KIDS DANCE CLASSES
WHAT TO EXPECT AT A CLASS
FINDING US:
Our purpose-built studio is inside Ocean Terminal shopping centre in Leith - we think we're the only dance studio in the UK to be inside a shopping centre, though it's quite common in other countries!
Ocean Terminal centre has a multi-storey carpark that's free all day, is on the tramline from central Edinburgh, and is on several bus routes. To find us, if you park in the carpark, go to Level C and then when you enter the centre, you'll find us a couple of units in on the right hand side, in between HMV and Starbucks. If you arrive by bus or tram or walking, from the main entrance, head up the escalator to Level 1 and we're just ahead on the left. When you come in, you'll be in our reception area and waiting room, which has some sofas, a changing cubicle and a window into the studio for parents to view classes. Parents are welcome to stay in the waiting area during classes, or to drop off and come back at the end of class time.
THE STUDIO SPACE:
The studio is a nice big, open space with wooden flooring and a whole wall of mirrors on one side. The floor is sprung, which means it's a little bit bouncey, to make it more comfortable jumping on. In the ceiling, there's white lights and also little coloured lights - sometimes we have all the lights on, and sometimes just the coloured lights, for fun!
There's also four coloured spotlights above the mirrors that can be made different colours, and can point at the back wall, or onto the floor.
At the far end of the studio from where you come in, there's another door - through that door is a bathroom for during class, and a kitchen where we can fill up water bottles, or get cups of water.
WHAT A CLASS IS LIKE:
​At the beginning of the class, everyone will sit together in a circle for Circle Time, where the teacher will remind everyone about how to behave while in the studio - treat everyone with kindness, and treat the studio with respect - and children will get a change to say something about themselves and get to know each other. In our Preschool to P3 classes, the teacher will use a Visual Timetable board, with different stickers for what's going to happen during the class, like Warm Up, Games and Water Break, so that everyone knows what's going to happen next. In most classes, everyone will play a game either at the start or end of class, and there'll be a warm up, time to learn some foundation moves for your dance style, and time to learn some choreography or move combinations. In the youngest classes, activities will be split into shorter segments. At the end of Preschool to P3 classes, it's Sticker time! At the end of class time, everyone will line up at the door, and then come out directly to their parent - if a parent / guardian isn't there, a child up to Primary 7 will be kept at the studio until their parent / guardian arrives.