Ritchie’s dance program is adding three sets of lessons in the new year.
Preschool Dance, Creative Dance for Kids and Creative Dance for Teens are scheduled during the day Fridays starting in January, hoping to appeal to the home-school community.
They compliment Preschool Dance and Kids Danse lessons offered on Saturdays.
“We are pretty excited about this,” says Karen Whitehead, who leads Ritchie’s Home-School Playgroup that meets at the hall every second Tuesday afternoon. “The home-school community is very much interested in trying new things and learning from everything and everywhere. This is the first time...an organization will come to the hall and offer home-schoolers a chance to participate.“
All Ritchie’s dance classes are led by Isabelle Rousseau, herself a resident of Ritchie. She brings an extensive background in dance performance, choreography and teaching to the role...plus boundless enthusiasm and a focus on being playful and having fun.
Isabelle began teaching at Ritchie last March, offering dance to 6 - 12 year olds. She followed that up with dance summer camps for kids and preschoolers. Fall brought Saturday sessions for both age groups. A spring break camp is in the works.
Her classes emphasize inclusivity, collaboration and creativity. Students can expect to learn simple choreography from various musical styles including traditional, hip hop, street, jazz, world and others, while also being encouraged to come up with moves of their own.
The home-school community has been active in Ritchie since at least 2011, with 25 - 35 people coming to the biweekly meet-ups. (A 2017 study by the Fraser Institute pegged Alberta’s home-school population at 1.4 per cent of all student enrolment, second highest in the country, and growing.)
While other home-school organizations exist to organize large events, field trips and group discounts, Ritchie’s Home-School Playgroup is unique in providing a space where kids can meet new friends and their parents can support each other through informal conversations with the issues they’re having.
“It really is an extension of playgroup that exists in many community halls for younger kids and moms (and dads) but for older kids. We can’t stress how important this is and how thankful we are for this space,“ says Karen. “There is a group of core people that have been meeting since the beginning and they have made really strong bonds that will likely continue into lifelong friendships.”
Dance classes may be the catalyst for many more.
(updated Jan. 11, 2020)