Are you searching for “Acro Dance Near Me”? Perhaps you’re a dance studio owner looking to expand your offerings, a dance teacher wanting to enhance your skills, or a dancer eager to explore a dynamic art form. If so, you’ve come to the right place to understand the world of Acro Dance and how to find quality instruction.
My name is Melissa Klassen, and as the founder of the Acro Dance Teachers Association (ADTA), I’ve dedicated over two decades to mastering the art of Acro Dance teaching. For the past 15 years, I’ve been privileged to support dance studio owners and teachers globally, empowering them to build thriving Acro Dance programs that deliver exceptional results and boost revenue. Witnessing the success of both educators and students in Acro Dance is truly my passion.
However, my journey wasn’t always clear-cut. Initially, I lacked a true understanding of what Acro Dance genuinely entailed. Coming from a gymnastics background without specific Acro Dance experience, I felt uncertain when my mentor, Mr. Brian Foley, expressed his vision to transition his gymnastics program into an Acro Dance focused curriculum.
Questions swirled in my mind: What exactly is Acro Dance? Does it prioritize walkovers, aerials, leaps, and jumps? Is it about replacing traditional tumbling with flexibility training? Frankly, as a novice, I felt lost and unprepared.
Gratefully, Mr. Foley became my guiding force, ensuring I received personal mentorship from leading figures in the Canadian Acro Dance scene. It took me three years to transition from a “Gymnastics Coach” to a proficient Acro Dance Teacher – a period of intense learning and catching up! I immersed myself in dance classes and the broader Acro and Dance industry to accelerate my understanding.
My role as “Director of AcroDance” at “The Young Canadians,” a renowned performing arts school, under Mr. Foley’s direction, proved invaluable. This position honed crucial skills that would later serve me as President of the ADTA. A key challenge was preparing performers for multi-million dollar productions with a completely new cast each year, demanding rapid skill acquisition.
Working with diverse groups of young dancers, I focused on developing efficient methods to achieve significant progress quickly, unlike the typical pace in a regular studio environment. This experience sharpened my ability to create systems that deliver outstanding results FAST.
Word of our program’s success spread to other local studios, who sought to implement similar Acro systems. This demand led to the creation of a structured syllabus. I began collaborating directly with dance studio owners, assisting them in developing successful programs that not only achieved impressive results but also generated substantial income. Simultaneously, I gained invaluable insights into the business aspects of running a dance studio and building my own enterprise.
Now, 15 years later, the Acro Dance Teachers Association stands as a global resource, supporting:
- Studio Owners in expanding their business through popular and effective Acro Dance programs.
- Dance Teachers in acquiring the expertise to teach Acro Dance effectively and safely.
- Dancers in experiencing the artistry and athleticism of Acrobatic Dance, enriching their dance education.
Join me, and the community of over 10,000 dance professionals and students worldwide who are part of our movement. Together, we are dedicated to fostering the holistic development of the next generation of dancers through the power of Acro Dance. If you are looking for “acro dance near me,” exploring studios that incorporate ADTA methods can be a fantastic starting point for quality acro dance education.
