With nearly 1/3 of American children clinically overweight or obese, physical activities, such as dance, are not just a luxury anymore, they are a necessity for keeping children healthy. Taking just one hour a day out of your child’s channel-surfing to bust a move can have a significant impact on their overall health and well-being now and into the future. Dance has been proven time and time again in studies to provide numerous health benefits including:
- Improved physical strength and flexibility - Muscle tone and flexibility go hand-in-hand in healthy development. Dance provides an essential balance between the two so that students develop strong bones and muscles, while also relieving muscular rigidity and tension.
- Increased neural development - Listening and moving to music has been proven to help the brain build new pathways. Dancing engages both hemispheres of the brain and can significantly improve children’s processing skills related to recognizing and creating sequences and patterns, reacting to sensory inputs, and developing memory and motor skills. Don’t believe us? Many of our high school students, who have been dancing all of their lives, far exceed their peers academically and have gone on to achieve full-ride Presidential Scholarships, college credit through Advanced Placement classes, and many other academic honors.
- Powerful social and emotional bonds - Moving as a group and experiencing the energy created when people dance together can be one of the most bonding experiences a young student can have. They not only learn important social interaction skills, sharing, waiting one’s turn, and general classroom etiquette, but most students also create lifelong friends.
- Improved self confidence and posture - Dancers can often times be picked immediately out of a crowd because they develop an incredible sense of posture and body carriage that is not only much healthier than slouching, but also effectively conveys self-confidence and professionalism.
- It’s FUN!!!
OK, so your son or daughter wants to start dance classes, why should you choose the Dancer’s EDGE? In short, we love our students and enjoy nothing more than working hand-in-hand with parents to create the most fun, beneficial dance experience we can for our students. This means that we spend lots of time making sure that our faculty stays current with the most recent innovations in proper technical instruction, injury prevention, and choreographic trends. The Dancer’s EDGE is part of a select group of studio’s across the nation who have been certified to teach the American Ballet Theatre curriculum. This iconic New York City company and school, recognized by Congress as “America’s Dance Company,” has developed the most comprehensive ballet program currently available, and we are very excited to bring the best of New York City ballet instruction right here to the midwest. We constantly improve and update our class offerings and schedule so that all students, recreational or competitive, can find classes that challenge and inspire them.
We also understand that money doesn’t grow on trees, so we make every effort to keep tuition affordable for everyone (and we don’t charge you a bunch of extra registration fees, change of class fees, or excessive costume fees). We listen to what you really want in a dance studio and get all giddy when we can make your ideas a reality (within reason people - we’re still working on getting Oprah and the NFL network simultaneously playing in the lobby!). But most of all, we’ve been joined in this venture by some of the most amazing people in the Eastern Iowa area, and we think that it is this group of students, parents, grandparents, faculty members and friends that make our studio what it is. But we’ll stop yapping now… check out what our customers have been saying about us after our first three years in business!
“I love the way you guys make your students feel. You have both been very busy in your own lives, but the students and parents would never know! I recommend Dancer’s EDGE to everyone!”
“Thank you for making her introduction to dance such a memorable one! Almost every morning, she’d ask me, ‘Is dance today??’ She LOVED Charlie!”
“The studio space is absolutely gorgeous. Everything is very neat and professional. Having the large viewing windows and Wi-fi is a parent’s dream! I can get work done, bills paid etc. while still catching glimpses of my daughter having a blast in class.”
“Recital had such a ‘happy to be here’ feel to it! The dancers and staff seemed genuinely happy and excited to perform. There was lots of energy on stage (so refreshing!!). The dances had popular songs and new dance moves, which made it exhilarating to watch. The air conditioning was a nice perk, as was the assigned seating, food/snacks, and crafts for the kids backstage. I also liked the personal touches, like the video montage at the beginning and the Senior’s farewell dance.”
“The recital was run so professionally. My sister-in-law made the comment that it was so well done that it was more like coming to a performance than just a dance recital!”
“So really… the recital rocked. I’m sure there are little things that you guys would probably tweak, but I don’t see them.”
“The Dancer Dinner made it very convenient to get dinner in between the shows. What a GREAT idea!”
“Just thank you. A great big thank you! My daughters have learned so much and just absolutely love your studio. I love the way you guys make the kids work. They have improved so much it is amazing! My husband and I appreciate everything you’ve done for them!
“The variety of recital dances and the pace were great. The dances were wonderfully choreographed. My entire family was impressed w/the professionalism of the whole recital. The other comment they made was that you could tell the girls were so happy to be there.”
“I want to give a big thanks to the staff at The Dancer's EDGE. Dance has been a big part of our families lives for over 20 years and the Edge has been the best place to dance at by far. Your studio has taught my daughter more in the last two years then she learned in all the previous years of dance. Thanks for everything you do.”
“Keep it up! You guys have a great thing going and you truly inspire young dancers. Thanks for all your hard work.”
“The progressive choreography, the costuming, the venue, and the music were all superb. The thing that impressed my family most was the care and attention that your staff and older dancers gave to our Tiny Dancer. The gift bag and attention that she received after her dance was touching. Thank you for making even the little ones a special part of the overall program!”
“I was very impressed with the Dancer's EDGE. It was my daughter's first year, and it was great. She was always excited to come to dance. I never felt like I had to force her to go. She was always eager to get there and have fun. The instructors were excellent and everyone was very nice. I have recommended several people to the Dancer's EDGE, and I will continue to do so.”
“Charlie and Stephanie – Words cannot express how thrilled our family is with our first year at Dancer’s EDGE. Not only was tonight’s recital top-notch, but [my daughter’s] entire experience at the studio has been incredible. We are beyond thrilled with the instruction she has received. Not only has her dancing ability grown over the year, but her excitement about dancing has really taken off. I cannot thank you enough for taking the leap of faith to open your own studio. Our family will not hesitate to recommend Dancer’s EDGE to our friends. We will also help in any way we can to help you grow your studio. Thank you for everything. We will look forward to seeing you both this summer!”
“You want me to give feedback on perfection? Seriously. I can start to gush if you’d like, but I honestly can’t think of a single improvement.”
Oh come on! There’s got to be something (no matter how small) that would have made your experience even just a bit better?! We certainly appreciate the compliment, but you’re making us blush here! If at any point, you think of something, let us know! – Charlie & Stephanie
“Compared to where we took our daughter previously we are very happy with your studio. Please keep up the great work! We recommend your studio every chance we get!”
“We have been so happy with our experience at the Dancer's Edge. Everyone is so friendly and helpful and I felt like any questions I had were always answered. My daughter loved class and the recital was so well organized and so much fun. She cannot wait to come back in the fall!”
“Thank you for making her introduction to dance such a memorable one! Almost every morning, she’d ask me, ‘Is dance today??’ She LOVED Charlie!”
“The studio space is absolutely gorgeous. Everything is very neat and professional. Having the large viewing windows and Wi-fi is a parent’s dream! I can get work done, bills paid etc. while still catching glimpses of my daughter having a blast in class.”
“Recital had such a ‘happy to be here’ feel to it! The dancers and staff seemed genuinely happy and excited to perform. There was lots of energy on stage (so refreshing!!). The dances had popular songs and new dance moves, which made it exhilarating to watch. The air conditioning was a nice perk, as was the assigned seating, food/snacks, and crafts for the kids backstage. I also liked the personal touches, like the video montage at the beginning and the Senior’s farewell dance.”
“The recital was run so professionally. My sister-in-law made the comment that it was so well done that it was more like coming to a performance than just a dance recital!”
“So really… the recital rocked. I’m sure there are little things that you guys would probably tweak, but I don’t see them.”
“The Dancer Dinner made it very convenient to get dinner in between the shows. What a GREAT idea!”
“Just thank you. A great big thank you! My daughters have learned so much and just absolutely love your studio. I love the way you guys make the kids work. They have improved so much it is amazing! My husband and I appreciate everything you’ve done for them!
“The variety of recital dances and the pace were great. The dances were wonderfully choreographed. My entire family was impressed w/the professionalism of the whole recital. The other comment they made was that you could tell the girls were so happy to be there.”
“I want to give a big thanks to the staff at The Dancer's EDGE. Dance has been a big part of our families lives for over 20 years and the Edge has been the best place to dance at by far. Your studio has taught my daughter more in the last two years then she learned in all the previous years of dance. Thanks for everything you do.”
“Keep it up! You guys have a great thing going and you truly inspire young dancers. Thanks for all your hard work.”
“The progressive choreography, the costuming, the venue, and the music were all superb. The thing that impressed my family most was the care and attention that your staff and older dancers gave to our Tiny Dancer. The gift bag and attention that she received after her dance was touching. Thank you for making even the little ones a special part of the overall program!”
“I was very impressed with the Dancer's EDGE. It was my daughter's first year, and it was great. She was always excited to come to dance. I never felt like I had to force her to go. She was always eager to get there and have fun. The instructors were excellent and everyone was very nice. I have recommended several people to the Dancer's EDGE, and I will continue to do so.”
“Charlie and Stephanie – Words cannot express how thrilled our family is with our first year at Dancer’s EDGE. Not only was tonight’s recital top-notch, but [my daughter’s] entire experience at the studio has been incredible. We are beyond thrilled with the instruction she has received. Not only has her dancing ability grown over the year, but her excitement about dancing has really taken off. I cannot thank you enough for taking the leap of faith to open your own studio. Our family will not hesitate to recommend Dancer’s EDGE to our friends. We will also help in any way we can to help you grow your studio. Thank you for everything. We will look forward to seeing you both this summer!”
“You want me to give feedback on perfection? Seriously. I can start to gush if you’d like, but I honestly can’t think of a single improvement.”
Oh come on! There’s got to be something (no matter how small) that would have made your experience even just a bit better?! We certainly appreciate the compliment, but you’re making us blush here! If at any point, you think of something, let us know! – Charlie & Stephanie
“Compared to where we took our daughter previously we are very happy with your studio. Please keep up the great work! We recommend your studio every chance we get!”
“We have been so happy with our experience at the Dancer's Edge. Everyone is so friendly and helpful and I felt like any questions I had were always answered. My daughter loved class and the recital was so well organized and so much fun. She cannot wait to come back in the fall!”