Summer Dance Camp for Beginners

Summer camp is the most fun your child can have away from home. Is that an exaggeration? Not in our opinion. Dance summer camp for beginners (or experts) is no different.

While it may leave your child with more sore muscles than an arts and craft day camp, for example, it’ll also be the highlight of their summer.

As fun as it is, it’s okay if your child (or you!) are nervous about the overnight dance-camp process. We’ve got five tips to make everything flow smoothly together, below.

1. Realize That Hard Work Can Still Be Fun

If your child has been in the dance class world for a while, hopefully, it’s been mostly a fun experience for them. The environment of the class depends on the teacher and the expectations of their specific studio.

Some studios push kids harder than others – and that’s okay. We love a competitive spirit in our dancers. But just because we’ll push them to work hard, doesn’t mean they won’t have fun.

Going to a summer dance camp for beginners is a good lesson that hard work and fun can exist at the same time. Not only does that develop a good work ethic that translates to other parts of their lives, but it changes their attitude towards it.

Your child’s experience is the most important thing to us, which means if they’re not having fun, we’re not doing our job. If your child is serious about dancing, it’ll be hard to find a more welcoming and fun-loving environment in the competitive dance world.

Whether sending your child to our dance camp is their first dance-intensive experience or it’s a break from the demands of their dance team, they’ll come home bursting with stories, smiles, and some new moves!

2. Get Ready to Explore

No dancer is exactly like any other. Your child may favor Jazz while another dancer loves the bump and grind of hip hop. We have all the genres covered at our camp.

The good thing about going to a general (genre-wise) dance camp, is that dancers who’ve been specializing can expand their horizons. Being well-versed in different styles is the hallmark of a great dancer – especially if your child thinks they want to make dance their career.

And if your child isn’t choreographing their dances yet (they will be, soon) knowing different styles of dance gives them a larger database of movement to choose from.

Don’t know what we mean? Sit down with your dancer and put on a dance-themed show, like Dancing with the Stars. Ask them to point out which moves they know, and which class they learned them in. You might even repeat this exercise when they get back from camp – that way you’ll be able to see how much they’ve grown!

3. Have Them Set a Goal

While our goal for your child is for them to have fun dancing their hearts out, we want them to have a purpose too. And it’s okay if their goal is less technical and more general – like making new friends who are passionate about dance.

Other examples of dance camp goals include: trying a new dance style, perfecting a new type of turn, choreographing their first piece, and anything else they can think of!

Asking your child to set a goal for camp not only helps them get more excited about the experience but can redirect their nerves. Everyone is nervous their first time at sleepaway camp, mostly because of all the “unknowns.”

Giving them the chance to make a goal and plan how they want to experience their time at Pali will take one unknown out of the picture. If you want to learn more about reducing first-time nerves about going to camp, click here.

And while we don’t have any “dance moms” on campus, we do have camp counselors who are there to act as a source of comfort for any campers missing home. No Abby Lee Miller-type drama included!

4. Pack Doubles

No dancer is complete without her shoes, her foldover tights, her hairnet … or whatever dancing accessory your child can’t live without. We have a store on campus, but it doesn’t have dance specialty items.

And while we’re not trying to work your dancers so much that they wear out their shoes, packing a backup pair is a good idea, just in case.

You never know when a blister is going to pop up, or a pair of tights will rip.

No need to bring any dance performance clothes, though. We won’t be twirling in tutus – so save some packing room and leave the fluffy things out.

If your child likes to dance in a sports bra, we do ask that they have their midriffs covered, so please keep that in mind while packing. We want dance camp to be a comfortable experience for everybody (and every body type).

While you should leave the crop tops out, don’t forget to pack bobby pins, hair ties, and hairspray (if your child wants all that).

5. Plan Rest Time Afterwards

The modern dancer is always running from one class to the next, no matter their age. But overnight camp is different. While it’s probably the most fun they’ll ever have dancing; they’ll need a few days to recover when it’s over.

They’ll need to get back on their regular sleep schedule and give their muscles a day or two to recuperate – dancing for a week straight is hard work!