How We Define “Hard Work”

At Studio 56 Dance Center, we talk a lot about “hard work,” especially with regard to our competition team dancers.  Hard work, to us, means ALL the things a dancer can do to show their commitment to better themselves, improve their skills, and lift up those around them.

Hard work is:

  • Showing up for every class and every rehearsal
  • Being prepared
  • Having a positive attitude
  • Giving 100% effort
  • Trying over and over again
  • Focusing on the big picture
  • Putting the team first
  • Doing what’s right

What’s NOT part of hard work?  The answer may surprise you: its talent.  Talent isn’t required to be a hard worker and build a strong work ethic.  In fact, there’s a famous quote among athletes, from high school basketball coach Tim Notke, which states, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

We’re big believers in these words.  Having talent can be an awesome attribute of course, but it doesn’t define someone’s future.  What does define someone’s future is hard work put together with opportunity.  And anyone can develop the skills and habits needed to put in the hard work!

When it comes to our competition team, we expect each dancer to strive for their personal best, not perfection.  Excellence is the goal.  And that is where the understanding of hard work comes into play … in order to succeed as a team and reach our full potential, everyone must be on the same page about what it means to work hard, how to apply that knowledge to their behavior, and how to hold one other accountable.  

Doing hard work helps each of our competition team members reach their full potential in dance.  Together as a group, it’s what makes them unstoppable!  As teachers, we are committed to fostering the traits of hard work in our students and offering encouragement in the moments where someone falters.  Our mission to make hard work part of the daily dance life so that our students will carry it seamlessly into other parts of their lives too.

As you already know, part of our competition team philosophy at Studio 56 Dance Center is to make sure our dancers are developing the character qualities and life skills they’ll need as they approach adulthood.  Hard work is the foundation on which this philosophy was built, and we’re proud to be passing on that legacy to our students!

The Benefits of Concert – Confidence

Dance is the ultimate performing art, and dancing onstage at the concert serves as a powerful tool for building a child’s confidence in themselves—a confidence that easily carries over into a dancer’s home life, schoolwork, and friendships.

So how can one special event create such a big difference?  Well, it’s not just about that day.  It’s also about the process leading up to it, followed by the culmination of all that hard work.

In our experience at Studio 56 Dance Center, a rise in confidence begins with effort in the classroom.  Our students begin learning new steps and choreography, and as they make the effort to execute those skills, their confidence builds.  With compliments and corrections from the teacher, each dancer becomes more determined to improve.

In some dancers, this confidence boost comes easily over time, but in others, it can be more daunting.  For example, sometimes there is a student who feels down on themselves when they aren’t learning a step or concept fast enough.  We teach them that everyone learns at their own pace, and with their continued practice and perseverance, they’ll make progress.  And when that student begins to see their effort paying off, their confidence soars!  Overcoming that temporary “slump” actually helped them see that they can rely on themselves and be stronger for it.

As we get closer and closer to the concert and the choreography for the routine is complete, we will oftentimes see a spike in confidence along with their excitement for the big day.  The more they practice, the more assured they become.  They can also begin to picture themselves performing, and that visualization inspires them from the inside out. 

Of course when concert day is finally here, sometimes shyness, nerves, or anxiety can make a child’s confidence waver.  But if they’ve already built up their “confidence muscles” in class, they can quickly conquer those fears and dance onstage with no worries at all.  We’ve seen many students over the years who’ve overcome their stage fright—and then never want to leave the stage!

One of the most magical confidence-boosting moments for a performer is hearing the audience applaud, knowing that family and friends are there!  It tells the dancers hey are appreciated for dancing their hearts out.  It is such a rewarding feeling to realize that your hard work has paid off and that the audience loved your performance. 

The pride our students feel in themselves at that moment is well-earned.  The sense of accomplishment after getting out there and performing is a triumphant feeling like no other, and it’s not an exaggeration to say we’ve seen it transform lives.  The confidence our students develop is truly one of the most valuable benefits there is when it comes to the concert!

2019 November Footnotes

ONLINE PARENT PORTAL

The account you created online can be updated at any time. LOGINon the website to update contact and billing information, register for new classes and make payments. You can also reset your password at any time. All studio event details are posted on the “newsletters” page that is on the parent portal page of the website.  Please notify us if you aren’t getting our newsletters by email.

 WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH A FEW THINGS!

  • Use the restroom before class:This is for all ages, but especially the preschool classes!!
  • LATE!!  We have had a lot of latecomers and late pick-ups. It is very disruptive to our classes when you walk in late, not to mention unsafe as to your student missing warm-up.  Late pick-ups are preventing our next classes from starting on time, and our teachers from getting home to their families at night.  As some of you know all too well, we will be charging a $5 fee for every 5 minutes you are late after 5min.  Thanks for your attention to this manner. 
  • Curbside Pick Up:Help us with the safety of our students by participating in our curbside pick up. 
    • We are doing class walkouts for the majority of our classes.
    • If you are unsure if this applies to your child’s class please check with your child’s teacher.
    • For your convenience and safety, we have designed our studio to have a pull through-line.  The safety of our students is our utmost important priority. We have created this little video to help everyone work together and keep the kiddos safe. West Murray CLICK HERE, East Murray CLICK HERE

Fun bun week is Nov 4-8th!!!  Come to class with a fun bun or crazy hair (boys)!!!  Turn that bun into a masterpiece… Maybe it’s a spider or a one-eyed monster!!  We can’t wait to see your creations!

We have SO MUCH fun at our event called Parent’s Night Out! Mark your calendar for your NOVEMBER DATE NIGHT and we will take the kids…Friday, November 15thfrom 6-10 pm!! We have lots of fun activities planned for the kids and you can enjoy a night out child-free! Only $15 per child ages 3 and up (must be potty trained). We will be serving Pizza @ 6:30 pm.

Sign up in your parent portal or use our quick form on our website.

Wear your Studio 56 Swag ALL DAY on Friday, November 15thto show your Studio 56 SPIRIT!! Take pictures and share them with us on Facebook or Instagram! #studio56dance

#Studio56SpiritDay

STUDIO 56 SWAG

Cooler weather means hoodie weather!! Pre-order your Studio 56 hoodie today! Sample sizes are available at the West Murray studio. 

  • Order in our online store under Studio Swag. 
  • Youth (unisex sizes) S M L
  • Women’s S M L XL XXL
  • MEN’S S M L XL XXL
  • These hoodies make GREAT Christmas presents! 
  • Cost is Adult $50 Youth $40 due at time of purchase
  • Orders due by Nov 8th

Who is excited to see Frozen ll? I know so many of our little’s can’t wait to see Elsa and Anna take the big screen this November. ⁠⁠So…Let’s have a party! We LOVE making memories with you! Join us at the theatre for a private showing!

Tickets can be purchased in our online studio store and will be sent home when they arrive.⁠⁠

HERE ARE THE DETAILS:

  • When: Wednesday, Nov 27th, seating begins at 9:30 am, show starts at 10 am.⁠⁠
  • Where: Cinemark Movie Theatre 7670 S, Union Park Ave, Midvale, UT⁠⁠
  • Cost: $15/person, price includes general admission ticket, Jr Popcorn, and Sprite. All attendees MUST have a ticket, please no unaccompanied children. ⁠⁠
  • *To purchase tickets: Click on “Parent Portal” on the studio website. Click on “Online store”. Tickets for the show are available in the “Tickets” category. Please make sure you get enough tickets for all the people attending!⁠⁠
  • *Space is limited; availability will be a 1st come 1st serve, no refunds or exchanges. 

FOR PARENTS OF SCHOOL AGED TUMBLING STUDENTS| Wall Sit – Back/Bridge

We want you to join us in our monthly strength and stretch challenge!  Each month we have a new challenge we are working on.  You can print it out and track your progress at home.  In the last week of the month, we will “test” our students in class and see if they can meet the goals for their age!   

CLICK HEREfor this Month’s Challenge

FOR PARENTS OF PRESCHOOL DANCERS

We are excited to have a new section each month just for preschool dancers!  This month our theme is “E I E I O“ We will be singing and dancing to fun barn animal songs while working on our routine for the holiday show. We encourage you to get involved and have them practice their skills at home!  This month we are focusing on marching and port de bra arms! 

Our STAR, Company and Preschool Dancer are embarking on an amazing journey as part of our holiday show titled The Grinch That Stole Christmas.  We have started our holiday routines and will be performing at Dance For Life on December 14th at Viewmont High School.  We are super excited to see these darling kiddos take that step out onto the big stage!!  

Dance for Life is an amazing event hosted by Studio 56 Dance Center.  The proceeds from this event go to the Utah Foster Care Foundation.  More details on how you can get involved along with Performance details for your dancer visit our website.  All the details can be found at www.studio56dance.com by visiting our parent portal and clicking concert info!  Or simply CLICK HERE

Cast announcements were emailed out in October, please reach out to the office at info@studio56dance.comif you have questions on your cast.

Performance times:

  • Christmas Tree Cast: Call-time 9:30 am, 10:30 am
  • Company Cast: Call-time 11:30am, 12:30pm
  • Snowflake Cast: Call-time 1:45pm, 2:45pm

Tickets to Dance for Life go on sale Nov 1st at 8 am. https://web.tututix.com/client/studio56dance/

Reminder: We have a Holiday Show installment processing with tuition on Nov 1st.

HOLIDAY CHARITY PROJECT

We are so excited to be hosting “Dance For Life…and make a difference” a benefit concert in support of the Utah Foster Care Foundation and other local Utah Charities.  We are going to be collecting PJs and books at the studio and at this year’s benefit concert to donate to those in need of a comfy new pair of jammies this holiday.  

Get your student involved by watching for PJ’s at a good price. All the proceeds and PJ/books collected will be donated right here in Utah.  CLICK HERE for more details on how you can get involved, from hosting a drive at your office to volunteering the day of the event.

We have the best idea!!!  We are going to open up our Scholastic book program to ALL of our studio families just in time to order books for the benefit concert. Scholastic is an amazing resource with GREAT books at a GREAT deal!!  You can order $1 books for the drive and they will be shipped right to the studio.  Visit Scholastic’s https://clubs.scholastic.comand using our activation code K4VKN and take advantage of this convenient way to donate to our book drive.  Orders will be due by Friday, November 15th. In the student, name put Dance for Life so we know that order is to be donated!