At Prestige Dance Academy, class is about the growth and passion of the incredible people who step through our doors, and that extends far beyond their dance abilities. With this intention, teaching goal setting and the understanding of our goals as teachers, dancers, and parents is a regular part of our process. Why? Because every dancer, parent, and teacher walk through our doors with goals whether they realize they have or not.
Setting goals gives us something to strive for, a direction to focus our attention on, and a tangible box to check off our lists. Goals come in all shapes and sizes and are talked about all the time. We’re always asked what our goals look like for the day, month, year, or next several years, and these are questions that get passed down to our children—but this doesn’t mean that goal setting is an intuitive process, and it certainly isn’t a one-and-done process.
A goal, as defined by dictionary.com, is “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result” but that doesn’t quite encapsulate how to make or follow through or adapt our goals as we go along. Often, our goals start out very general or don’t really feel like goals or feel insurmountable—this is what they feel like during their first step.
So what are your goals as you walk into the studio this month?
Perhaps you’re looking to make more friends and forge a community. Maybe you saw someone do a back walkover and thought, I would love to be able to do that.
These are great goals. Great first steps. But there’s something missing, and this is often where our goals stagnate—they are something to reach for without a ladder to help you up. After you recognize your goal, it’s time to break it into bite-sized, achievable pieces.
If you’re looking to connect, plan to talk to one new person in the lobby each week to find out what they are there for, who they came with, and what other days they are at the studio. You could offer to help with hair, carpool, pass down shoes, or plan playdates.
If you’re hoping to learn a back walkover, you’ll first want to register in acro dance class where you’ll learn strength and flexibility exercises to practice in class. From there, your teacher will take you through the progressions—cobras, bridges, handstands, etc.—that will lead you to your back walkover with your practice and dedication.