By Rachel Prescott, studio6twenty5
It’s early on a Saturday morning. A group of tiny dancers make their way to the ballet studio in a single file line, up on their tippy toes, with their hands on their hips. For the next 30 minutes, these independent two- and three-year-olds will explore new ways of moving using their own magical thinking, which in turn lends to a tangible creative expression. Throughout the year, imagination and creative play teaches them concepts such as right from left, standing in a line, counting music, coordination, spatial awareness and a whole universe more.
Ballet is about so much more than just ballet.
In a world of apps, telecommunication and virtual reality, this mind/body all-encompassing performing art form is more beneficial now than ever for our younger generations. From the first day of class in a classical ballet school, training begins to instill poise, self-confidence, awareness (of oneself and others), physical health and self-discipline. As tiny dancers grow into teenage dancers, these assets and values are a large part of who they are as people, and therefore spill over into every other area of life.
My longtime ballet teacher, the late Miss Dorothy Lister, used to announce to our class of angsty 14- and 15-year olds, “Ballet dancers make straight A’s!” As I looked around the room, I realized she was right. We were all very good students, enrolled in honors, AP, IB programs, some of us at the NWF Collegiate High School. (We may not all have had straight A’s, but close.)
The drive for excellence, self-discipline and the ability to creatively express oneself will carry a person through a lifetime, in any profession or life path. After all, children with these values become adults with these values. The poise and determination of a once eight-year-old dancer serve her well as a lawyer fighting for justice in the courtroom, just as self-confidence and stage presence can only benefit a career in PR/marketing, and explorative self-expression help guide a photography career. There are no bounds for how far these life lessons will reach.
Classical Ballet is an opportunity to help instill a foundation in young children that will follow into their adulthood. A dance education is less about being a professional dancer, and much more about developing into a whole human being, with tools and gifts to share with the world.
Studio6twenty5 has many exciting things coming up this year!
• Huge schedule expansion! Now offering Pre-Primary & Primary classes Monday through Saturday
• The Nutcracker 2022 presented by studio6twenty5 — Friday, December 9th at Destin Community Center
• Look for the studio6twenty5 float in this year’s Destin Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 10th
• Weekly Adult/Open ballet classes
• Weekly barre+ classes
studio6twenty5 is proud to include the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum, a breakthrough 9 level program that combines high-quality artistic training with the basics of dancer health and child development. The ABT® National Training Curriculum consists of a comprehensive set of age-appropriate, outcome-based guidelines to provide the highest quality ballet training to dance students of all ages and skill levels. Pre-Primary through Level 3 is taught by ABT® Certified Teacher, Rachel Prescott, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
Pre-Primary Ballet and Primary Ballet creative dance classes are part of the classical curriculum for the youngest dancers, instilling foundational elements of movement through creative experience, expression and play. Both boys and girls are highly encouraged. Classes occur once a week on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday.
Visit the website for additional level and adult classes, or to register online: studio6twenty5.com. Please email any questions to rachel@studio6twenty5.com. studio6twenty5, 625 Harbor Blvd. (upstairs).
