Preparatory Dance & Tap

The South London Dance School lower school dance curriculum develops the child’s natural cognitive and physical abilities.  It is not possible to sustain a child’s attention for the length of a dance class without using his natural taste for play.  These periods of fun educational games and free expressive movement alternate with times of great physical effort and mental concentration.  The child learns that the reward of play is gained through sustained effort.

Through a carefully balanced combination of effort and play, children work towards the following fundamental aims:

1.Improved Awareness Of Oneself

Initiation into the idea of sides, identifying the right from the left.

Progressive development of coordination of movement through exercises tending to use arms and legs alternatively and then simultaneously.

Learning to utilise the outer motor movements of the fingers, shoulders, knees and feet; especially reinforcing the arches of the foot.

2.Improved Awareness Of Others And Spatial Awareness

Whilst becoming aware that he has a body that he can control, the child must place himself in relation to others and to objects.  Once the child understands that his body occupies a place within space, he will be able to develop a sense of his physical relationship with others.  He will then begin to be able to find a suitable personal space in which to dance.

The child learns to work in a group, or in pairs.  He learns to become part of the group, together with others making up the collective figure of the circle, the square, the line etc.  

The child learns to hold back and be tolerant; sharing and waiting his turn along with a sense of gentle order and discipline.

3.Improved Ability To Listen And Respond

Within the framework of socialisation, emphasis is placed on the attention the child must give to the teacher, and the ways in which he can respond to the teacher’s requests/suggestions.  

The child learns to listen and respond to the music in various ways, as suggested by the teacher.

Through working in pairs, the child learns to respond to the physical actions and verbal communications of his peers.

The child learns the etiquette of the dance class, including thanking the teacher and pianist at the end of the class, and choosing appropriate moments in class to ask the teacher a question.

4.Improved Posture, Balance, Strength, Flexibility And Fitness

Gentle stretching exercises teach the child that his body can be trained, and flexibility can be improved.

Building the abdominal and back muscles, to improve posture of the spinal column.

Strengthening the legs and feet, thus improving elevation.

Combining strengthening and stretching exercises with use of breath and relaxation.

Balancing on two feet and then on one foot using improved posture and strength, assisted by arm lines.

Progressive development of stamina resulting in improved fitness level.

5.Development Of Creativity And Musicality

We like to favour the creativity of the child, through the use of stories, rhymes, props, mimed songs, free dance, improvisation and stories drawn from the child’s imagination.  The child can, in this way, free the body that he has learned to control.

Through use of a wide range of music (including live piano playing) the child learns to respond physically to various styles of music that each suggest different ideas and evoke different emotions.

Through playful exercises using percussion and rhymes, the child discovers and learns to identify various rhythms and time signatures; 2/4, 3/4 etc.  

Knowledge of basic musical conventions related to dance i.e. waiting for the introduction, and counting in 4’s or 3’s.

6.Increased Confidence

The child develops the confidence to make verbal and physical suggestions in class and ask and answer questions.

In time, the child develops the confidence to dance alone in front of his peers and eventually in front of an invited audience.

Through encouragement from the teacher, the child is encouraged in his natural belief that he can attempt new physical movements and succeed.

7.Development Of Language Acquisition

The teacher’s use of stories, rhymes, mimed songs and sayings is extremely helpful in the child’s language acquisition. 

Through the experience of attending Preparatory dance classes your child will be well prepared for his/her next stage of learning dance which is Pre-Primary ballet, Pre-Primary tap and Primary modern.  In these grades, children have the opportunity to take examinations and begin to progress through the ISTD* grades.

*ISTD – Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance 

Preparatory Dance & Tap Classes – Times

Please refer to our Lower School uniform list

Uniform items for Preparatory Dance & Tap Classes should be obtained within the first half a term of joining the school.  In the meantime your son/daughter can wear any t-shirt, shorts/skirt and bare feet.  It is however, usually a good idea to get one or two items of uniform before the first class so that your child feels a part of the group they will be joining.

Please note, the following additional fees:

• Annual membership (Autumn term – all current students) – £12
• Registration fee (Autumn Term  – new students) – £12
• Registration fee (Spring Term – new students) – £9
• Registration fee (Summer Term – new students) – £6