It seems a crime. There are no licensing requirements for people who want to open and operate a dance studio. I find it odd that in an industry where the main focus is working with children that there aren’t more regulations. We, at Elite take our jobs very seriously knowing that we are helping families to raise great human beings, not just great dancers. Since 2003, I have been leading my team to make sure that they are nurturing, educating and helping our dancers to be the best version of themselves. I hold us to the highest standards to be a model in the industry.
We belong to an industry group of 300 dance studio owners from across the country called More Than Just Great Dancing that meets twice per year in person and every month virtually in order to bring our businesses to the next level of service in dance, and no pun intended, but to be more than just great dancing. The seminars, workshops, conferences, webinars and meetings focus on so many things inside and outside of dance. We focus on injury prevention and great dance curriculum but also on helping dancers navigate their worlds outside of the studio, bullying, body image, and peer pressure. The learning never stops and I strive to bring that learning back to our Elite home to provide the very best in dance education for our students.
I have also become certified through an organization called YPAD – Youth Protection Advocates in Dance in order to keep our students happy, healthy and safe in dance. The organization’s founder created the curriculum and program out of her desire to make BIG changes related to how dancers are treated in the professional industry. We, in the organization, are taking a stand against inappropriate choreography, music and costumes as well as making sure the competitive dance arena allows kids to still be kids rather than attempting to be adults too fast. We also fight for protection for dancers of being mistreated or harmed in any other way in the industry.
At Elite, we have utmost INTEGRITY to uphold only the highest standards of instruction and mentorship and work hard to do that each and every day in every year in business. We take the business of teaching dance to our core and know how important overall development is for our dancers. We want to be their place where they feel accepted, loved and encouraged to be their best so you can feel great about what they are doing with us and how they grow here too! Because at the end of the day, we know how hard it is to find a meaningful activity for children and like you, we care about your child’s overall happiness and growth.
