VyMy Dance & Fitness

VyMy Dance & Fitness isn't just a dance club provider. We are a community dance school, blending the accessibility and affordability of a school club with the opportunities and excitement of a dance school.

1. We do more than just the one hour of activity a week. Whilst some companies come in, run a dance activity and then leave, VyMy Dance & Fitness isn't willing to leave it there. When children come to their dance club, they're learning new skills and creating work that deserves to be shared with their peers, their friends and family. Every term, we provide a platform to do just this: all the clubs come together for a unique showing of all their hard work for their friends and family to watch. We also work with schools to arrange performances in their assemblies and fetes/festivals

2. Clubs are tailored to the goals of the participants. At the beginning of every term, our teachers sit with the pupils to ask them what they want to get out of the dance club. What do they want to learn? What do they want to achieve? This is then turned into a poster so pupils can see what they're building towards and teachers can tailor their classes accordingly. There's no one scheme of work that gets delivered to every club- each school gets their own unique experience.

3. Children have an active role in the club. This begins from the first day when they tell us what behaviour they believe is acceptable in the club, and this becomes Our Values. At the end of every class, the teacher also makes note of any songs the children particularly enjoy, so they can dance to music they like- whether it be the main dances or during the warm up or cool down.

4. Pupils gain a sense of ownership. Throughout the course of the term, children are encouraged to provide creative input into the dances taught by the teacher. We also incorporate creative dance sessions into our clubs so pupils gets the opportunity to create dances of their own. This means that all work created is the product of collaboration between the pupils and the teacher, rather than a strictly didactic lesson.

5. Pupils learn safe practise. Every VyMy Dance class must have an appropriate warm up and cool down, based on International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) guidelines. Teachers implement the recommended order of Pulse Raiser, Joint Mobilising and Muscle Activation for the warm up and Pulse Slower, Joint Mobilising and Muscle Lengthening for the cool down, and encourage pupils to recognise this pattern and why certain activities or stretches are best reserved for certain parts of the class.

6. We're for the performers, the directors and the choreographers. Whilst some providers focus solely on performing, VyMy Dance & Fitness recognises that not every dance club participant wants to be on stage. Amongst the performers are those who want to create and those who want to direct. When our shows approach, those who do not wish to perform become our assistants, helping us decide how the dancers will appear onstage and what the dance piece will ultimately look like. We also encourage those who do not want to perform (and those who do but also want extra responsibilities) to attend our shows and help with stage management.

7. We encourage dance everywhere. Many dance schools insist on exclusivity. We don't think that's fair and encourage pupils to go to as many dance classes as they wish. No one dance school can provide everything, so it makes sense to go to different places. We also maintain connections in the dance community and happily refer parents to recommended schools.

8. Our staff are qualified and experienced dance specialists. VyMy Dance & Fitness has very high standards in regards to who goes in to teach our clubs. All our teachers are experienced as performers and teachers, and are either already qualified teachers or studying towards their diploma. They are also DBS checked, insured and First Aid trained. Find out more about them here.

9. We encourage democracy. Pupil input is extremely important in how our classes are run. Children and parents are always consulted before the class is put forward for a performance, ensuring that everyone is comfortable with the venue and date. We also ask children to help decide our show themes or opening numbers for our termly performances.

10. We perform everywhere! VyMy Dance seeks performance opportunities within the Bedfordshire dance community, with the aim of providing amazing and unique experiences for pupils. We have participated in the River Festival, BedFringe and 1Step Youth Dance Platform alongside formal dance schools.