SOCIAL DANCE INSTRUCTION FOR YOUTH IN THE METRO-D.C. AREA
School STEPS
SOCIAL DANCE INSTRUCTION FOR YOUTH IN THE METRO-D.C. AREA
We teach children of all ages the joys of social/ballroom dancing. We have terrific programs available for private schools, public schools, summer camps, homeschooling associations, cotillions and birthday parties. Contact us TODAY to learn how your school can benefit!
e-mail or Call Deborah Joy Block at 703-732-4846
www.schoolsteps.net
info@schoolsteps.net
Our company provides an exciting and popular social dance program called "School Steps." School Steps teaches children of all ages the basics of ballroom and social dancing and we can travel to YOU! We offer the programs on weekends, during the weekday or after school -- as a consistent program or a special series or as an intensive camp. We know our services are vital to the social aspects of childrens' development and introduce an appropriate way to develop them. We understand the undercurrent of frustrations the children, schools, parents and chaperones alike are facing in dealing with managing the proriety of today's social youth events. We help bridge the gap between our
past and our future generations by providing a solution and a channel for personal expression.
You will be excited about this program because your students will gain interactive dance skills through ballroom and social dancing. Harnessing the power of this teaching method promotes physical, mental and emotional health for your students. As witnessed in the documentary film "Mad Hot Ballroom" and movies like "Take the Lead", social dance helps children cultivate coordination, self-esteem, respect, and socialization skills.
SCHOOL STEPS provides a customized dance program for your students. You will be pleased with the progress and enjoyment each child experiences through qualified and enthusiastic instruction. SCHOOL STEPS is a fun and easy introduction to social dancing. No transportation or schedule hassles! We come to your school anytime!
School Steps Graduates will learn:
NEW!
Back to Basics Starts in 2009!
Deborah Joy Block's, School Steps Founder has been teaching ballroom dancing for 11 years. Her teaching experience ranges from instructing group lessons for corporations and organizations, clubs, community centers, camps and schools. In 2002, Mrs. Block founded The Wedding Dance Specialists - a ballroom dance company which teaches people to dance for special events, mainly weddings. The company grew to be the largest of its kind in the nation. Some of her dance performance background includes Arlington’s Tango Festival sponsored by the Argentine Embassy, the Fine Arts program at the U.S. Department of State, several area Chamber of Commerce Galas, and corporate galas. Mrs. Block's classes, performances and company have been recognized by the press including; Washingtonian Magazine, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, The Mclean Times, Alexandria Gazette, national television, local radio stations WJFK - 106.7FM and WTNT - 570AM, a U.S.Deparment of State Magazine, Old Town Crier Magazine, James Madison University Montpelier Magazine, and several other magazines.
All of the staff on our team have years of dance teaching experience, dance training, performance experience and many have competed nationally and have taught subject matters in addition to dance. All of them have university degrees and most of them have proficiency in a second language.
Success Stories! School STEPS in ACTION!
Cotillion Programs
"The lessons were definitely worthwhile, excellent quality lessons. What I liked most about our experience with instructor was she was able to keep middle school students engaged and serious while still enjoying the dancing, all at the same time. Meanwhile the curriculum also covered teamwork, etiquette, and consideration of others. We definitely would like to use the services of your company again in the future. Even the kids say they want you back for next year’s Promenade Dance class in 2008-09 school year."--Amanda Upton, parent co-chair for Victorian Society, January 2008
Public Schools
Merengue and Swing Group Lessons to 1st - 5th graders in Arlington, VA, February 2007 - June 2008
"Everything was great! The students were introduced to a new activity that got them to interact in a different way with each other. I also liked how a variety of different cultures were emphasized and shown as being important and worthwhile. We had an excellent experience with the instructor. She was punctual, great with the kids, energetic, a good teacher, and easy to work and communicate with. The students were instructed well in all areas. How to be a polite dance partner was emphasized. On a scale of 1-10 you get a 10 for Professionalism, Enjoyment and Instruction Quality! We would definitely be interested in using your services again in the future for our Spring and Fall Clubs." Lauren Gardner, Ballroom Dance Club Sponsor
2nd -4th graders in Arlington, VA, February - May, 2008
Special Events
"Thank you so very much for making the "Father-Daughter Tea Dance" such a huge success!! I know all the fathers and daughters thoroughly enjoyed their evening together, one they will remember always. You are so graceful and fluent in all your dancing movements! I really enjoyed your demonstration of the Swing with "rocking horse, quick-quick. And I know the girls appreciated your showing them how to move their arms and hands with such artistry and grace. It was particularly fascinating watching yo follow Brian's lead with your hands lightly touching his chest and your eyes shut! you demonstrated well that the man does the leading. Your choice of words were wonderfully matched for the evening too.Thank you, especially for your perfect example of how a young lady can dance with spunk and spirit without a flirtatioous or seductive air about it. I would have thought this hard to convey, but you showed the fun and "sassy" side of dancing with such a natural ease and grace. I am sure you have inspired some families to continue taking dancing lessons. Thank you again so much for giving my girls and husband the opportunity to learn the finer points of dancing and to learn from an expert. They really had a fantastic time together. " -- Therese Lawless, Homeschooling Association
Summer Camps
“I was delighted and surprised to see how engaged the kids were thanks to your supportive yet structured teaching style. By accommodating different learning styles the children participated while having fun!” -- Catherine Aselford, Director: Gunston Summer Theatre Arts Camp
Birthday Parties
“My daughter, who is normally shy and reluctant, looked forward to your classes thanks to your engaging personality. She enthusiastically recounted her experiences with me each day.” Colleen Nevius, Mother of Maureen Nevius
Articles
There has been a lot of press coverage over the years concerning raising the "barre" for standards and expectations of childrens' school dance conduct. Each school throughout the country has attempted different approaches. If kids are inspired and tempted with alternatives that are compatible with a wide range of music styles and ethnic cultures, kids wouldn't need to be scolded, warned or coerced into conducting themselves appropriately and respectfully. School Steps can provide that incentive for your students!
Washington Times, Summer 2008
Dancing Your Way to Better Health - reprinted in part
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
By Miranda Hitti
Tangos, waltzes, sambas, and foxtrots are gliding across America's TV sets on the hit ballroom dance show, Dancing with the Stars.Do you tap along with the beat as you watch? Or shimmy during the commercial breaks?This may be one time when health experts won't fret if you follow in the footsteps of prime-time TV. Ballroom dancing could help tweak the mind and body, they say.You're not likely to practice for hours with a world-class dance partner as on the show. But you also won't face live national TV and the judges' barbs.
Will you get a good workout? What about those two left feet? And how can "twinkle toes" benefit your brain? WebMD posed those questions to science, dance, and fitness pros. Here's their spin on ballroom dancing's health perks.
The TV show's contestants are often winded after their routines. One dancer, actor John O'Hurley, says he's lost 15 pounds since he signed on for the show. How typical is that? It depends on the type of dancing and your skill level, says exercise physiologist Catherine Cram, MS, of Comprehensive Fitness Consulting in Middleton, Wis. "Once someone gets to the point where they're getting their heart rate up, they're actually getting a terrific workout," says Cram. Dance is a weight-bearing activity, which builds bones. It's also "wonderful" for your upper body and strength, says Cram.
How many calories will you burn? That depends on your body and how vigorously you dance. Dance is a "moderate activity," say the USDA's physical activity guidelines. Adults should get at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity daily, according to the guidelines, released earlier this year. It can be easier to stick to that with fun activities, says Cram.
New ballroom dancers may feel muscles they didn't know they had. That often happens with a new activity, says Ken Richards, spokesman for USA Dance, the national governing body of DanceSport — the competitive version of ballroom dancing.
Ballroom dancing often means moving backward, especially for women, says Richards, a professional ballroom dancing veteran. "If you're dancing the foxtrot, you're taking long, sweeping steps backwards. That's very different than walking forward on a treadmill or taking a jog around the neighborhood," he says. Ballroom dancing works the backs of the thighs and buttock muscles differently from many other types of exercise, says Richards.
The legs and arms often do the flashy dance moves. But they're sunk without a strong body core. The "core" muscles — the abs and back — are also used in Pilates, says Janice Byer. A lifelong dancer, Byer is group exercise director of The Courthouse Athletic Club in Oakland, Calif. Byer and her husband (whom she met through dancing) are avid swing dancers. They're now working on the foxtrot and salsa and plan to start Argentine tango lessons.
Dance can challenge your mind as well as your muscles. At least one observational study has shown sharper minds with ballroom dancing. The study appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine two years ago. Joe Verghese, MD, and colleagues studied 469 people who were at least 75 years old. At the study's start, they answered surveys about mental and physical activities, like doing crossword puzzles or dancing. Back then, none had dementia. Five years later, 124 had dementia. Frequent dancers had a reduced risk of dementia compared with those who rarely or never danced. Of 11 physical activities considered, only dancing was tied to a lower dementia risk, Verghese tells WebMD. Most dancers did ballroom dancing, says Verghese. He's an assistant neurology professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
How might ballroom dancing help the brain? Verghese outlines three possibilities:
— Increased blood flow to the brain from the physical exercise
— Less stress, depression, and loneliness from dancing's social aspect
—Mental challenges (memorizing steps, working with your partner)
"Dance, in many ways, is a complex activity. It's not just purely physical," says Verghese.