Getting back to activities in 2022, following the ups and downs of the pandemic, can leave parents wondering which activities are best for the children and where to take them to get the best experience.
If dance made your list of activities for 2022-23, we hope these tips of 4 things to consider when choosing a dance studio in Winnipeg will help you choose the best dance program for you.
1. PROGRAMMING Does the studio offer a variety of styles and levels? Is there an organized program schedule? How is communication with the studio? Is it easy to get information and to register?
When choosing an activity, you want it to fit with your needs, including dance experience/level, age, finding a schedule that fits your lifestyle, and knowing where or how to get all the information you need, both for registration and throughout the season.
At Maples Academy of Dance, we offer recreational all-levels programming in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical and musical theatre. Our classes are divided by age to ensure dancers are learning at an age-appropriate pace along with their peers. Our junior program groups dancers age 7-10 together, while our intermediate program (age 11-13) and senior program (age 14+) all follow our detailed learning syllabus to provide well-rounded, age-appropriate technical training, choreography, costuming, and music selections in all of our classes. We also offer an exceptional preschool program for our Future Stars age 3-6, exploring the foundations of dance and creative expression in a fun and exciting dance environment.
For dancers looking for a more intense competitive program, we also offer elite competitive classes. Through this program, our elite team has experienced great success locally and internationally, winning choreography and performance awards, scholarships, judges choice awards, and more!
We try to make everything from scheduling, to registration, to year-round communication, as easy as possible for our dance families. Our class schedule is posted online and in our studio lobby, while our online and in-person registration options makes registering for class quick and easy. We also have a monthly newsletter that goes out to all dance families to make sure no one ever misses an important note. We have great social media, too! Feel free to give us a follow on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, today!
2. INSTRUCTORS Who will be teaching your children to dance? What is their training and how versatile are they? Do the instructors have skills outside of dance they can also share, to help give dancers a more well-rounded program? What your instructor brings to class is very important. A well-trained instructor will teach technique safely and effectively, while ensuring the dancers in class get a full understanding of dance, while also building confidence, creativity, and inspiring their students.
At Maples Academy of Dance, we’re proud to have a diverse faculty made up of highly recognized, award-winning teachers. Our staff have years of training. We even have an in-house teacher training program that 75% of our current teaching faculty has graduated from. This 2-year program teaches everything from biomechanics of movement, choreography, class management, and use of our teaching syllabus, developed in both technical and practical aspects, throughout the 2-year-long training program. The strength of our faculty reaches beyond the walls of our dance studio and into the community as well. Members of our faculty contribute to the growth of our community on a regular basis through the work they do as business owners, lawyers, school teachers, aspiring doctors, life coaches, communications professionals, and parents themselves.
3. FACILITY Where will you be taking class? Is the facility well-maintained? Is it clean? Are the dance rooms set up with barres, mirrors, and proper dance floors?
In theory dance is an activity anyone can do anywhere. However, when you’re considering signing up for a 10-month-long dance program, finding a studio with a well maintained and safe facility is very important.
At Maples Academy of Dance, we have 3 studios equipped with mirrors, ballet barres and Harlequin-style dance flooring to help absorb the shock of movement on the body. This in-turn helps for proper training and reduced risk of injury to the dancers.
With our studio office right at the front entrance, our office Manager is always there to greet everyone who comes in with a smile. Our change rooms give ample space for dancers to hang up their coats and bags., while our parent’s waiting room provides a comfortable area for parents to wait in.
As we recover from the pandemic, we continue to take facility cleanliness and hand hygiene very seriously. Our facility is cleaned regularly by the professionals at Truly Fresh and we have hand sanitizer stations set up throughout the facility.
4. PROXIMITY & ACCESSIBILITY Is the studio easy to get to? Is it close to me? Will I know other dance families there? Accessing your activities shouldn’t feel like a chore. Finding a dance studio you love, that is close to home, easy to access with parking and other amenities, and where kids will feel comfortable dancing with their friends, is so valuable.
Centered in North West Winnipeg, Maples Academy of Dance is easily accessible by car or bus for participants in the Seven Oaks, Inkster and Point Douglas areas, including Maples, Garden City, Tyndall Park, Burrows, St Johns, and Point Douglas. We’re also a short ride to surrounding areas including St. James, Headingley, West St. Paul, Selkirk, Stony Mountain, and Stonewall.
Our large parking lot makes parking easy, while our proximity to grocery stores, shopping centres and coffee shops makes it easy for parents who may need to run an errand or want to enjoy some downtime when their child is in dance class.
We’re also pleased to recognize that many of our students are both dance friends and school friends or close family friends. We love when new students come to class for the first time and realize how many people they know from school or through their family extensions. It’s a true testament to the strength of our community.
COME DANCE WITH US!
If dance made your list of activities this season, we hope you’ll come to dance with us. If you’re interested in our programs, you can register online 24/7 or visit us in-person during our regular office hours for a studio tour, to meet some of the teachers and to sign up for classes! Do you have more questions about our programs? Contact us today. We can’t wait to dance with you!