Charitable Giving
Dallas Ballet is committed to continual contribution in Dallas and the surrounding community. We give back to all the communities from which our beloved families hale.
Charities and programs to which we give our money and our time include: Bambinos, Grace Christian School, Faith Christian school, all area public schools, Dallas Senior All-Night Party, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, MOPS, Refugee Ministries and Christmas Cheer. We also sponsor foster children through DHS certified Foster Parents who would otherwise not have access to a dance education. We take 3-5 students a year based entirely on scholarship. For our scholarship application, click here.
We believe that volunteerism and charitable giving are crucial aspects needed to bond our community. We are motivated to serve others as we have been served ourselves.
We are thankful to our community for thirteen years of faithfulness to our studio- and we look forward to many more!
Experienced and Educated Faculty
The Teaching Faculty at Dallas Ballet & Academy of Dance are held to a standard of excellence not always seen in other programs. We believe that our Dance Training, Teaching Education and Professional Development must all balance one another to create an effective faculty member. This balance enables us to bring your students the best of both the old established things that work, and the new and innovative ideas that inspire progress.
Our mastery level dance training means we have each completed a studio program of learning to dance in various styles- just like your students are working through with us!
Our Teaching Education means we have each completed teaching mentorship programs, and/or taken college level courses in pedagogical approaches and teaching strategies for dance students. We are experts at meeting your children's learning styles.
Our Professional Development means we each spend time often and always viewing and thinking about new material. This keeps our teaching, choreography, music and performance ideas fresh and original. From professional associations to seeing all the live dance and theater productions in our area and beyond, we have our fingers on the pulse of what's next.
Together our faculty members hold over 25 years of teaching experience. We believe that experience plus innovation give our students the best education- children need the confidence of a seasoned teacher, as well as the curiosity and progress of new educators to fully thrive.
Dallas Ballet & Academy of Dance is exactly what the name says- an academy where students learn to dance, and a host of other things too!
It's a school, not a team.
We are teachers, not coaches.
Your children are students, not participants. You are parents, not clients.
These differences are crucial to understand, because they make up the experience you are purchasing and participating in when you join our community.
School is long-term. So partner with us in tailoring you child's education in the Arts each school year.
Faculty members are educated, experienced adults with creative and technical lessons to share. We have spent our whole lives doing what we do, we love it and we pursue it as a career.
Your children are students in an academic program, and a member of a classroom. Their presence is necessary and deeply valued in their weekly classes.
You are the parents of our deeply loved students- we value your input, and know that we cannot do what we do without your patronage. So thank you!
Studio Mentoring
Mentorship, the practice of older more experienced people pouring into younger novices is a Biblical principle that we hold dear to our hearts. It's what makes our studio work, quite literally. At Dallas Ballet, we are passionate about mentoring relationships.
Students in late Elementary School are trained as Jr. Helpers at Dance Camps- older demonstrators and faculty members teach them how to prepare snacks for a group, how to dance and play as an example to new students, how to help others join in, and how to stay focused on helping littles even when their friends are also Jr. Helpers and it would be fun to chat.
Faculty members supervise middle school and high school aged students as demonstrators in dance classes. As demonstrators, these students learn valuable skills like: how to talk so little ones will listen, how to retain names of students and parents, how to organize a class, strategies for maintaining classroom management, what to do in an emergency, and how to behave as a good worker in an employment environment.
Students who have been through our demonstrator program and achieve mastery level status in their own dance studies are invited to enter pedagogy training- the study of how to teach dance. Some believe that all a dance class requires is a teacher who is a good dancer- but it's not that simple. At times, the best dancers can't explain how they do what they do so well. It takes the heart and mind of a true teacher, to break down combinations, keep students encouraged and focused, and spot technical errors that are linked to leaps and turns not going well for an individual.
The studio is a business- so there's a lot more work to do besides choreography, teaching and performance. There are office hours to work, costume ordering and construction, performance research, janitorial tasks and repair work to do. Our students and parents do this work too- learning from one another all sorts of things, from how to work in our new software, to how to paint a floor, or replace a toilet seat. These are all skills that build an adult who knows how to take care of life in all its everyday challenges, and having the ability to take care of issues makes for a great and high functioning adult!
Dallas Ballet is a place where students are mentored into skills and practices that serve them throughout childhood and adulthood, and where skilled parent, staff and faculty volunteers use their abilities to benefit the entire community. And that's just the way we like it!
Safety, Security and Community
At Dallas Ballet & Academy of Dance, we are committed to the safety and security of your dancers. We know that you are attentive and loving parents, and that we must earn your trust before we can work with your children.
Faculty and staff members have all passed a rigorous background check, which is renewed annually. Adult and teen volunteers who work with children are always supervised by an insured and background checked adult.
Faculty and Staff are certified in First Aid and CPR, and first aid supplies are stocked on sight for any emergencies.
Our Faculty and staff are also committed to learning all about your family, early in the year- we will first learn our student's names and characters, and then we branch out, learning our studio parents' names and also anyone who typically picks up your child. Parents may at any time, add the names of people who are able to pick up your child from the studio using the Parent Portal. We will always ask for picture ID if we haven't yet met these new people.
At Dallas Ballet, we believe that community- knowing and loving and doing life with one another- is the best way to keep students safe and secure. A sense of community also fosters a level of comfort and intimacy that we hope bonds your family into our studio family.
We are so glad to have you all dancing with us, and we want Dallas Ballet to continue to be a great place to grow up!
