Parents and Caretakers, Welcome!
Parenting in today’s culture comes with multiple safety, protection and advocacy challenges from social media, self-esteem, identity, sexualization, music exposure, bullying, body image, nutrition, injuries, budgeting, communication, boundaries and more. Exhale and welcome to your Y.P.A.D. life-line. You are not alone!
We deeply respect the amount of time, money and energy each of you put into maintaining and organizing dance responsibilities from training, rehearsals, competitions, recitals, outreach, travel, costumes, dress code and supplies. Along with the joy of seeing your child blossom through the arts, it can create legitimate exhaustion and anxiety.
We believe the best way we can support you is to become aware of some small changes you can make in your life to find the YOU time needed to rejuvenate your mind, body and Spirit and make these important choices with clarity and confidence! An integral part of our work is encouraging self-care and reflection among those parenting dancers.
It is no secret that children in dance are more likely to be exposed to mature material and messages of their worth being in their body, sex appeal, looks, clothes and talents and parents are left to manage the feelings and interpretations their children have of themselves and others.
Many children access their favorite dancers, choreographers and musical artists online through YouTube and social media. These searches also carry a risk that the child may be exposed to adult content. Dance can also carry a heavy element of comparison of body type, talent level, skill set etc. It is fertile ground for friendships, self-esteem building and life skills and it can also breed gossip, bullying, cliques and hurtful experiences. These dynamics can occur between the young dancers but also between the parents.
Our goal is to grow our children as humans, not just dancers. Dance creates wonderful opportunities to implement healthy boundaries and teach our children discernment and self-esteem that will transcend into life outside the studio. We will provide resources and research regarding the effects of sexualization of children through dance and media, the consequences of desensitization, media literacy tips and answer any questions regarding monitoring of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. that sometimes can feel overwhelming with the fast growing presence of technology in all of our lives.