When I received an email from Mick Gunter, who own and runs the Centralia Ballet Academy with his wife in Centralia, WA, I took notice. They started the school three years ago in a small rural town in the southwestern part of the State, yet in the first year of the program, they attracted a […]
Choosing A Dance Program For My Preschool-Aged Son
For ages I've been asking my fellow dance blogger Nichelle Strzepek to write a guest post for me. She finally complied and wrote something absolutely perfect! Since Julian is already 16, I tend not to think about the younger boys. Nichelle, on the other hand, has a three-year-old son she is just thinking of starting […]
Happy Belated National Tap Dance Day!
Well, I’m a bit late, but that’s not unusual for me when it comes to wishing friends and family birthday and anniversary wishes. So why should it be any different for national tap dance day? Anyway…Yesterday, May 25th, was National Tap Day! So, hurray for tapping! I can still remember Julian when he was just […]
Meeting Debbie Allen and Experiences at DADA
We took off for LA on Tuesday morning, skipping dance on Tuesday (and a Passover seder on both the first and second night — Wednesday and Thursday — of the holiday) so we could make it to UCLA for a tour by afternoon. That was the start of three days of intensive college tours primarily for […]
Free Ballet Classes Draw Boys Into The Studio
I recently was asked to write a short sidebar on how to get boys into the dance studio and keep them there. (The piece will appear in an upcoming issue of Dance Teacher magazine.) One of the things I stressed was that studios should offer free or discounted classes for boys, as well as scholarships. […]
Alone Again…How Many Boys are in Your Son's Ballet Class?
Today I received a comment from someone (see yesterday’s post) whose 13-year-old son is lucky enough to be in a boy’s ballet class. Not only that, it’s taught by a male ballet teacher! Whoo hoo! But she rightfully was grateful that, even though there are only four boys in attendance, her son has a class “that […]
Is This the Right Dance Studio for My Son?
We have been on a quest for the right dance studio for our son it seems forever, which is not to say that we haven’t been happy with some of the studios where he has danced. I’m sure that the mothers of female dancers struggle with the same issue, since finding a good fit for any […]