Studio 201 offers summer dance camps

Studio 201, located at 201 N. Main St., will be hosting five dance camps this summer for children two years and up.

“Our camps are a great trial run for those who are thinking about enrolling in regular season. Our regular season offers classes from 18 months through high school so we want to make sure our camps have something for everyone in that age range,” said Studio 201 owner and instructor Emily Sullivan. “I want them to have fun first and foremost. For those who have never danced before, to introduce them to the world of dance and hopefully ignite an interest for it. For those who have danced before, to continue to grow their skill and love for dance.”

The first camp of the season will be the Princess Ballerinas Camp June 14 with a class for three and four-year-olds and another for children ages five to seven. Dancers are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite princess.

The Twinkle Toes Dance Camp is June 17 with a class for two to four-year-olds and another for children ages five to eight. This will be a messy camp as dancers will paint their feet and dance on a large sheet of paper. At the end of the class they’ll have a piece of art to take home with them.

Summer Dance Camp is June 22-24 with children who will be entering second and third grade in one session and those entering fourth through sixth grade in another. Dancers will learn a summer themed jazz dance, work on leaps and make a craft.

Tumbling Camp is July 19-23 with three different classes split by age. There will be a class for Preschool children, one for five through eight-year-olds and one for children nine and older to work on beginner level tumbling skills.

The Combo Dance Camp will be July 26-30, also split into three classes. Kindergarten and first grade kids, second through fourth graders and those going into fifth grade and older will learn a routine in a different style of dance each day. Monday will be ballet, Tuesday will be jazz, Wednesday will be hip hop, Thursday will be pom and Friday will be tap.

“We start planning as early as January. We create lesson plans and goals we want to achieve in each camp. We choose a theme if we want a theme and choreograph a dance for the kids to learn. Some of our younger camps will be doing a craft and snack time so we figure out a craft that will tie into our dance/theme,” said Sullivan.

Dancing helps young kids develop social skills, muscle strength and flexibility, and body awareness. It promotes creativity and self expression. It’s great exercise not only for the body but for the mind. The different dance moves that are taught in dance classes keep children on their toes and thus keeps the mind active. Dancing is a great outlet for children, to channel their energy in the right direction.

“I could go on and on with the benefits of dance that can carry over to other aspects of their life but here are just a few. We dance in groups so not only are we teaching them dance skills but they work on social skills as well, such as waiting patiently for your turn. It helps with building confidence to be in front of an audience,” said Sullivan. “Have you ever seen a little one fall over or whip around and ram into someone or something? We chalk it up to clumsiness but a lot of it is they are still learning body awareness and learning to control the body. Dance is a great way to help with this. In Dance we learn how to move our bodies in different ways. We also learn awareness of our surroundings because we don’t want to leap off the stage or bump into the dancer beside us.”

Prices vary for each camp and age group. Sullivan can be contacted at 515-517-0201 or at dancestudio201@gmail.com.

“Our camps do have a limit on class size so the sooner you register the better chance you will get a spot in the camp. We would like registrations to be turned in two weeks prior to the camp’s start date so we can order shirts and prepare for the number registered but we will accept registrations up until the start date if there are spots available. You may not get the t-shirt size you requested if you sign up within the two weeks before camp starts,” said Sullivan.