dance, art, children, creative parenting, studio life blog East Danforth, East York, Riverdale, Leslieville, Beaches, Scarborough, Leaside, North York

Family Friendly Arts Events in Toronto

9/11/2014

Looking for arts based activities to do with your family? Angela LeCompte asked us to share some events we knew about and we’ve got a few ideas. To begin with, come visit us this weekend at the Arts Fair in East Lynn Park. Pegasus will have a tent set up for both days of the festival. We will have an art project your kids can stop and do with us as well as information about our new Children’s Gallery and Art Workshops. Plus, find out how you can host an art exhibit for your children!

We will also have a short dance performance on Sunday, September 14th between 12:00-12:30.

Toronto’s Culture Days, September 26, 27 and 28, is another great event this fall. Many arts organizations are opening their doors to the public and offering events, tours, exhibits and more! Click Here for more on Culture Days.

In another artistic vein, we are really excited about the Roald Dahl event happening in October. It is the 50th anniversary of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the event looks scrumptious! Check it out here.

We will keep posting events as we hear about them throughout the year, but feel free to share things you’ve heard about in the comments below!

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For all ADULTS who have always wanted to dance

9/8/2014

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Marnie asked us to write about how to make non-dancer adults comfortable in dance classes. This is a big question as we've had adults come to our dance classes of a wide variety of backgrounds. As such, we've found that the best thing to do is to be open and accepting of ALL of these backgrounds. Below are 5 ways that Pegasus and the Pegasus teachers try to make Adult Dance Classes as inviting as possible to adults who have never danced before.

P.S. September is Try-A-Class Month for our Adult Classes. Drop in for $10 a class or use up your class cards from last season! Check out our schedule here.

Wear anything you want - we do not expect everyone to be comfortable in ballet
slippers and a bodysuit, in fact very rarely do our adult dancers wear that to
class. We encourage and invite any clothing that makes you feel comfortable to
move in. Maybe that is a fabulous bodysuit but it might also be your favourite
sweat pants and concert t-shirt. We really want you to be the most confident you
can be!

No performances - our classes are designed to be a time for you to connect with yourself. As such we do not have performances for our adults and try to keep the classes in our studios with smaller observation windows.
Various levels in one class - our teachers are experts at teaching dance and they understand how to break down exercises and steps into manageable pieces. Our classes are for all levels because teachers are able to give variations on exercises to suit the needs of all levels. So, you can take the class at your own pace and work for yourself.
A non-competitive environment - as in all our classes at Pegasus, we attempt to create a non-competitive atmosphere. We focus on the individual journey rather then how your dancing fits into a certain expectation.
Small class sizes - we keep the classes small so that the teacher is able to give a lot of personal attention to everyone. This helps with all of the above points as well!

That is how we do it at Pegasus but we would love to hear from other dance teachers, adult dance students, or potential adult dance students. How do you make new dancers feel comfortable? Or, what would you want a teacher to do if you were a beginner adult dancer? Comment below and help us keep the conversation flowing!!

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We've been worker bees

9/4/2014

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We closed for three weeks this summer to get as many studio improvements done as we possibly could and look at what we accomplished!

- Out with the old carpets and in with the new! We need your help keeping the new carpets clean, please take off ALL outdoor shoes in the front entrance.

- Bye Bye Blue – We went purple in the reception room!

- Prime Time for Pre-School – we created a great new play space for the pre-school program's play time!

-Stroller Parking – We’ve added a chain for easy stroller parking and locking. It is on the side of the building with the driveway.

- Welcome note ♪ – New music room for private piano or guitar, plus we have Ukuleles in the building now! Welcome to our new music programs.

- Reading Nook – The reception room play area has been turned into a soothing reading corner, perfect for quiet activities while waiting for classes.

- Children’s Art Gallery – The third floor has been transformed into a fantastic gallery space for children’s art. Look for work from our amazing art classes or host an art show of your child’s work!