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Looking for a hip hop or jazz dance class for my 9yr old son. He loves to dance! He is so agile and feels the beat! I am having trouble finding something for his age group. Any suggestions? Thanks
I'm sad to see Jim Beatty isn't doing his classes this fall which looked perfect for my almost 5 yr old son. Can anyone recommend an alternative; something play based that is based in creative movement/drama/dance, where there is likely to be a good mix of boys and girls? Thanks maya
My five year old son wiggles when he brushes his teeth, tells a story and just about whenever he can. I would love to find a dance class for him that isn't too formal - i.e. no ballet or strict tap dance - but some kind of more expressive, energetic dancing. He has done Jim Beatty's Ha Ha This Away and it was fun but we want something that is more definitively dancing. Hip hop? African dance? He wants to shake and express himself and be in the music. We live in North Berkeley and would love to stay close by - Berkeley, Albany, Kensington...Oakland is too far south. Also, it would be good if he wasn't likely to be the only boy in the class. Thanks. Tracey
I've checked the recommendations, but didn't quite see what I was hoping to find: I have a very artsy-fartsy almost-7-year- old boy who would like to take some dance classes -- either jazz or ballet, I imagine, maybe tap. We'd like him not to be the only boy, we'd like classes scheduled for late afternoon so that a 2-working-parent-family can cope, and we'd like the classes to be in the Oakland or maybe South Berkeley vicinity (for the same reason). And of course, it should be fun. Any recommendations out there? Thanks. Wendy
Recommended:
Other advice:
If you are not sure about your son's preference, you may wish to visit a Hula/Polynesian class with your son to see if it is to his liking. I believe that there are several boys in the Saturday morning class. My school, has children's classes (aka keiki) on Friday afternoon and Saturday mornings. See: https://mahea.com for more details. Michele
While there are some past comments in the archives, I'm trying to focus my search for a dance or drama (scant comments here in the past) class for my 7.5-year-old boy. Regarding dance, he would not be interested in ballet, but more modern or some type of ensemble dancing. What local resources are there where he could take a non-competitive class with no prior class experience (other than several school-based programs)? Also, he would appreciate a drama class, where he got to act and even help with preparing the set, etc. I'm pretty clueless here although I note there is a musical theater class at Kids 'N Dance in Lafayette. Anyone have anything to say about them or other resources? Thanks. Amy
Recommended:
My 5-year-old son loves to dance. Every time that we have rented and watched a musical, he is up dancing along with the MGM stars. I think he might enjoy taking dancing lessons, but it would have to be the RIGHT instructor and the RIGHT class. I don't think he would like to be the only boy in the class, so that is a consideration also.
Regarding the 4-year-old boy who is interested in dance lessons:
The El Cerrito Ballet Center takes both boys and girls, starting at four years
old. The director, Barbara Gabriel, is excellent with small children and has
been teaching ballet for twenty years. Admittedly, boys are rare in her classes,
but they are welcome. It sounds like your son is specifically interested in
ballet and if so, this would be a good option for you. The message number is
235-1734 and Barbara is good at returning calls promptly.
Alternatively, if it's just dance and movement he's interested in, Barefoot Dancing at the Albany Community Center on Masonic is a wonderful option. I don't know if Patricia is still teaching this class, but it is great fun for the kids, integrating music, movement, fun animal songs and more.
Berkeley Ballet Theater is very happy to have boys in their classes; at one point last year when the number of boys was at a low I heard they were giving a discount to that gender! Our five year old daughter's teacher, "Miss Corinne" is wonderful, and the kids love putting on their bi-yearly performances. It is classical ballet, but they do it in a fun way for the younger kids. The number is 843-4687, they're located at the Julia Morgan on College.
Another excellent, and more eclectic dance studio for kids is "Kids 'n Dance", which is located in Lafayette on Mt. Diablo Boulevard. Kris Mueller, the head teacher there, is fabulous, and really engages the children's imaginations with story telling and costumes. She does ballet, movement, tap, and modern dance. If you don't mind the drive I'd highly recommend her. She usually has a fair number of boys too. Phone is 284-7388
Natasha
Last updated: Aug 3, 2008
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