anxiety can make a child’s confidence waver.  But if they’ve already built up their “confidence muscles” in class, they can quickly conquer those fears and dance onstage with no worries at all.  We’ve seen many students over the years who’ve overcome their stage fright—and then never want to leave the stage!

One of the most magical confidence-boosting moments for a performer is hearing the audience applaud, knowing that family and friends are there!  It tells the dancers hey are appreciated for dancing their hearts out.  It is such a rewarding feeling to realize that your hard work has paid off, and that the audience loved your performance. 

The pride our students feel in themselves at that moment is well-earned.  The sense of accomplishment after getting out there and performing is a triumphant feeling like no other, and it’s not an exaggeration to say we’ve seen it transform lives.  The confidence our students develop is truly one of the most valuable benefits there is when it comes to the recital!

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

WESTERN NUT & POINSETTIA FUNDRAISERS GOING ON NOW!

Order forms are going home this week for Western Nut, and you can print out order forms for poinsettias HERE on the website’s calendar page. This is a great chance to help pay for performance fees this season! All orders are due by Nov. 14th.

We cannot accept late orders!

NOVEMBER 15th: Parents Night Out: 6-10pm @ BOUNTIFUL
PARTY LIKE A ROCKSTAR!

Bring your kids to our Parents Night Out from 6:00-10:00 pm at the Bountiful location. They will get to eat pizza, make a yummy treat, dress up like Rockstars, play some fun games, and more! Cost is $15 per child and $12 for additional siblings. Must be potty trained. Register HERE or in your parent portal!  Space is limited!

Nov 27-29: *NO CLASSES FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK!*

FOR PARENTS OF PRESCHOOL DANCERS- NOVEMBER THEME

This month our theme in dance is “E-I-E-I-O” We are going to have so much fun moving like horses and dancing with our duck feet.  We hope you are having fun dancing with us at home!  

This month we are focusing on:  kicks, marching, ballet arms (port de bras)

CHRISTMAS PAJAMAS AND BOOKS CHARITY PROJECT

This year’s Christmas Charity Project is going to be even bigger than last year! We are so excited to be a part of the 12th Annual Dance For Life BENEFIT CONCERT!  We are gathering new pajamas and books and selling $1 paper pajamas to donate to those in need locally.  All the proceeds from the concert will go directly towards our overall donation.  Participation details are coming. We will be sending out an email that can be forwarded to family and friends about our project.  Start bringing in your donations this month! Look for the donation box in our front lobbies.  Help us beat last year’s total of 1094 pajamas, 459 books, and $6000!

We are going to open up our Scholastic book program to ALL of our dance families just in time to order books for the benefit concert.  Scholastic is an amazing resource with GREAT books at a GREAT price!!  You can order $1 books for our book drive and they will be shipped right to the studio.  Visit Scholastic Books HERE and take advantage of this convenient way to donate to our book drive.  Online orders are due by Friday November 15th.

CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCES

Our Christmas shows include STARS ballet/jazz classes, preschool dancers, Hip Hop, Little Leapers/Dancing Dolls, and Company Teams. Dancers that filled out a consent form can view the final instructions for costume and arrival times HERE. If you turned in your consent form, costume and participation fees have been added to your October & November tuition payment!

FOR PARENTS OF SCHOOL AGED TUMBLING/ACRO STUDENTS
November Stretch of the Month- Back/Bridge  |  Strength Challenge- Wall Sit

We are so excited this year to have a “stretch of the month” and a “strength challenge” in our acro/tumbling classes! Encourage your child to work on these skills at home to help them improve even faster!  Be more involved by printing off the at home practice tracker HERE.

CLASS REMINDERS

Ö  Potty before class, especially preschoolers!
Ö  No underwear under your leotard. Tights are dancer's underwear!
Ö  LATE! We have had a lot of late comers and late pick-ups. It is very disruptive to our classes when you walk in late, not to mention unsafe for dancers to miss warming up.  Late pick-ups are preventing our next classes from starting on time, and our teachers from getting home to their families.  Thanks for your attention to this manner!
Ö  Cold and flu season is underway.  It is never fun to be sick or to have a sick child.  Let’s watch out for each other by being aware.  If your dancer is sick please keep them home.  Thanks!

HIP HOP CLASSES- SHOE POLICY

With winter weather approaching, we need to remind you that we CANNOT have wet, salty, muddy shoes stepping onto our dance floor. Please carry your hip hop shoes into the studio and change into them before you enter the classroom.  You will be asked to dance with no shoes if you don't have a dry pair! Thank you!

ONLINE CALENDAR!

We have a calendar on the website!  Please refer to it for Holiday closures and studio events. If you use Google Calendar you can copy studio events directly into your calendar by clicking on the "add google calendar" in the bottom right corner of the calendar.  http://www.dancetoexpress.com/currentnews.html

TEXT REMINDERS

Stay up to date on current events! Subscribe to our text reminders for your classes. Text your class code to 81010.
Toddlers (Diaper Dancers, Tiny Tots, Barely 3s): @edctoddler
Preschool aged classes: @edcpsdance
School aged classes: @edcsschool
Little Leapers:  @edcleap
Dancing Dolls: @eddolls

ONLINE PARENT PORTAL

The account you created online can be updated at any time. Log in on the website to update contact and billing information, register for new classes, and make payments. You can also reset your password any time.