Don’t Miss “Peek Week” at the Jeannette Neill Children's Dance Program

November 2012 - by Victoria Kickham

Teachers and students in the studio’s children’s program are getting ready for Parents Open House Week, the one time each semester family and friends are invited into the studio to observe class. This is a great opportunity to see your child and his or her teacher in action, and it’s a performance opportunity the children have been looking forward to for weeks.

Parents Open House Week will be held November 12-17 and it works like this: children come to class as scheduled wearing their regular class attire—black leotards and pink tights for girls, black pants and white t-shirts for boys, long hair pulled back securely (preferably in a bun). The studios will be lined with chairs for the observers, and teachers will run through their regular class schedule—warm up, progressions across the floor, creative movement games for the little ones, drills and combinations for the older students. Many of the classes have been working on special routines as mini-performances to benefit both parties.

Speaking of performances, there’s nothing like an audience to bring out the performer in your child. But it can also make him or her nervous. As children’s program director Allen Collier always explains in his Open House Week reminder e-mails, please remember that your child is not accustomed to being observed and therefore may not perform as he or she usually does in class. Much of this, of course, depends on age. The little ones are often easily distracted by their parents’ presence, so it may take a little extra work on the teacher’s part to keep them engaged. No matter what happens, you will be impressed by the amazing JNCDP faculty and how far the students of all ages have come since classes began in mid-September.

One scheduling note: Miss Nikki’s Young Dancers (Saturdays, 9:15 a.m.) will host their observation class a week early, on November 10. Those of you Saturday parents who sit in the waiting area have probably seen these nine- to 12-year-olds hard at work each week. The girls performed a fun jazz combination for one of the younger classes just a few weeks ago, so they are more than ready to turn on the charm for their families and friends this weekend!

For more information on the Jeannette Neill Children’s Dance Program, contact the studio at info@jndance.com or 617-523-1355.