Cohorts versus Levels

At Stage Door Dance Productions, our placement philosophies are different from the dance studio industry standard. We strategically design our class groupings to focus on a humanistic, educational approach that is inclusive and nurturing.

This way, each participant can focus on achieving their personal best in an environment that fosters the collaborative spirt of teamwork.

Here are a few key differences about our placement approach:

(1) We do not have a “recreational” or “competitive track”

At Stage Door Dance Productions, we believe all classes should be rooted in excellence. Our curriculum does not vary based on the dancer’s immediate intentions of wanting to win a dance competition (for more on that philosophy, check out our Founder/ CEO’s book Trash the Trophies).

Instead, we want to give our dancers the tools and techniques to succeed in any endeavor, in dance or in life.

Our heightened dance educational experiences, such as our Intensive Training Program, are offered above and beyond baseline educational classes.

(2) We have cohorts versus levels

Because of the ways schools are systemically designed to advance grades with a pass/fail each season, there’s often a similar expectation with dance education. Many times, clients will ask “what’s the next level?”

At Stage Door Dance Productions, we do not offer anticipatory levels of advancement; instead, we offer strategically designed cohorts.

Each winter, our instructional team looks at every individual student and custom designs the groupings based on our educational expertise and years of experience. Dancers’ age, experience, and personal journey are all taken into consideration.

While this approach takes a significant amount of time, we feel it is very much worth it.

Our goal is for our dancers to thrive and excel in their learning environment.

By aiming to place each student in the best environment for their learning style, we curate an ecosystem that sees the child and elevates them to their fullest potential.