Year Two:
A year and a half ago, my mom and I co-opened a dance studio in Evergreen Park, IL. Our vision was to develop an artful and educational dance program. We never dreamed that in year two our enrollment would sky rocket and collaborations with the area school district would be in full swing. We, as a duo, could not be more proud.
Over the summer we successfully ran a dance program at the Evergreen Park Elementary summer program. This led to further interest in a continuing collaboration throughout the school year. On top of our in studio summer class and camp program, we collaborated with A Fairytale Ballet for an extra special and exclusive one day camp that the students were ecstatic about. Overall, the growth of Mongan Dance Academy has exceeded our expectations and has been so fulfilling.
From here our dreams only get bigger. We are excited to start working more with the Evergreen Park School District. My vision of creating a performance group with our older students seems more of a reality now than ever. We have dedicated and committed students who are eager to grow as dancers and artists at our studio. We are looking forward to fully realizing our vision and really molding our program into what has been a longtime dream.
Submitted by TDC dancer Shannon Edwards, Thursday, September 25, 2014.
There is no better way to understand the dancer in you than teaching a classroom full of young dancers. The bonus - understanding the human in you, as well.
In teaching dance we emphasize our personal interests and goals with a dollop of personal flair. But in teaching dance to the youngest of dancers, we have to find a way to break down important principles and relay it to them in a way they can understand. It would be simple to teach a mature person how to stand in first position. But try asking a three year old to "find their first." It is a timely task in which half the class stares intently at their feet trying their hardest to just make them touch. Half of the class stares blankly at me, eagerly awaiting further instruction. In my classroom it is the sound of a kiss that instantly reminds them to put their heels together ("kissing") with hardly any conscious effort. My job in teaching young dancers is communicating simple principles in ways they can both understand and enjoy. If one student can not achieve a concept, it is difficult for the group to move on. How do I communicate in ways they can understand? I have to answer this uniquely for each group of students I have. The answer is almost always different. I have to deeply investigate myself. Sometimes I find the answers down memory lane and sometimes I use simple imagery that has always helped me in class. Then I translate my understandings in ways in which they can understand. It seems simple enough, but the challenge is in keeping the young dancer interested. They come because they want to have fun. Some come because they want to someday be a prima ballerina. I have to give them a good time while instilling discipline, poise, and technique. If they don't understand something, they become uninterested. If they are not enjoying the class, they become uninterested. I am responsible for keeping their inner fire ablaze.
Discipline is another challenge. What one child learns at home another may not. Having patience in a classroom full of young dancers is key. It takes a lot of self control, inner dialogue, and openness to the student. This is where my human reflection stares me in my face. I can lose my cool and later drown in self doubt. Or I can bite the grit, pull it together, and in my very gentle "Miss Shannon voice" let the little ones know how very inappropriate they are being. I usually opt for the gentle (yet very firm) "Miss Shannon voice". And as always, I want the student to walk away having learned something, rather than having had a negative experience.
I love teaching children through adults. It is a calm and smooth environment in a room full of older children, teenagers, and adults learning dance. I usually feel at ease from the start of class to the end, unlike the young classes where my experience can range from one extreme to the other. The young children are the most challenging, most exhausting, most adorable, and loving little dancers. They inspire me just as much as the mature dancers. The frustration I sometimes feel leaves immediately when I see the smiles on their faces. It is most gratifying to have little dancers that leave the studio with a love for dance. I just have to find new, fun, and creative ways to enlighten the little bundles of awesomeness. It all comes from a little digging and finding the answers from deep within.
Submitted
by TDC dancer
Shannon Edwards on December 5, 2013.
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| Photo by Eric Olson |
Mongan Dance Academy opened in June of 2013. It was a long time coming. As beautiful as the studio is, it first started as just a thought.
My mom and I have worked together before. We had several conversations about how awesome it would be to bring our two passions together and create our own business. I am a lifelong dancer with a passion for teaching, and my mother is a brilliant business woman with a love for the youth. An opportunity arose and we took it, knowing that we were risking a lot. However, it was a risk we were more than willing to take.
The easy part was our creative collaborations. Finding a space on the southwest side of Chicago seemed logical. Deciding on a name for our business was a thoughtful process, but we soon agreed to use the name of the street my sisters and I grew up on. It was a place where the whole family grew together. Soon enough, we found a quaint space that would most definitely serve wonderfully as Mongan Dance Academy. My mother put her extraordinary talent of crafting, woodwork, and designing to work. Soon the space was a beautiful dance studio, complete with mirrors, hand-crafted ballet barres, and dance floors.
The biggest challenge wasn't putting our minds together, it was pulling in clientele. We were off to a slow start. Our student body was minimal and our means of marketing were reliant on the two of us. We were interviewed for news articles, posted flyers, and even walked door to door throughout Evergreen Park, IL. We decided to have a five week summer camp promotion instead of just normal classes. We developed a Facebook page, joined a text marketing program, had booths at local vendor fairs, and walked up and down the lined streets at the Fourth of July parade. Somewhere between the Facebook setup and the parade, we hit a boom. Calls flooded our phone lines and soon we had to open another day of camp just to accommodate our pre-school kids. The program went wonderfully and soon we started our Fall Program.
Of all the marketing we tried, our clients reported that Facebook posts and re-posts caught their eye and prompted them to call. Word of mouth tipped and soon friends and family were joining. As the students consistently trickle in, we are excitedly waiting for our next boom.
Dance students have showed eager interest in the program. Yet, somehow, adults are still unwilling to join in with our incredible fitness classes. It seems that the workout world on the southwest side of Chicago stays popular in gyms. We have a small group of devoted attendees, but our newest challenge is bringing in an even larger adult student body.
Mongan Dance Academy has truly been a dream come true thus far. It is so great (contrary to popular belief) to be working so closely with my mother. Challenges are super common in this journey. However, I believe these challenges only exist to better our program in the long run. I have learned so much about myself, my dancing, my teaching ethics, and team building. Ultimately, Mongan Dance is worth every bit of the hard work it has taken.
Submitted by TDC dancer Shannon Edwards on November 12, 2013.
