We’ve been working with our unique progress programmes for a couple of months now, so I thought it was about time I shared a little more about them!
RMB Dance’s mission is to provide fun, engaging dance classes that focus on physical, mental and creative development. I really want the children to completely be themselves, have confidence in their ideas, and respect the ideas and abilities of others. We emphasise sharing a love for dance and movement in an inclusive, non-competitive environment.
I enjoyed participating in dance competitions throughout my childhood, and I do believe they can help develop confidence, resilience, humility and pride. But, I was very keen to explore alternative ways of developing the same skills in a way that would be more fitting to RMB Dance’s philosophy and mission. That is, to focus on personal development in a way that is not driven by competition and comparison against others. This is where the idea for the Colour Awards programme came from.
I spent much of the summer developing two programmes: one for Street Steppers and one Modern Ballet. The process was definitely a labour of love, striving to create something that would provide strong foundations in dance technique whist still emphasising fun and creativity. Although the process was challenging it was also so much fun, as creating something totally unique meant I could be creative too - my favourite part was definitely designing the certificates for each colour level!
Unlike other dance classes where children are often grouped by dance ability, our system allows children to work at their own pace of physical development whilst still being able to stay with their friends and children of a similar age. When one of our dancers passes a level, we celebrate their achievements together.
I'm very happy with the progress our dancers have already made after just a couple of months. Most importantly, the children are really enjoying the journey of mastering various moves in the knowledge that their achievements will be recognised and celebrated. After all, who doesn’t like receiving a certificate and medal?!
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