Dancercise Blog

Hi everyone.  We made the local paper.  Not just the local rag but The Star Tribune with the front page of the business section.  Dick Youngblood wrote a great article on our existing business and also on our plans to branch out into licensing and other activities.  You can read it here

We had a great Open House on Saturday. Despite some weird weather, we had loads of people come in and register for our fall classes. The word is out – Dancercise offers something special!

Hi folks.  Our fall schedule is out – we have a packed set of classes to choose from.  We’re having an open house on Saturday August 8th from 11am to 1pm so you can come and see for yourselves what it’s all about.  Come along to our studio at 17418 Minnetonka Blvd in Minnetonka and enjoy some free classes for your kids, early bird registration discounts, and some treats!  Bring a friend – there’s a prize for the person who brings the most friends (with kids) to the Open House!

Folks, we are very excited to be able to bring internationally-recognized child education expert Rae Pica to our website with the addition of Body, Mind and Child radio. This internet-based radio station provides frequent interviews with all kinds of child development and education experts on a variety of topics. For 8 to 12 minutes, hear Rae interview her guests on a diverse range of topics from discipline to playtime.

Visit our new radio page here and let us know what you think.

We are thrilled that The National Parenting Center just awarded Tessa’s CD “Dance It!” a Seal Of Approval in its Spring 2009 products category. We particularly value this award because the assessments reflect the views of real parents and real children. As TNPC describes the program, “The National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval program, created in 1990 as an adjunct to TNPC’s support services, identifies the finest products and services being marketed to the parent/child audience. From educational and entertainment products and equipment to travel destinations, the consumer oriented testing process solicits evaluations from parents and their children. This award signifies to other parents that their peers have acknowledged a product’s quality and desirability based on a wide variety of determining factors.”

There are a number of award and recognition programs out there. As you decide which ones to take seriously and which ones to ignore, consider who the reviewers are, whether you identify with the reviewers, and whether the reviewers may bring their own personal tastes and biases to their assessments rather than reflecting those of their audience. That’s why we’re thrilled with this one – recognition from our real audience.

Read the detailed review here.

See this wonderful video of Sir Ken Robinson discussing creativity in schools, which I found thanks to the good people at BAM! Street. In particular, listen to the example in the last five minutes about the girl who – today – would be diagnosed ADD, but went on to have a flourishing and successful career in the arts because of the insight of a doctor.

This is what I’ve taken to calling the “Lego Principle” (apologies to the good people at Lego). What I mean by that is that we so easily fall into the habit of telling kids what WE think they SHOULD do instead of letting them explore. Why the reference to Lego? The apparent trend to sell more and more kits that simply put kids through a 75 step instruction book to build the latest vehicle from a movie, including Lego pieces specifically designed for that project, instead of encouraging kids to use their imaginations to create something innovative and new.

We’re passionate about this. Not just dance and movement which, of course, is our at our core, but in what it means for children that are born with such a vast array of promise and talents that, so often in our 19th century education system, are not realized. The solutions to the world’s challenges are unlikely to come from kids educated by system designed to create the industrial workers of the early 20th century.

By the way, please don’t infer from this that I cast blame on teachers. Many many teachers do what they can with the relatively limited freedom they are given. But when our whole system seems geared around passing tests, the rest is so easily lost.

Larry Goldman over at Crazy Kids Chicago was kind enough to publish this review of Tessa’s new CD “Dance It!”. We’re obviously pleased that Larry saw in the music the very messages that we hope that parents and kids will hear. If you’re in the Chicago area, check out Larry’s website and free subscription for parent-reviewed options on what to do with your kids. If you’re in the twin cities, come and see Tessa live at one of her upcoming concerts and appearances.

Tessa is back at Mall Of America next week for some fun on St. Patrick’s Day.  Of course, everyone is Irish on March 17th, and Tessa is no exception.  We’ll be looking for Lucky Leprechaun, and we’ll also have a Treasure Hunt sweepstakes where you can have the chance to win some great prizes with just a little detective work. Tuesday March 17th at the Best Buy Rotunda at Mall Of America, 10:30am and 11:30am.

Then Tessa will be at Minnesota Children’s Museum on Sunday March 22nd.  You have to pay to get in if you’re not a member, but MCM is a great place to spend a day with a young family with lots of activities to keep busy minds well, busy, and a concert fromTessa too.  Hope to see you there!  Check out our other live dates here www.dancercise.com/live

It’s a bit dated relatively speaking, but I came across this report from the National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan, in which they established that obesity is the #1 concern of parents.  Now, that might have varied up and down over the months since this particular report was published, but I expect it to continue to rank highly.  In the current economic climate, many families are cutting back on extra-curricular activities for kids to save money.  In addition, as we all know, physical education along with the arts and music are usually among the first casualties when the schools have to cut back (and you know it’s coming).  Finally, with more and more families being affected by layoffs, more are choosing to stay at home with younger children rather than struggle to find the second income that barely covers the cost of childcare.  And those families have more and more to do to just stay on top of their lives and manage budgets, and it’s harder to find the time to get out and stay active with kids, especially in our northern states where the climate often makes things a little more challenging this time of year.  Anyway, I thought this was an interesting report.  We’ve heard all of the medical journals talking about this “epidemic” and its consequences (many of which, such as higher rates of type 2 diabetes in kids are only now beginning to really show), so it was interesting to see it reinforced by data collected directly from parents.  Here’s the link to the report.

Tessa will be back out at the malls and other locations in March.  On St. Patrick’s day, March 17th, we will be back at the Mall Of America, but this time in the Best Buy Rotunda.  We’ll have a hunt for Lucky Leprechaun, and a treasure hunt with some of our friends at stores in the mall.

Then on Sunday March 22nd, we’ll be at the Minnesota Children’s Museum providing a concert for guests of the museum which, if you haven’t been, is a great way to spend a Sunday with your family.

We hope to see you out and about in March.  Spring is not far away!