Parent Viewing

Parent Viewing Week is here! Parents/Siblings are welcome to observe their child's(ren) classes the entire week,

The Do’s and Don’ts of Parent Viewing Week from your Child’s Dance Teachers

With parent viewing week fast approaching, our studio doors will soon be wide open. Since September we have been teaching your children dance steps, dance technique and the love of dance but also life lessons they will carry with them always.

Now it’s time for you to get a first-hand glimpse into what happens in your child’s dance class but to make the experience a positive one for everyone including the parents, the teachers and especially the dancers, we polled our teachers for a few general do’s and don’ts that will help!

Here are the do’s…
Do attend! Every teacher may invite you in at a different time during the class. For some, the doors will be open at the very beginning and for others the dancers may be working on a special piece to show you. Ask the teacher at the beginning of class when they are welcoming in the parents and be ready for the fun!

Do share with your dancer how excited you are to see what they’ve been up to and to show off their new skills. Write parent viewing days on the calendar, set a reminder in your phone and let your dancer know that this is a special opportunity for you to see what they’ve been working on.

You are welcome to take as many photos & videos as you would like, but please be respectful of other dancers and parents who may not want their photos and videos posted on social media. All parents of competitive parents are encouraged to video their students competition dances for practising at home!

Do save your comments and questions for the teacher until after class. If the teacher has another class right after your child’s, just visit us at the office and we’ll help you set-up a meeting or phone call.

Do listen to the teacher’s corrections of your dancer and others as well – this will help you understand what your child is working on in class and encourage them to practice at home.

Do recognize that an audience may be intimidating for some dancers and be very positive and supportive to all students throughout the viewing. The best way to do this is to smile!

Now for a few don’ts…
Don’t check your phones or other electronics. Use them to take pictures and videos but please wait until after class to check your emails, take a call or respond to text messages.

Don’t be a distraction. Talking to your child, correcting your child, speaking over the teacher or asking your child to pose for a picture are all distractions to your dancer, the other dancers, the parents and the teacher. We want to show your dancer’s maximum potential to you and we can’t do that if they’re distracted. This is your turn to sit back, enjoy and let your child do all the work!

Don’t stay away because you have an older dancer – viewing week is not just for our littlest dancers and your dancer (no matter their age) may be just as excited to show you what they’ve been working on in class.

Don’t bring your dancer’s siblings and grandparents in to watch. Viewing takes place in the studio and with too many people, the studio may get very tight. While we encourage just parents to attend parent viewing we absolutely encourage aunts, uncles, grandparents and other family members and friends to attend the year-end recital. As a reminder, if younger children must attend, be sure to bring an activity to keep them occupied so not to disturb the dancers.

Don’t chat with or whisper to other parents during the class, especially to discuss other dancers aside from your own – if you have a specific concern speak with the instructor privately away from the other students and parents; otherwise, please be supportive of every child in the room.

Don’t bring food into the room, but not to worry, water is fine as is coffee in a cup with a lid.

Don’t be surprised or intervene if your child receives a disciplinary instruction during the class (i.e. asked to stop talking or to pay attention); every class comes with its own expectations and structure and the teacher will remind students of this when necessary in the context of the added distraction of an audience.

Don’t give disappointing glances. Everyone learns differently and every dancer in the room will have their own strengths and technique they need to work on. Try to remember that they are working very hard and some steps and techniques will take longer than others.

And Don’t Forget…
We look forward to seeing you in the studio and be sure to tag us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and use our studio hashtag #tpdscnp so we can like, comment, retweet, share and enjoy with you!