Programs

Dance Education

Conservatory of Dance

As a full-time pre-professional conservatory of dance, our skilled staff will provide instruction in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and modern for all ages at a level above what is currently found in our area. Because the quality of dance instruction is important to us, we will keep our class sizes small for a low teacher-to-student ratio to keep the instruction focused and intimate. The dance education curriculum at Echo School of Dance is designed to teach students with the goal of professional or collegiate level of dance as well as those who are dancing for recreational purposes. We aim to help each student reach his or her own goals for dance performance and attain the skills to progress beyond the scope of training offered at our facility.

Adult Dance

As part of our dance education we welcome and encourage adult students. We will provide instruction in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and ballroom/swing for adults eighteen years and older. These classes are taught in a professional manner for a variety of dance levels and abilities. We aim to make it comfortable for those adults with a new interest in dance and those with prior dance experience.

DevelopMental™ Dance

We are the only dance studio in the area that will have classes focused on kinesthetic movement for those with special needs. Our “DevelopMental™ Dance” curriculum is written to help those with special needs learn mentally and physically through dance. These classes are designed to help each student gain a greater self-awareness and increase self-esteem. To supplement traditional physical and occupational therapy, our classes will help promote body and movement control. One of the focuses of this curriculum is to teach body and spatial awareness. Through dance, we not only make this experience therapeutic but also fun. It is also a benefit for these students to have the close interaction with our instructors as well as other students.

Move, Live, and Learn

We are in the process of developing a “Move, Live, and Learn” educational outreach program for the public and private school systems. This curriculum will reach out to the children in our public and private schools to develop recognition for the importance of dance in physical fitness and an appreciation for the art form. In Idaho, dance instruction is not currently part of the mandatory art education curriculum. Our well-designed program will assist educators who may not have resources or dance training to feel comfortable teaching easy steps, rhythm, and creative movement. Some statistics indicate that students who are educated in the arts perform better scholastically and have a greater sense of self-worth. Through this program we will extend our knowledge of dance hoping to reach out to those that would not otherwise be exposed to the art of dance. As our “Move, Live, and Learn“ curriculum grows we hope first work with our local schools and possibly market the program on a much larger scale. Through this program we will be able to find children in the schools that display natural talent and the desire for increasing their dance experience and provide scholarships to Echo School of Dance.

Arts Organization

Echo School of Dance is an arts organization that will influence many lives artistically. The main goal is to develop a company that for years to come will drastically change and educate the local community in the areas of fine and performing arts. It will bring awareness of the importance of arts education to our community and reach out to those who may not be exposed to the arts otherwise. With public school having to cut the availability and funding for arts education, our programs will cushion some of the negative effects of these budget cuts and will help increase awareness of the benefits that dance can bring to traditional education.

Our outreach at Echo School of Dance is broad. We will serve the Boise Valley with a wide range of programs centered on dance as an art form. Our goal is to be a successful and fully functional dance studio that inspires a wide range of people through our unique approach to dance education.