Dance Lessons

I own a dance studio and have been dancing since I was 3. I started my daughter at 3 but I think yours is at a perfect age to start. My daughter is about to start her 4th year and she still gets excited about every class.

Ballet and tap are great ways to help little ones build coordination and burn off energy. But one of the thngs I learned with mine was that beginning dance lessons are a lot of stretching so they don't tear tiny developing muscles before learning the first few positions, and they sometimes get bored with it before they actually start dancing. Encourage her to stay with it, but don't force her. Find a teacher that will let you pay weekly or monthly rather than sign a contract in case she doesn't like it.

And whatever you do, DON'T put her in gymnastics this young. Our pediatrician told me when I was considering it for my daughter that he saw more injuries with the potential for permanent damage from little kids being put in gymnastics too young than all the rest combined.

I am not sure how far you are from Little Rock, but there are a number of dance/creative movement classes offered for little ones. Joel's is a big one here that offers both as is Shuffles and The Little Gym. If you don't have a Kids Directory let me know and I will be happy to send you their numbers.

Hey D.! I took Dance at Little Rock School of Dance for 15 years and loved it. Shelia Vaught is the director...she's a wonderful lady. I started lessons when I was 4...so your daughter is the perfect age! Good luck!

Are you close to Shreveport? If so, I recommend Shreveport Dance Academy for both ballet and tap. Good luck.

I don't know where you live, but I'd recommend A Time To Dance studio in Algiers ###-###-####). It's a great dance school that teaches children to DANCE, not just shake their butts. The tap curriculum there is stronger than most schools as well. As students advance in their skills, opportunities are given to do special numbers and even Broadway-style productions.

I attended there as an adult for many years and am close friends with the owners and teachers now. They are kind, Christian people who truly treat their students as family.

Look into BREC parks. My daughter took dancing there last fall through May. It was $15 a month and if she had wanted to quit there were no extra fees and I was not out a lot of money. We took at Drusilla center. Either call the main office or go online to find programs and times. We really enjoyed it. She participated in the recital at the end and that is optional too!