Teaching Philosophy
Our Goal
The Pretenders Studio is an after school enrichment program that specializes in dance training for local youth on the Westside of Los Angeles. We are a dance studio in Santa Monica offering a wide variety of dance classes for kids and teens at all levels. We offer dance classes for children preschool age through high school and offer varying degrees of participation based on individual needs.
Some of our students take 1 or 2 classes a week as a recreational, extra curricular activity while others attend 10-14 classes weekly taking on a more rigorous course load. We have something for everyone! The most novice dancers are welcome to grow and learn here as are those with prior experience or simply a desire to find greater mastery in their art.
We offer Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Yoga, Acro/Tumbling, Musical Theater and Acting at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. In our experience, the more you participate in the program, the more growth you feel and the faster your progress. The more time you spend in our community the more connected you become. We encourage our students to take a minimum of 2-3 classes per week to get the full benefit of our dance community.
We are committed to finding you your ideal schedule based on your individual needs, skill level and desired commitment level.
The Pretenders Studio brings to life the language of dance in a way that teaches our students about what it means to be...
technically proficient dancers in a variety of disciplines
physically healthy, strong athletes
effective communicators
reliable and dependable team players
confident and flexible individuals
open minded and creative artists
focused, critical thinkers
rhythmic and spatially aware movers
self-reflective and respectful people
graceful and powerful members of our community who seek out ways of giving back
Our Commitment
We teach our dancers to listen for the heartbeat of the music and connect it to their own. Musicality, movement, and technique are priorities for us and we commit to making sure each student has a foundational understanding of how these elements are connected. We encourage students to stretch outside of their comfort zones to find expressive quality of movement and to search within themselves to find the strength, power, confidence, and individuality to share with their classmates and ultimately, an audience and our community at large.
Our Expectations
We expect our students to approach their art with open heartedness, support, love and full commitment. We expect them to be honest and to have fun! We enforce the notion that dance is not about attaining perfection but rather about investing in the process and therefore, our measure of success is in witnessing how far we have come and how much progress we have made both individually and collectively. Holding dancers, teachers, and families of The Pretenders Studio accountable to these core values is what makes it possible for us to grow, improve, dance to our greatest potential, and “Dance For A Difference”.
Students are expected to attend classes with consistent attendance and to be on-time and ready for each class. Please see Dress Code for more info on how to be prepared for success at The Pretenders Studio.
Our Performances
All classes on our academic year schedule are expected to perform in 2 shows annually—our Annual Dance For A Difference Benefit Holiday Show (in December) and our Spring Showcase (in June). Each class will perform a dance in each show. If a dancer is registered in one class parents can expect them to perform in that one piece while dancers who are enrolled in several classes will perform in several pieces. Please understand that stage time is divided evenly between classes and each class is given the opportunity to perform the choreography they have prepared. Our shows are meant to demonstrate in class work and progress so each group of dancers from each class performs the piece they have worked on in class.
All audience members are encouraged to support all our dancers and attend the entirety of each performance. Our show times are roughly an hour and a half in length.
Additional performances are announced annually and are intended primarily for our Company dancers. Please inquire about details.