To help you decide if dance is right for you, check out real student feedback to the questions below!
Why would you recommend taking a dance course?
Take dance it’s super fun! It’s a super kind and helpful community, and you can make many new friends! Wouldn’t it be so cool to make a dance with your friends? AND perform the dance you’ve made with your friends?! AND get praise for it?!? 😎
You are able to meet and make a lot of new friends and are able to express yourself in a new style from dance. It’s a very welcoming community and can help build a lot of great relationships, as well as helping build confidence.
Dance class is awesome. 10/10. Getting to literally dance around with your friends and giggle and be creative is the best. And then getting a high school credit for doing that? Even better.
Dance was by far the best class I could’ve chosen, you will experience things you can’t find anywhere else, and form a bond with every dancer in the class.
You meet some great people, and it’s good experience for having to preform in front of people. It also keeps you active
If you’re looking for a place to make lifelong friends and memories, definitely take dance. It’s such a safe space, and you will always feel welcome.
It is the most special environment, it really grows you as a dancer as well as a choreographer, and it gives you meaningful friendships.
I’ve been able to meet so many wonderful people through dance, and I find that dancing is such a fun way to express yourself
It’s just great to meet new people in a fun and engaging way!
What advice do you have for a BRAND-NEW dancer, who might be unsure if they should try dance?
Dance is a fun way to better enhance your skills and make new friends! It’s so much fun turning songs you love into choreography, and it’ll help you gain confidence! It may seem scary at first, but it’s never not a bad idea to try ! The fun games we played in class, and the warm and fuzzies were super comforting and a joy to do!
In grade 9 I didn’t initially take dance and after switching into it, I cannot imagine my four years at high school without it. Dance class gave me a class of movement in my day where I got to be myself and hangout with my friends.
Dance is not as intimidating as it looks, the dances are all very beginner-friendly, and you don’t need to be an experienced dancer to join a dance class. The teachers are happy to help if you have difficulty, especially in projects, they can help with ideas or dance moves.
You don’t need to be an experienced dancer, there’s so much love in this class you will feel confident, and you learn how to dance throughout the semester and the years! I went from being an inexperienced dancer to being so confident while doing it.
Do it, you won’t regret it. This is an experience some schools don’t have!
It’s important to try new things! It might just become something important to you (I was nervous too and almost switched out, but so glad I didn’t)
Honestly, just go for it, you’ll have a blast, it’s a very rewarding experience!
You will never be pressured into doing anything you’re not comfortable with, only encouraged!
What advice do you have for an ADVANCED dancer, who may not be sure of what benefits or new experiences they will gain from high school dance?
As an advanced dancer, you have the opportunity to create your own projects and add your own level of intensity and show off your skills. You also get to help out if you want: When learning class dances, the teacher always asks for class opinions (including yours!) and having extra knowledge will help to take your class further and make for an even more amazing showcase. I have danced since I was 2 years old and danced competitively. Never once did I feel that school dance class was “not enough” for me.
It’s good to be an advanced dancer, as you have the skills, but it’s an opportunity to do what you love more. It’s fun, it’s freeing, and it’s NOT a competition! You can enjoy dancing with your friends, making choreography with them and have fun. High school is all about having fun and expressing what you love doing to others.
If you are experienced in dance, you can also have fun making your own dances in projects with friends and express yourself while being part of a class. Even if you’re an advanced dancer, you can be part of a class which would help with collaboration skills and time management when working on projects.
The benefits of joining a dance class even if you are competitive is that you have chances to actually make up and teach dances, whereas you are probably just used to learning someone else’s. It helps you make a lot of connections, and you are allowed to add more of your own personal touches.
You will gain opportunities to show your choreography, and build relationships with others who may not be as advanced, and there is so much importance in those relationships
You get so many opportunities to use your skills in dance class, it is nice to act as a role model. Your talent will still be showcased, even if not all dancers aren’t at your level.
High school dance is such a free form experience, it allows you to really show off all that training you’ve done in a calm environment
You meet some super fun people, it’s a class you don’t have to sit down for, you get to move and do something you enjoy!
What advice do you have for a student who is nervous to sign up, because they are unsure or scared about performing in the showcase?
From my own experience, I was nervous at first because I’ve only ever danced from my own home. It felt scary to me, but I wanted to give it a go, and it worked out for me greater than I ever imagined. Always remember that it’s never a bad idea to try something new, even if it’s scary, you can overcome it because you never know unless you try it! Think of the stage as your spotlight, own that stage as if it was your very own home !!!
If you’re nervous to perform in the showcase it’s okay, many people have the same feeling, especially if it’s your first showcase. You can talk to the teacher about placements in dances, they are usually very flexible and understanding if you want to be in a general area. When performing don’t think of the showcase as something to be scared of but something new and exciting, you can experience something and showcase to family and friends what you’ve been working so hard on.
The dance class is not about who is the best dancer. It is about what you bring to the table. If you come to class and put in your best efforts and have fun, you will succeed. The showcase can be scary, but with enough practice and preparation (which you will have) the showcase is nothing but a fun time with your friends.
The idea of performing in front of everyone is scary, but you won’t regret it. As someone who was terrified of the idea of dancing in front of people, it became my favourite part. I went from almost dropping the class (when I found out about the showcase) to performing a solo my senior year. And I didn’t regret any of it.
Once the day comes, you might be a little scared, but at one point you just have to look around and realize that a lot of the people around you feel like family and are there to support you. If you mess up you’ll probably just laugh about it later, and it’s not embarrassing it’s just being human and making mistakes
The showcase is my favourite memory from high school! It’s nerve racking at first, but after the first dance all the nerves go away! Bonus, you spend an entire day is dancing and with your best friends!
The showcase can be scary, but once you’re doing it, it is so extremely FUN! There’s so much bonding that happens that day, so much exhilaration and happiness and you will feel so proud
Honestly, it sounds terrifying but once you’re comfortable with your class really it’s easy.
You’ll have so much time to refine your skills and gain confidence, so don’t worry about it!
What has been the biggest HIGHLIGHT of taking dance for you?
The biggest highlight for me is being able to show people my dances, as I’ve danced at home most of my life, there were times I’d yearn to dance on a stage, where people could watch me perform. With dance, I had the opportunity to do that and really give it my all, I not only was able to show people my dances, but learn new techniques and better my skills!
Getting to be in a dance class for 75 minutes a day instead of a sit down class. Getting to be with friends, being creative, putting on showcases, laughing endlessly and the community built, have all made up as the biggest highlight.
The biggest highlight of taking dance was finding confidence in myself and making so many of my long term friends. I made so many good memories from dance.
Becoming a better dancer, becoming more confident, getting closer with people I wouldn’t have otherwise.
Finding my passion for dance once more, and performing for an audience
Performing at the showcase, becoming friends with the other dancers.
The confidence that I have gained over the years
Getting to choreograph and perform my solo!
Friends!!