The Fairies Geelong Dance Class Information

The Fairies Geelong, is a franchise store of the popular childrens TV show "The Fairies". We offer magical fun and excitement in dancing, drama and birthday parties as well as a magical assortment of "The Fairies" merchandise. Our programs are created by qualified early childhood development specialists to be nurturing and non competitive whilst being mindful of the cognitive, social, emotional and physical needs of all of our students and party guests. Dance classes run for the duration of each school term and new content is taught each term so the children never get bored. Learning outcomes vary from developing group awareness, encouraging concentration, developing physical movement, gaining listening skills, co-operating in a group environment and encouraging creativity. These outcomes are achieved through various activities focusing on gross motor skills, balance and rhythm. They dance in air-conditioned studios, beautifully decorated just like Fairyland, so the experience is magical every week.

Introducing our Dance Teacher: Jana Green

Commencing ballet at age four, Jana has studied both the RAD and CSTD dance syllabi. Her passion for dance and movement led her to studying other dance styles including jazz, tap, contemporary and hiphop. Jana has been teaching all of these styles at various dance schools around Melbourne and Geelong for the past 13 years. Jana has also studied a double degree of Occupational Therapy and Ergonomics, Safety and Health at Latrobe University in Melbourne. These studies have enabled her to work within the fields of occupational health and safety, physical rehabilitation and child and adolescent mental health. Her passion however is in teaching dance, so she is thrilled to be able to spread some fairy magic at the Fairies in 2013!

Playgroup
Playgroup is a chance for children immerse themselves in a Fairyland experience. They can play with toys in fairyland. Participate in craft in our special cup cake, play games and dance in Fairyland.

Mums/Dads and Bubs

The Mums/Dads and Bubs program we offer is unique, as it provides opportunities not only for children to immerse themselves in a Fairyland experience, but to participate in a learning environment which uses music movement, and dance to develop childrens cognitive, emotional and social needs. The Mums /Dads and Bubs program is structures and written with careful thought and extensive knowledge of the specific benefits of every activity and experience. The program incorporates a number of structures and free play activities, and uses a variety of appropriate music from The Fairies as well as classical music, scientifically proven to boost comprehension, concentration, attention span, memory and recall. The particular combinations of music, movement activities, rhythm and rhyme based exercises in this program have been chosen to provide a truly meaningful learning environment for very young children and their parents to share. Each class runs for 30mins with the maximum of 8 Mums/Dads and Bubs in each session. Suitable for 6 months 2 years.

2/3 years Fairy Dancing

Lessons for this age range have been designed with a specific focus on the development of basic movement skills as well as an appreciation of and confidence in dance. Skills explored cover the key areas of core strength and gross motor skills through the development of auditory skills, rhythm and basic counting, keeping time, spatial awareness, and co-ordination, an introduction to stretching, balance and music interpretation. Each activity in each lesson is designed to introduce, develop and refine one or more of these skills. Such skills are not only integral in developing young dancers, but are also important in the cognitive, emotional and social development of children.

3/4 years Fairy Dancing

All lessons for this age range have been designed with a specific focus on the continued development of basic movement skills as well as an appreciation of and confidence in dance. Those key areas of core strength and gross motor skills introduced in the 2/3yrs class through the development of auditory skills, rhythm and basic counting, keeping time, spatial awareness, and co-ordination are built upon in this class. The basic skills of stretching, balance and music interpretation introduced in the 2/3yrs class are further developed in this age range. We continue to encourage the development of imagination and confidence as well as cooperation and respect. Teachers and assistants are very aware of the unique needs of this age group and are very skilled at helping each child develop at his or her own pace. The 5+ classes are the next and last step in the fairy Dancing Program before children then move into our formal classes.

5+ years Fairy Dancing

Students in this age range will be catered for in a manner, which appropriately supports their cognitive, social, emotional and physical capabilities. As such, there are aspects of the unit, which will remain constant, some that will increase in difficulty, as the unit progresses to coincide with the individual groups development, and some that will change completely. This group will also be engaged in the production of several performance pieces. This allows students to gain an understanding of the on-going, developmental nature of dance, as well as supporting their learning with regard to teamwork, memory, commitment to an end product and the importance of the rehearsal process. Our aim in creating this opportunity for children aged 5-6 is to provide an experience which encourages the development of each child in many different ways through the medium of dance and prepares them gently for the move into our more formal classes. The next and final step is a progression into either a formal jazz or ballet class, or indeed both!

Formal Jazz, Ballet, Hip-hop and Tap

These classes are designed to bridge the gap between the structured free play environment of the Fairy Dancing classes to a more traditionally structured learning environment in which the focus moves to development of technique, performance skills and assessment. Children are still provided with an environment that is safe and nurturing, but their focus becomes a refining of performance pieces for public performance. The music changes to include other genres appropriate to the classes and there is an expectation that children will spend some time at home practicing their pieces and skills. Each child receives a report at the end of each term and an acknowledgement of their achievement.

Special Needs
Our dance classes are structured in such a way, that they cater incredibly well for the learning requirements of children with special needs, especially those with language, auditory processing, learning, speech, social and emotional disorders as well as those who sit on the autism spectrum. Teachers will call to talk with or meet with, each parent or care giver in order to discuss the specifics of each childs condition and the best way to understand and work with that child. Aside from the teacher and the assistant each week, a parent roster will need to be implemented where 1-2 parents come into the lesson to help manage the class, using a rotation system

Tiny Tots Modeling and Modeling and Deportment

Fairy modeling can start from 3 years to any age, classes and outcomes being altered on the age group. Every lesson and outcome covered in the modeling and deportment class is not only fun but also a vital life skill that children can take away with them and use in their future. This course focuses not only on modeling skills but using these skills for growing childrens confidence and self-esteem. Example of topics taught include: Modeling rules and turns, poses and facial expressions, public speaking, drama/acting, props and accessories and more.