Often, at this time of year following recital, we are asked "What class should my child be in?", "Why was my student placed in this level?", "Can my student be approved for an advanced class or a class that is above their age group?" It is true, the Arts are subjective and each dancer/student interprets dance differently. However, we have gone through a careful process of selecting teachers that are professionally trained to not only teach, but evaluate each student taking into account their unique development on each level. Indeed, it is possible and necessary to assign a dance development level based on readiness. Ultimately, that is our goal at Turning Pointe School of Dance - advancement through readiness.
The primary readiness screen for levels and placement is the safety of dancers. Dancers must master each level before it is safe to proceed to the next, as new techniques and movements build upon each other. Dancers who don’t master essential skills in one level before moving to the next run the significant risk of struggling to keep up and potentially losing confidence. In addition, they face a greater risk of physical injury.
Another detail we factor in is balancing the needs of all students in a class and encouraging growth across the spectrum within the teaching setting. As with any discipline, dancers will progress at their own individual rates. Some skills will come easier for some than others. While other skills will come more easily to an individual dancer at some times in their lives than other times, depending upon their physical development. Every dancer is unique and will achieve various levels at different times. We want to encourage that unique journey by placing each student in the right setting and teaching environment for their individual needs.
One of the differences at Turning Pointe is our attention to these individual needs and readiness of each student, and while we encourage students to push their boundaries and to excel and improve continuously, we always put the well being of the dancer first.
At Turning Pointe, we are not only focused on technique and mastery of skills, but training and developing the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. As the owner, I have meticulously and prayerfully considered each teacher on the Turning Pointe team. Our instructors take notice of student strengths and weaknesses, challenge them, love them, and have genuine care for each and every student. I have confidence in their thought and decision making process within our classroom settings. Because of this, I strongly encourage parents to trust the hearts of our teachers toward each student, trust the goals and mission of Turning Pointe as it applies to your daughter/son, and trust the process. This is a marathon, not a sprint! Together, we have the opportunity to remember that all things come with time and it is vital to enjoy the journey along the way! Our children are taking their cues in how to respond to the joys and disappointments of this process from us as parents. There is an appointed time for ALL things! Let's keep that in front of our children/students and encourage them to practice patience in the journey, the value of working hard, holding fast to a dream despite the obstacles in a given moment and the joy of encouraging and strengthening those around us.
We look forward to helping your student develop, grow and advance towards their dreams as we hold fast to the goals and mission of our unique studio environment! Thank you for entrusting us with your student and their unique story. Thank you for trusting the process and the development of the whole person in each of our students. Dance is so much bigger than a performance based skill...it really is about equipping our children with tools for life!
Grateful for the joy set before each student!
Miss Tina
Are you interested in an Advanced Level class?
To be eligible for an Advanced class, a student must have 2 years of consecutive experience in that dance genre and/or must have teacher approval. For teacher approval in a genre a student does not have 2 years of experience in, a student can come to the Placement Day on July 30th or attend a summer mini mester class in the intermediate level for evaluation. Please contact turningpointeoffice@gmail.com to request an evaluation.
If you are not able to come to our evaluation date or are registering after the Placement Day, students who are 8-12 who have had 2 or more years of dance experience may attend an age appropriate class as a placement class. Students ages 10 and up with 1 year or less of ballet experience, will enroll in a beginning ballet class and no placement class is needed. Please check in with our school administrator at turningpointeoffice@gmail.com to set up a placement class and the teacher will also be notified.
Current Turning Pointe students 8 years and older will receive an evaluation from their teacher in May for their level placement for the upcoming school year. If a teacher requests for the student to be re-evaluated after summer classes, those students may come to the Placement Day (July 30).
