My daughter has been with Dance Precisions for 11years. As we moving on to High School Varsity Song, I wanted to leave this for those that are thinking of investing in Dance Precisions for your child's future, dance related and beyond. DO IT!
We were blessed to be aligned with Dance Precisions through a friend when my daughter was just 4. She started in Tiny Tots. With Miss Stephanie's guidance, she began learning the basics of Tap, Jazz and Ballet. She began learning how to count to music. She began to learn simple step combinations. And, she began the basics of ballet technique and terminology. You could frequently catch her "doing her moves" in the Tiny Tot room mirror. By the time recital came around to perform her class tap dance, and she saw what the Mini performance team cound do, and was hooked!
By 5, she had joined 2nd Company (now their Premiere team). This is performance and a smattering of competition. She began to learn to dance in unison. Continued to build on technique and terminology in Ballet. Began learning Jazz, Lyrical and Tap technique. All with the correct terminology. Began flexibilty training. That year, we did a competition with their 1st Company Mini Team (now called Premiere) at Starpower . She was dazzled! She wanted to be a part of that!
By 6, she was a member of the Nationally ranked, Dance Precisions team. BY 10, dancing about 14 hrs a week, starting in middle school, this Studio and the PYUSD school district work together through Independent PE to count her dance hours as her PE class.
So many good things have happend to my daughter while on this team over the years! So many opportunities she would never had had to experience that just don't happen at other studios! We've cheered on 5 of our DP Alumni or former students during their time on SYTYCD. We watch in proud awe during the Grammys and other music award shows/concerts for former DP dancers doing their craft behind Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and more. We've traveled - Bahamas, Florida, New York and Nevada. And, danced on a cruise ship. This last year, she has had the opportunity to substitute teach, and has participated in the first ever Student Choreography show. That's what team dance is like at this dance studio!
But, more important to me than the amazing technique and training she's received while at DP, are the life lessons she's learned from it's teachers and owner, Edith Montoya. Working within a team environment. Time management. How to cope with success and disappointment appropriately. How to be a responsible for your costumes/makeup/hair/call times, and be reliable team player that can problem solve an issue like injury, choreo around a missing person, communication with other kids and adults. How to see beyond your team's wins and losses to cheer on and support other dancers & teams at competition.
But, most important - Commitment and loyalty to your team. It takes a village in a dance studio this large. Commitment from the kids to work together and work hard, put aside their personal time to get choreo down with extra hours on weekends or Holiday breaks. Commitment from parents to do the same - Props, Rhinestoning, Recital, Banquet, and the logistics of it all.
For us, it is our time to move to my Daughter's next adventure in Varsity Song. We believe in commitment, and know that to be on both teams for us is too much. But, this adventure will never be forgotten! DP will always be our 2nd family. And, we will be back for technique in the Fall.
I would hope that if you are just beginning your venture into dance with your child, you would consider Dance Precisions as a wonderful starting point. My bet is, you too will realize that you've invested into way more than just dance for your child as I did!
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