It's Back to Dance Season at the Castle Rock Rec Center! We are so excited to welcome everyone to the 2020/2021 Dance year. Each year we have quite a few dancers who return to the program to continue to dance, learn and grow with us. We also have a lot of first time dancers entering the program. Whether you are new or returning, we love to make the first dance class one that is fun, welcoming and unique!
Florrie Flamingo
Program Director and Instructor Jessica Strong wanted to find a creative way to help dancers entering the Dance Exploration program at the Castle Rock Rec Center to remember their Ballet Terminology. So with the help of her mom, she created the character Florrie Flamingo! Florrie is a pink, fluffy and silly flamingo who goes on many dance adventures, one to her very first ballet class!
Florrie Flamingo's First Ballet Class
Miss Jessica wrote the story to include in the Dance Me a Story™ Program, a literacy program designed to help children get excited about reading and also improve their reading comprehension with dance and movement!
In the Story, Florrie Flamingo's mom, Mama Mingo, asks Florrie if she'd like to try a ballet class, to which she replies, "Yes!". So Mama Mingo and Florrie fly off to Bella Bear's Ballet school where Florrie meets Oscar Ostrich, a boy dancer in class, and Swanhilda Swan. They help Florrie learn things like turn out, pliés, tendus, sautés, echappés and piqué turns. Florrie has a hard time learning it all, but with a little help from Oscar Ostrich, Swanhilda Swan and her ballet teacher, Bella Bear - Florrie learns that she can be a ballerina if she keeps coming back and practicing!
Dance Me a Story™ with Florrie Flamingo
The Dance Me a Story™ Program is unique to the Dance to Learn® Curriculum, the teaching methodology we follow in the Dance Exploration Program at the Castle Rock Rec Center. This program takes a story, like Florrie Flamingo's First Ballet Class, and teaches our dancers how to re-create the story with dance and movement. Since Miss Jessica wrote the story, she was sure that the story progressed through a Dance to Learn® Class, including our BrainDance Warm Ups, Story Dance Exploration™ (Standing Warm Ups), Story Dance Pathway™ (Obstacle Course).
Welcome Gifts
New Dancers in the Creative Dance, Ballet/Tap, and PreBallet classes receive a special coupon code to purchase an autographed (by Miss Jessica) copy of the book for their dancers prior to their first dance class. It is such a sweet and special way to celebrate your tiny dancer's first dance class. It is presented to them on the first day of class.
If you aren't enrolled in the program, but would like a copy of the story to welcome your dancer to the world of ballet, purchase your copy on the Florrie Flamingo Website.