Child 1 Age 13 - 14 (Male)
Program(s) focused in Breakdancing, Hip Hop
(4.5) Overall experience
My son is always ready to go to dance class on Saturday mornings. He is learning a lot and growing as a performer. He is the youngest in the hip-hop crew by several years but has always felt welcomed and encouraged. Aaron is his instructor (and owner) and he is very kind and generous - he has helped my son on various sequences or moves and asked him to participate in promo videos and photo shoots. Aaron is also a talented dancer and choreographer!
(4.5) Reason for choosing the camp
My son has done hip-hop classes since he was six, and he always did well and enjoyed it. However, I found those schools were not offering a level of seriousness or discipline in terms of coming to class, participating to the best of your ability, and performing on stage as a unit with all the steps memorized.
(5) Program quality and activities
The school provides intensive training once a week on Saturdays. The class is an hour and then an hour for the students who auditioned to be in the dance crew. The students are learning steps and routines constantly. The school videotapes the classes so the students can review the steps and routines and practice during the week. There are numerous performance opportunities also. The crew looks great on stage! This is what I was looking for--a serious and disciplined approach to dance classes and more opportunities to perform. I feel being on stage in any way is fantastic training for life. My son has really learned a lot and is dancing around the house all the time.
(5) Social dynamics and experience
No issues of bullying whatsoever. My son is very outgoing but in this class, he is the youngest and the only male so he was a bit nervous. But his classmates have been friendly and supportive! He has been able to join in chatting--there has been some downtime in between performances on those occasions. He has taken the TTC home with a couple of classmates after class, too.
(5) Skills and growth
His hip-hop skills are very good. He is learning more complicated sequences with fast footwork and full-body movements. The focus on musicality is also important. They do patterns across the stage as well. Confidence being on stage is also improved. The school provides videos of the steps and routines with music and without, that my son can use to practice with during the week.
(4.5) Staff/Instructors/Counsellors
Staff has always been friendly and responsive. Interactions started with auditioning for the crew--which was fairly nerve-wracking for my son. But the staff were warm and made it a comfortable environment. They are very good with providing info and updates to parents. They have set up in-person meetings and virtual meetings to relay information and answer questions.
(4.5) Advice and tips
I don’t really have any tips or advice to offer - this is an ongoing dance class from Sept to June so not similar to a camp experience.
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