Danceworks Information Page
I hope you find the information provided helpful and it answers all your questions. Please follow the information in succession so you don't miss any important information.
At anytime please don't hesitate to contact us by emailing us using the form below.
Where do I start?
The first question we are usually asked is where do I start my child?
With over 80 classes running every week we imagine it is both confusing and daunting looking at our timetable, but don't worry we don’t expect you to do it alone.
This really is a loaded question, one you will find has many factors.
The good news is that children often just click with a style whether it be because of the tutus, the upbeat music, or because they saw the older kids do it and they decided they want to do that too.
Ultimately it will and should be your child's decision, the reality is it's not about becoming a dancer, it's about finding a passion in something, an outlet, a second home, role models and other trusted adults that help shape these young people into young adults. It's never really been about the steps, that just makes an already special journey more beautiful.
We offer a free trial class which we hope will help with the decision.
Also it is great to come along and watch some of our older dancers in class or at the end of year concert. It's very inspiring for the younger dancers, and you can always tell the caliber of a studio by its senior students. Trial as many different styles of dance that are available to your child's age group and ask as many questions as you like.
Classes start for children as young as 18 months.
Here the emphasis is on learning the fundamentals of movement, it is not any specific genre but probably leans towards imaginative storytelling in ballet if anything.
Between 3-5 years old the dance world opens up into Ballet, Jazz, Acro, Highland, Tap, Musical Theatre and Hip Hop.
Ballet is definitely the most popular as it is widely regarded as the foundation of dance and from ballet your child can move to any other genre easily (not so easy the other way round).
By 5-18 years we have a range of classes in Ballet, Jazz, Acro, Highland, Hip Hop, Tap, Contemporary, Musical Theatre and Lyrical.
Some students take one class a week while others are there 6 days a week. Everyone's dance objective is different and all are valid.
For us it's not about producing hundreds of professional dancers, it's about producing 100's of dancers who leave the studio loving dance and will forever support it by going to the ballet or one day bringing their own children to enjoy the art form.
The Studios
Here is a little about the studio, where to go and what to expect.
Studios
We know that after school activities are hard to get to and organise especially when your are both working parents, so the thought of having to drive to multiple venues for different dance styles would be a pain.
When we moved to this venue in 2016 it fitted us perfectly, we have 6 studios under the same roof at 62 King St.
Studio entrances
Studio 1 - 62 King Street. Upstairs the first studio you see
Studio 2 - 62 King Street. Upstairs through the corridor and straight down the back
Studio 3 - 62 King Street. Upstairs through the common room and up the stairs
Studio 4 - 62 King Street. Downstairs opposite Attention to Detail Hairdressers and to the right
Studio 5 - 66 King Street. Downstairs opposite Attention to Detail Hairdressers and to the right
Studio 6 - 66 King Street. Downstairs opposite Attention to Detail Hairdressers and to the left
Facilities
Within the studios there are a total of 5 toilets. 1 wheelchair accessible toilet downstairs near Studio 4, 5 and 6, 3 toilets upstairs located in the parents area and along the corridor to Studio 1 and 2 (please don’t use the toilet behind Attention to detail as it belongs to them) the other 2 are at 66 king.
There are 2 kitchenettes one by studio 3 and the other between the foyer and studio 1’s entrance. There is a water cooler located in each kitchenette.
Common Room, Waiting areas and Office
The common room is located upstairs near studio 3, where students can stay while waiting for classes. There are two parents areas one between Studio 1 and 2 and the other next to studio 4 and 5. There are changing rooms downstairs next to studio 5. The foyer upstairs at 62 King Street is where our office administrator is 6 days a week to help you with any queries.
Office hours
Mon 9.30am-12pm and 3.00pm-6.30pm
Tuesday 3.00pm-6.30pm
Wednesday 3.00pm-6.30pm
Thursday 3.00pm-6.30pm
Friday 3.00pm-6.30pm
Saturday 8.30am-1.00pm
Uniform
All our uniform and some of the shoes are available from the Studio shop. You can either come in during our open hours or you can order through our online store via the Dancestudio Pro App.
Shop Hours
Monday 9am - 12pm and 3.30pm - 6pm
Tuesday 3.30pm - 5.30pm
Wednesday 3.30pm - 6pm
Thursday 3.30pm - 5.30pm
Saturday 9am - 2pm
Exams
We offer every student the opportunity to participate in assessments in either the
Royal Academy of Dance [RAD] for Ballet
Asia Pacific Dance Association [APDA] for Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Musical Theatre & Hip Hop
New Zealand Academy of Highland and National Dancing [NZAHND] for Highland
Acro - Levels are assessed by Miss Alaina as there is not an examining body
Pre School - No Exams
End of Year Concert
This is the highlight of the year, all students get their chance to perform at the beautiful Regent on Broadway.
Due to the size of the studio we have split the concerts into 2 to allow students more time on stage.
Pre School Showcase
Jr and Sr Concert Combined
Information for these performances can be found on the website and is updated as it becomes available.
Enrol Online or Book a Trial Class
The next step is to book a trial, if you are still struggling to know which class to trial, email us at admin@danceworks.co.nz, and we can walk through it together.
When you either book a trial or enrol at DWS you will need to create an account on our Parent portal. If you choose not to continue after your trial your information will be deleted, however if you continue after your trial it will make things smoother.
Once you are in the portal it will only show classes available for your child's age making it much easier to decide what class to choose.
If you know what you want then please use our online registration portal to book.
Trial Tips
After many years of watching children trial classes we thought we would share with you some reflections, observations and tips on preparing to trial a class.
Year after year we see children arrive to class for a trial, they walk in and see the studio, all the other children and their parents, the barres, the mirrors and all the wide space and suddenly freeze.
Unfortunately for some that is the end. Sadly some leave before the class has even finished so we don’t get the chance to assure them that this is a completely natural reaction. Instead they leave embarrassed, often grumpy and with a child screaming and think that dancing isn't for their child.
We'd like to share some pearls of wisdom here and tell you why it’s worth the perseverance.
Several years ago a little girl walked into class and froze. She sat up the back of the room unable to leave her mother's side. After the class the teacher spoke to her mother and encouraged her to return next week, and to her credit she did. She did this 5 weeks in a row. However, on the 6th lesson the teacher sat down in the middle of the room like they do every class to welcome the children and the first child to join them was this little girl. You see each week she had gone home and repeated the steps she had watched, she practiced her movements and watched the structure of the class so that when, in her own time she was ready and she felt confident she joined in as if she had been dancing each week.
A passive trial is a very powerful lesson and children do get a lot out of just being encouraged to sit and watch. Sometimes a child simply isn’t ready so trying again at a later stage can be very beneficial.
Occasionally children will decide this isn’t for them, but it's worth asking the studio if there is another class they could do as sometimes it can be as simple as the colour of the costume. But most often they are just shy.
It's worth remembering if you were asked to dance in a group in front of complete strangers ...would you? And by the way the little girl now dances 4 days a week and has performed in every concert since she started.
So here are our top tips for a passive trial:
- Arrive early, in my experience shy children need 15-20 mins of settling time.
- If they don’t want to join in then just find a spot to sit and reassure them that it's ok to just watch. Our assistant teachers will pop over from time to time to see if they will take their hand but they won't force and neither should you.
- Stay calm … trust me we know how it feels most of us are mum's too.
- Explain that the other children have a uniform, and that it is ok to look different and eventually they too will earn their tutu when they join in but it doesn't have to be today.
- If they dance at home and repeat the steps from class….you have a dancer, so please persevere!
We hope you have a wonderful trial!
Danceworks Studios Apps
Please download Dancestudio Pro Portal app.
It allows you to access the parent portal and Danceworks online shop. It has all the information you need for your family in one place and will be used for communication a lot this year.
We also use the free app BAND to share all of the class videos so and some information so it would be beneficial to download this as well.
