The Life Benefits of Dance

You know why dancers like to be in class- they learn new technique, they have made lifelong friends, they love challenging themselves and they bond with their teachers. Some dancers choose to compete across the state and country to showcase all they have worked for, or move on to full-time careers as professional dancers. What they learn in the classroom, though, is not just dance related;Dancers learn lessons that help them succeed throughout their lives. 

Dancing has been scientifically proven to make you healthier and smarter. Dancing can help you lose weight, stay flexible, reduce stress, make friends and more. It is believed that dance helps prevent you from developing dementia as you get older and enhances your memory. Dance is also a great activity for those at risk for cardiovascular disease, a study noting that those who took up waltzing had improved their heart health significantly compared to those who biked or walked for exercise. 

Whether you have been enrolled in a dance class for one year or a decade, you know that the friendships you build at dance are unlike any other. As a dancer, your instructors are testing your abilities mentally and physically. There aren’t many people who understand all the different kinds of strengths you’re building in those dance classes. 

Your dance friends are there while you are learning how to receive constructive criticism and learning what it really means to work as a team. At the end of the season, your teammates are the only ones who really understand how hard you’ve worked all year to get to that Nationals stage. And they’re also the friends that are supporting you until the lights go out. This is the type of teambuilding that will help them once they graduate and enter the workforce. These are also the friends they will have for a lifetime. 

Every time a dancer attends class, they are learning self-confidence. It takes a lot of courage to perform in front of an audience, whether at the end of the year recital or a competition stage. It takes the same type of courage to go to class and perform in front of their peers. Instructors teach dancers to believe in themselves, and believe that they can achieve their dreams- a lesson that can be applied to every aspect of life. 

**Health facts summarized from EverydayHealth.com

KSD: Where Dancers Come to Thrive

At Karen’s School of Dance, we work to provide a dance education for anyone with a passion for dance. We know that when it comes to dance, students all have different goals, wants, and needs. Some of our students take dance as one of many after school activities, attending class once a week for a high energy and healthy activity. Other students of ours choose to come to the studio multiple days a week to dance at a competitive level, often belonging to high school dance teams or even Company at KSD. Then there are the KSD dancers who commit many hours per week to their craft, many of which dream to dance professionally or for their favorite university dance team. Whatever you are looking to get out of dance, we have it here for you! 

Many KSD alumni have gone on to do some amazing things in the dance world. We have had multiple dancers dance for some of the top university dance teams in the nation, NBA dance teams, and renowned university dance programs and companies. We have also had former KSD dancers dance for popular cruise lines and entertainment companies. Several KSD alumni have gone on to teach and choreograph dance, one of which teaches for a national convention tour. KSD has so much to offer, from the exceptional staff of instructors to the highly sought after visiting choreographers who work with us. We believe having a wide variety of educational experiences is part of what allows dancers to succeed and not only grow but thrive. Our dancers learn from those who are knowledgeable, talented, and passionate. We are here to show you how amazing dance can be.

Enrolling your child in dance is a great way for him or her to make friends, exercise, explore creativity, and relieve stress. KSD is a huge family of people who all love dance, whether they attend class once or multiple days per week. We hope that you will give us the opportunity to show you and your child what KSD has to offer! It is our goal to bring unity, strength, and creativity to all who enter our doors. We look forward to seeing you this summer or in the fall for some exciting new classes!

Behind The Meaning...

Behind the Meaning of KSD’s New Motto

KSD is implementing a new motto for all of the students, parents, and staff members this year. Say it with us now, “ONE TEAM. ONE GOAL. ONE FAMILY.” Karen’s School of Dance has been open for over 25 years, and throughout these years many students have come through the door seeking a place to learn, grow, and fall in love with dance. Anyone who has studied dance can tell you that the bonds that are created in the classroom are incredibly strong, and sometimes even lifelong! It is important for us to convey to all of our dancers that we are more than just a studio, but a thriving family that works together for a common goal. We want to reinforce the idea of supporting one another through thick and thin, and lifting each other up to achieve greatness.

As you may know, there is another motto we use at KSD, and it speaks for itself: “Dream, believe, achieve.” It all starts with a dream. Dancers must visualize their goals, and truly believe in themselves in order to achieve their dreams. Encouragement from not only staff, but fellow students is essential in completing this process. Most importantly, however, is that it’s all about the journey, not the destination. More specifically, it’s not about how many trophies you earn, or how many lead roles you may get, but the character you build and the life lessons you learn in the classroom along the way. THIS is our ultimate goal for our students. We wish to help mold young people into caring, positive, and confident people who love to dance.

So this year we will live by our new motto of “ONE TEAM. ONE GOAL. ONE FAMILY.” Whether you are taking dance for the first time ever, or are working to dance professionally someday, we are one interconnected unit of strength. We will be here for each other through the good times and the tough ones; whether you are struggling to learn the newest technical step or going through a difficult time at school, we want KSD to be a second home in which you can feel comfortable. Some of you are competitive dancers, and some of you play multiple sports, or have many interests besides dance. Some of you are here once a week and some of you are here almost every day. Ultimately, we are all a family. Dancers, we encourage you to communicate with each other! Say hello to a person you don’t know. Make a new friend. Meet a teacher that you’ve never had before. Our goal is to have the best year ever and create incredible memories. Enjoy every minute of it because as the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun!

A Dance Studio With Heart

A Dance Studio with Heart

The dance world seems to be expanding more and more every year. Dance has made it's way from studios, universities, and theaters to an array of mainstream TV shows, Youtube, and just about every social media site out there. Why is this? It could be that people are realizing that dance can be thrilling for all types of people, and that there are more styles to explore than they may have thought. Parents across the country are searching for the right places that will teach their children not only to dance, but to study an art form that embodies discipline, poise, and creativity all at once.

Students who train at Karen's School of Dance in Highland, Michigan are no strangers to the benefits of dance. Parents and students of KSD appreciate that there are classes for every type of dancer, whether you are a brand new beginning student, or a dancer who dreams to be a professional. At KSD, the atmosphere is very family oriented; studio owner Karen Kern is very involved in the developments and relationships with her students. The teaching staff is highly qualified and extremely professional, yet caring and personable with each aspiring dancer. Students at KSD should expect to learn and grow as dancers and as people in a comfortable and fun environment. The ideal student is one who is respectful to others and simply tries their absolute best! Our staff works to inspire dancers to give one hundred percent to achieve their goals.

Karen Kern opened Karen's School of Dance in 1986 at the age of 17 with a small number of students and one dance room. Currently the studio has expanded to five large dance rooms and is home to around 500 students. KSD has evolved into a highly successful studio with a strong competitive program, offering competition classes for a wide range of ages and levels. Within the community, KSD is known to be home to talented dancers with giving hearts. To name a few, KSD has taken part in "Adopt a Family", "Toys for Tots", and performed in various community events to share the love of dance. Karen works to promote a sense of pride in her students as dancers and as upstanding young people.

Karen's School of Dance provides a dance education that is truly unique in that there is something for everyone! Many studios are either extremely competitive or strictly recreational, yet KSD offers both. As a studio owner, Karen is committed to employing a caring, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable staff to ensure a positive experience for all who enter the doors of KSD.

A National Finals to Remember

A National Finals to Remember

This year, Karen's School of Dance truly had a season they will never forget. To top off an extremely successful regional competition season, the dancers at KSD achieved more at their National Finals than ever before. Earlier this July, KSD competitive dancers traveled from Highland, Michigan to the beautiful Gulf Coast of Biloxi, Mississippi to compete in a National Competition held by Kid's Artistic Revue (also known as KAR). Dancers, teachers, and parents alike knew the girls had worked hard all year long, but the accomplishments they earned at Nationals this year were beyond everyone's expectations.
Following their annual recital in June, dancers who attended Nationals trained diligently for two weeks "boot camp style". Dancers doubled their regular weekly rehearsal hours in order to fine tune and perfect their routines in time for Nationals. Karen Kern and her teachers marveled at how hard these dancers worked throughout the entire two week rehearsal session. The girls maintained extremely positive attitudes, and seemed simply happy to be at the studio training to make their routines as impressive as possible. Everyone seemed to be on the same page, all striving for the same goal: to make it to the Star Showcase. The Star Showcase is held at the very end of National Finals, and allows all of the top scoring groups to compete one last time in order to decide who is the National Grand Champion in each level.
Make it to the Star Showcase they did. The dancers of KSD managed to place into the Showcase in all four levels, including Primary, Secondary, Intermediate, and Elite. Dancers earned their places in the Showcase after having placed in the Top 5 Overalls consistently throughout the week. The girls took home many awards and honors including First Overall High Point in multiple categories, Most Entertaining, Special Judges Awards, and more, however making it into the Showcase was the ultimate goal. After a day of tough competition and phenomenal performances, the girls held hands to await the judges' decision. Tears of joy were shed as they learned that they had earned the title of National Grand Champions in four of the eight possible categories. Some of the girls reminisced as they had won this title many years ago, however never have they taken home this many victories from one National Competition. This was truly one for the books.
On top of these outstanding achievements, KSD also earned several more accolades. Parker McCarron was crowned Miss Dance America, while many other talented KSD dancers proudly earned runner up title honors. KSD was also awarded Top Studio in three of the four levels, and was given the prize of a trip to Cancun, Mexico. Many soloists, duets, and trios represented KSD well, placing consistently throughout the Overalls. Finally, KSD won both Top Production and Top Superline, each containing 30 dancers or more. 

Karen and the rest of the teachers beamed with pride as they watched their students not only achieve victory, but also perform with dedication and heart. The future of Karen's School of Dance is looking bright, as dancers are already beginning to work for the upcoming year.

What is your favorite thing about Halloween?!

“My favorite part is dressing up & seeing all of my friends!” 

- Cloee Wasson

“Candy!!” - Megan Temple

“Candy because I love kit-kats!” 

-Cortney Maser

“Dressing Up and trick-or-treating and candy!!” 

-Samantha spray

“The candy! My favorite candy is sweet tarts!”

-Holly albert

Tell us What your favorite part about Halloween is!  :)

What Was Your Favorite Past Halloween Costume?

Miss Karen- Punk Rocker, “Because no one could recognize me!” 

Miss Liliya- DirecTV technician, “Because I carried a satellite dish around with me!”

Miss Ashley- Ariel, “Because I am Ariel in another life.” 

Miss Lynda- Wednesday Adams, “Because I looked just like her!”

Miss Angela- Princess Jasmine, “I was Princess Jasmine for 3 years!”

Miss Stephanie- Rainbow Brite, “It was a homemade, hand-me-down that helped me win a few costume contests!”

Miss Alicia- Mouse, “When I was really little my mom hand made the cutest mouse costumes for my brother and I. We wore them for several years in a row.”

Miss Tracy- Tweety Bird, “My mom made a homemade Tweety Bird costume, we used an orange retainer case as my beak!” 

Mr Alex- Serena Williams, “Because it was so funny!”

Dress-up week at KSD will be October 24-30! 

Dancers are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes to dance! Any dancer who wears his or her costume to dance will be automatically entered in the contest. The grand prize will be a $25 Target gift card! Parents please make sure that your child will still be able to dance in his or her costume (i.e. dance shoes must still be wearable, please wear leotard underneath if need be, and do not wear costumes that children may trip over etc.).

Who says kids get to have all the fun? During the kids' dress-up week, we don't want to leave out the parents! Parents may come to the studio in their Halloween costumes (the 24^th-30^th, however not on Sunday). Each parent wishing to compete must make sure they have their picture taken by someone at the front desk, and the winner will be chosen at the end of the dress-up week. Don't be shy, parents! This is one of our favorite contests and we are always excited to see all the parents who participate. The grand prize will be one free 30 minute class for a month and will apply to existing tuition.

What was your favorite past Halloween costume? Why? Let us know!