(Please note that specific seasonal class descriptions and fees can be accessed through the registration links in the left column on each page.) Dance Impressions is a student centered and award winning recreational, pre-professional, and professional performance training facility. We we offer triple threat training and developmentally appropriate classes from the beginner to the professional performer with age ranges from two years old to adult. We have three educational tracks:

 

Performance Company C: Educational

These classes are designed for those wishing great technical training in dance, acting, and/or singing in a fun environment with little time and cost commitments. Many studios will call this their recreational program, but we think of it as more of an educational program.  Our students at this level get real dance training and the opportunity to perform at two different shows in a season: The Holiday Show in December and The Spring Showcase in May. Their tuition schedule will be a Full Season Fee which is broken into 9 Convenient Monthly Installments. They will also have a Costume Fee and Shoe Fee. This is an excellent program for those just starting out or those wishing to keep it simple! (We also offer Pre-Competition Program within our Company C for those wishing additional training or wanting to eventually audition for our Company B. Please inquire at the front desk.)

Performance Company B: Competition

These classes are designed for those wishing to continue their dance, acting and singing training in a Competitive Field. These performers will need to attend at least 3 Mini Intensives over the summer or take a maximum of 10 classes and 1 Mini Intensive, they will need to attend the 1 week intensive in August for their class placement. These performers will be able to choose how extensive they would like to train by choosing from 2 to 5 disciplines. They will have a required 1-2 technique classes (2 ballet and 1 stage technique) to attend each week above their structured class times. They will also attend extra choreography classes on the weekends in the fall of the season. These performers will work with Company A for the shows and some amount of training. They will attend 1 Required Workshop with a Competition and a 2nd straight Competition. (For 1 Workshop and 2 Competitions) They will perform in 2 shows throughout a season: The Holiday Show in December and The Spring Showcase in May. Their tuition schedule will be a Full Season Fee which is broken into 9 Monthly Installments. They will also have a Costume Fee, Shoe Fee, Hair and Make-up Fees, Competition Fees and Workshop Fees. This is an excellent opportunity for those wishing to further their training in the arts as a whole and begin to shape their creative side into a clearer view!

Performance Company A: Elite

These classes are designed for the performer wishing to create the entire package! These performers will be required to attend as many summer programs as they can with a minimum of 3 Mini Intensives, and will need to attend  the 1 week intensive in August for their class placement. These performers will be placed in an intense program which will be specific to their personal needs. These performers will focus on training for shows. These performers will NOT be able to choose how extensive they would like to train, they will be placed in disciplines accordingly with a main emphasis on Ballet & Pointe. They will have a required number of technique classes (ballet, stretch, stage technique & others) to attend each week above their structured class times. They will also attend extra choreography classes on the weekends in the fall of the season. These performers will work with Company B for the shows and some amount of training. They will be required to attend 3 workshops and perform in 1 competition. They will travel on at least one occasion for training. They will not do other competitions, but will do 1 small showcase of their accomplishments. This showcase will be in addition to the other 2 shows throughout a season: The Holiday Show in December and The Spring Showcase in May. Their tuition schedule will be a Full Season Fee which is broken into 9 Monthly Installments. They will also have a Costume Fee, Shoe Fee, Hair and Make-up Fees, Competition Fees and Workshop Fees. Performance Company A will be the ADVANCED Company of Dancers/Actors/Singers within Dance Impressions. The performers wishing to be considered for this will need to be 13 years old as of September 1st, 2010. This is for the performer wishing to consider a life in the field of arts and who is dedicated to working above and beyond!

Curriculum

We use an age and developmentally appropriate approach to our curriculum. Our philosophy is that the strongest foundation for any performer begins with movement and creativity. Our dance program is based on the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus with Vaganova and American influences. Our jazz, modern, lyrical and tap program is based on classic techniques with contemporary and world influences. Our Hip Hop program utilizes a number of methods including House, Break, Street, and a variety of Contemporary influences. Our acting and singing program utilizes story telling, confidence building and technical training to bring out the best inherent performer in each student. It is influenced by Classic, Broadway, and Contemporary techniques for stage and film performance. We use a variety of methods based on Robbins, Stansilavski, the Method and others. Our belief is that children of the youngest ages are able to absorb information at a greater capacity, thus we start technical training in all three of our areas at a young age which gives our students a bigger head start in the world of performance.

Triple Threat Training Philosophy

Simply put, we believe that triple threat training in dance, acting, and singing is the future in performance education. More and more, we see that dance has been reduced to only a sport with inflated awards. Even on the dance television shows, one hears the panel saying, "You look like a competition dancer, no thanks." This is because the desire to score high at competitions has created an envirornment where robotic tricks trump technique and where grill and drill is chosen over training. In part, this has happened because of a lack of understanding about the whole package required to be a performer and an overwhelming desire to win the top award.  We believe that you can win top awards while maintaining quality technical training. We also believe that triple threat training in dancing, acting, and singing, are essentially to creating a fully successful performer. Our approach is to educate our students on sound technique combined with amazing artistry in all three discplines and to cross fertilize those disciplines in classes throughout the year. Our unique program introduces both technical skills and creative artistry at the earliest ages because we believe children have the capability and the desire to learn at an early age. This also helps them feel more comfortable with the stage and the audience allowing them to spread their creative wings in a safe environment. We build upon that initial education with more complex combinations resulting in Broadway and contemporary presentations by our students. Ultimately, our goal is to fully prepare those students who wish to persue any pre-professional or professional opportunity that they may encounter.

Lessons That Will Last A Lifetime

Our training is significantly influenced by the philosophy that our next generation needs important life lessons. These lessons include such things as respect, hard work, responsibility, commitment, and teamwork. It is important that students understand that the facilities and staff are here for their benefit.  Parents commit time and resources to their children and appreciation of that is an important concept. Students must commit to attending classes and being present for their team throughout the year. Popping in and out of classes and dropping at the last minute are not tolerated as they can impede a student's educational progress and cause undue trouble, expense and hardship for many other students and families. Educating our students with core values and ethics is one of the strongest commitments we make as teachers at Dance Impressions.

Technique Classes

We integrate our technical training directly into the classroom. However, we do offer a variety of additional technique classes in ballet, Pointe, jazz, tap and acting for our students as well as those from other companies.

Acting & Singing

Our acting and singing program is very unique. We start at a much younger age than most organizations with real technical training.  You will find that our pre-primary and primary programs include character development, story telling, ear training, vocal training and stage presence. We expand upon that early training with risk taking on stage, improvisation, Broadway Song & Dance, enhanced character studies, etc. as our students mature.

Our ultimate goal is to help each student cultivate their unique own actor and/or singer. The best actors and singers should draw upon their own uniqueness to portray honesty and truthfulness on stage in an engaging and entertaining way. Our acting program draws upon many philosophies to expose the world of thought in this area to our students. We use exercises along with full length performance pieces to practice and enhance skills. Our singing program works to develop the unique singer within each student. We focus on healthy vocal development without strain. We introduce students to proper breathing and posture as well as appropriate singing techniques through a variety of warm up and other exercises. Our advanced classes study alternate techniques such as Legit, Broadway Belting, and Classic Clear Choral Singing for Stage. Our singing students perform various songs from Broadway productions as well as other modern pieces. 

Students can take just our Acting and Singing classes, but we strongly encourage them to take additional training in dance either through ballet technique classes or one of our recreational classes including Jazz/Tap, Lyrical or our very popular Hip Hop classes. Movement of the body is an important component to acting and singing thus additional dance training is extremely helpful. For more information please contact the studio.