Calendar     ~      Newsletter    ~     Performing Companies    ~   Youth Division    ~    Studio

Home

 

"When I pay that dance tuition and when I proudly watch the grace of her  performance and that of her colleagues, here is what I am buying: education, discipline, confidence building, pride, a healthy body, identity and more.   And what does that do for our community? It puts people among us who know what achievement, beauty and discipline are--how they look and how they feel, and how they fit into life."                                      --Herbert Holl--Executive Director                                      of Greater Denton Arts Council-- speaking of                                     his experience with a dancing daughter!

There's a Place for You at Denton Dance Conservatory
If you are looking for a dance "home" for yourself or your child, DDC is the 
place. Celebrating our 13th year in Denton, we have watched our students 
forge long-term friendships, create many wonderful memories, develop their 
talents and increase their health and confidence through dance. 

Take the First Step

Join the dancers at DDC and begin a wonderful journey, With lots of hard work 
and dedication, you will bring pride to yourself and to your community. Call 
940/383-2623 and sign up today!

Youth Division Educators now know that training young children in the concepts of movement,  sequencing, patterning and spatial relationships lays a strong foundation for  the later development of reading, mathematics and other educational skills.  Children in the early childhood programs of our Youth Division work actively  in all of these areas.  Our Youth Division consists of:     a) The Early Childhood Program including Creative Movement (age 3),  Pre-Ballet/Tap combo classes (ages 4-5),  and ballet (ages 6-7);     b) Children's Division: including primary training in classical ballet,  jazz, and tap. This division also includes our Pre-Pointe program (ages 8-10)  and the Pointe classes (ages 10 and up), as well as the study of Modern  dance. In the interest of brevity, we give a sample outline only to age seven  of our study program.

Early Childhood Program Class Structure: Our Early Childhood Program is specially designed to provide children between three and five years of age with a strong foundation in dance and movement. It teaches the young dancer the basic elements of  movement and dance; space and how we relate to it; both as an individual and  as a member of a group; the eight basic locomotor movements; musical rhythm;  beat and time; opposites and directions; as well as some elementary positions  and the French vocabulary of ballet. Integrated with these physical concepts  are the intellectual concepts of self-awareness, creative expression,  imagination, teamwork and basic body/health awareness. Creative Expression:  A portion of each class is devoted to developing  creative expression. Students participate in a variety of free movement  exercises that teach listening skills (responding to the tempo and mood of  the music), levels (high, medium, low) and directions (forward, backward,  sideways). It is important to remember that physical skills that often seem  quite simple to us as adults are very difficult and complicated for young  children. Developmental Skills: Our young students are gently introduced to the  classroom environment. Because younger dancers love and need repetition, the  same class is repeated several times before being changed. For the three year  olds, concepts taught include stretching the feet, weight transfers, jumping,  simple arm movements, moving across the floor and the encouragement of  imagination through movement characterizations. For the four year olds, the class builds on work done the previous year. The  students now learn to further control their movements, weight transfers are  done in all directions, balances are more sustained and jumps are done in  patterns. Traveling steps may be done with partners and the student begins to  learn the concept of counting music and opposites.

Children's Division Turning the age of five brings a greater degrees of complexity to the  movement. Basic steps learned at earlier ages become more difficult with the  addition of the arms and simple floor patterns.  Barre work is begun and the  technique of spotting (the snap of the head that allows dancers to turn  without getting dizzy) is introduced.  Six year olds begin each class facing the barre, and apply already learned  movement concepts into the format used in a formal ballet class. Correct  placement/alignment is introduced.  By the age of seven, the children begin  to focus on their major dance interest, and perhaps add other dance  disciplines.  Denton Dance Conservatory, LLC, invites you to come by the studio and observe classes or take a complimentary class. We will work hard to find something just right for you, at the right time and on the right day! Working parents schedules, evening classes for adults, and morning classes for preschoolers are just a few of the many scheduling options we have available. PHOTOS: Eagleton Photographers, (940) 891-1534...displayed with permission