You’ve seen various Dance performances, tried dancing to every dance choreography on Youtube or even got moved by a dancer busking on the street. For whatever reason it is, you are decided to put on your dancing shoes and sign up for dance classes. The problem is, which dance academy should you choose? Choosing the right dance academy can sometimes be overwhelming and daunting when you have so many alternatives to choose from. Below are the 5 tips on how to choose the right dance Academy!

1. Dance Style Focus

The fastest way to narrow down your choices of dance academy is to choose a dance style focus. Every dance academy has a main dance style in which they are popular or are profoundly trained in. The first thing you should do is pick a dance style you are currently most engaged in to. For instance, if a studio which offers ballet, hip hop, and Latin dance classes have the highest number of active ballet classes, chances are the dance studio places more focus on ballet. By understanding the dance style focus of each studio, you can pick to learn from the best from the scene in your preferred dance style.

2. Faculty

Considering that you are what you eat, it’s similar to you are who you practice with. Having a dance teacher with ample experience in not only dancing but also in instruction is necessary to achieve your growth in dance. Firstly, review the dance teachers in the studio. How long have the teachers been dancing? Do they have any experience performing in companies or productions? How long have they began teaching and how often? Have they ever tutored students for competitions? If so, how were the results? These are just some of the queries that you want to consider. Depending on what you are looking for in your studio, it is best to note down your questions before checking out the studio. Compatibility of teaching style is also essential.

3. Cost

Cost may vary based on many various reasons such as location, reliability, dance style, class number intakes and many more. Before you start going for trial lessons, it’s best to call up the dance studio and inquire about dance class costs. By doing so, you’re able to gauge how much you are willing to spend in that dance academy and compare it with the other studios. Find out you’re ‘why’ for learning dance and you’ll be able to set an expectation of how much you’re ready to invest. Seldom it really does burn a hole in your wallet if you are set on training in an elite studio with aggressive training. However, if this is the path you choose, your investment in the right teaching hands will pay off for your dance career.

4. Exposure

Exposure means how much time a studio is willing to invest in you to put your dance in front of an audience. It could be in the form of yearly recitals, performances, and competitions. This factor is dependant on how well-versed your studio is with the dance world. Questions to ask yourself when picking the right studio are, does the studio hold recitals? Are they well connected with other dance companies and dance organisers? Are they engaged in training and sending their students to competitions? Getting exposure as a dancer is essential for growth because this is where dancers are being pushed out of their comfort zone, a.k.a four walls and studio mirrors. The more exposure you get from performing outside of the studio, the more you will grow technically and artistically as a performer. Simply put, you can discover to dance in dancing classes, but you can go the extra mile in growing to be a dance performer when you have dance exposure.

5. Environment

This is a tricky one because you won’t know precisely how the dance studio’s environment would be until you start taking classes for several months. The atmosphere of the studio should bring about a confident and encouraging environment, be it among the faculty or the learners. One of the hints to pick up on a confident environment is when the students try to unite with you in your trial class. Whether it’s a casual hi and introduction, or someone assisting you to go through the dance steps when you get lost in class, these are all subtle signs that show you’re going to want to come back for classes next time. Friendly competition within the class can be a motivational tool, but too much of it leads to toxic relationships. So make new friends during your trial class, and trust your gut when it tells you that you’re in the right place or to move on.

Bottom line, take a trial class and look out for these five things when choosing the right dance studio. It’s a process of discovery. When it feels right, trust your instincts. And for the rest of the time, enjoy dancing!