Fun Ballet Class for 3 Year-old

Hi J.,
I live in Naperville and have had my daugter in a ballet/tap combo class at the YMCA since she was 3 1/2 - she's now 4. The class is for 3-5 yr olds, is inexpensive yet great. You just have to buy them their leotard, tights and ballet and tap shoes. Unlike most dance studios, you don't have recitals. This means that you don't have to buy expensive recital costumes. The instructor also teaches at the park district. She is great! my daughter had been in 3 of the classes and I'll keep her in the class until she's 5 and then sign her up for the next level. They do progressively learn more each time you sign them up. She is learning the positions, and different moves, has become more graceful and it's definately helped build her confidence. She has also made some friends in the class.

The Kroehler YMCA (downtown Naperville) has nice ballet classes (Saturday or Wednesday mornings). My 4-yr. old daughter seems to prefer those over the classes she took as a 3-yr. old at the Von Heidecke school. I am sure the Fry Family YMCA in south Naperville has classes, too; I am just not sure of the schedule.

This may be further away than you want, but we like "Elite Feet Dance Center" in downtown Glen Ellyn. Good luck!

Hi. Try looking into the park district. They have great beginners classes for dance. There is even a mommy and me ballet beginners class. They are not very expensive, and you do not have to commit to a recital, costume, etc. The new summer catalog is out now. If you do not have it, look at their website http://www.napervilleparks.org/

Hi J. - I live in Wheaton, which you might know is adjacent to Naperville on its north side, and there is a dance studio called "Upper Room Dance Studio" (see www.upperroomdancestudio.com) just blocks from my house. My 4.75-year-old daughter has taken a combined ballet/tap/tumbling class there since she was 3, and she loves it. (The kids do ballet for the first 30 mins., and the next 30 mins. is either tap dance or tumbling - they alternate weeks.) The 2's and 3's class right now is very small (about 4-5 kids) and is taught by the studio's owner, a lovely woman named Diane, who is the youngest-looking grandma I have ever seen. She is so wonderful with kids and has a special heart for preschoolers, which is why she teaches the youngest class herself, rather than have one of her other instructors teach it. My daughter is now in the 4's and 5's class and very much misses her beloved "Miss Diane." There is a recital every June for all the classes (preschool through adult), but there is absolutely no pressure to participate - you simply fill out a form in the spring opting to have your child be in it or not so that the studio can plan ahead as far as ordering costumes. You pay on a monthly basis, so you can enroll and "unenroll" your child month-to-month as you wish. The cost is, I think, the same as our park district's ballet class, which is much shorter and doesn't offer the combination of ballet, tap and tumbling. I don't know what Naperville's park district or the Y offers, but I'm sure Upper Room Dance Studio is price-competitive with them as well. Good luck in deciding - it sounds like you have quite a few choices now!

L.

I don't live in Naperville but I know in my town, St.Charles, the park district has a lot of classes for toddlers, including ballet. You can do a search for your park district and find a schedule that way!

My daughter goes to Dance West in Naperville. She has alot fun. She's 4 and does the creative movement class, and then she'll move on to beginning ballet. For your 3 yr old, the creative movement class is what she'd be enrolled in. They use ballet shoes and tap shoes and have fun. Nothing serious about it at all. And the price isn't bad either.

I have taken my daughter to a parent / tot dance and now ballet class, she just turned 4. She loves the class, we go through the downers grove park district. Try looking into what the community of Naperville has, if not you can come to downers grove for classes. They have classes here year round. www.dgparks.org I would suggest the parent tot class first. You can go with her and get her acclimated.

Not sure exactly where you live in Naperville but I actually teach ballet at the Bolingbrook Park District. We have lots of children from Naperville and surrounding areas who dance there. At your daughter's age, I would recommend Creative Movement. We introduce some ballet terminology and incorporate fun music to increase motor skills and self confidence. The kids have a lot of fun. I teach Thursday mornings and there are other teachers who teach any other day of the week, all in the morning. Our new book comes out May 1st and classes won't begin for summer till June. If you want something closer, I think most schools won't begin their new sessions till summer as well. We are all preparing for our spring recitals right now.