At Monona Academy of Dance, we pride ourselves on training well-rounded dancers. We believe summer is the perfect time to expose dancers to new styles. However, certain styles like Ballet, Tap, and Jazz remain a focus.

See the Summer Intensive sample weekly schedule for a list of what classes are offered and how often.

If your dancer has never taken Hip Hop, Tap, or Character before, never fear! The goal is not to overwhelm your dancer, but to introduce them at an age-appropriate level to new styles. 

Our teachers will prepare for the Intensive knowing that they might have dancers who are new to their style. Each class over five weeks will build on itself so your dancer has a foundation in each style. Whether they decide to take that style year-round or they don’t continue with the style but encounter it somewhere else (for example, a convention), they have “the basics” ready.

Dancers will have a half-hour lunch break each day from 12:00-12:30 PM. Transition time between classes can always be extended to make sure dancers can get water, use the bathroom, and decompress. Our teachers work with kids regularly and will use their discretion to determine if breaks are needed. 

We think it’s important for our dancers to understand dance on an intellectual level. Many dance steps and techniques are in another language or named after countries or famous dancers/choreographers; we want our dancers to have that context. Dancers will learn dance history and vocabulary, including:

• Famous choreographers (e.g., George Balanchine, Martha Graham)

• Famous ballets (e.g., The Nutcracker, Swan Lake)

• Vocabulary (e.g., how to say and spell French ballet terms)

We also do one seminar on hair and makeup where we show dancers how to put their own hair in a bun and apply stage makeup.

In addition to teaching our dancers technique and new styles over the summer, we give them the chance to develop their own movement style. In the first few sessions of choreography work time, they learn different strategies and methods to develop choreography. For the rest of the Intensive, they use work time to create their own short pieces that they perform for their peers at the end of the Intensive. A teacher is present during the time to guide their process and make sure all dancers are included.

The doors will open and staff will be in the building to receive dancers at 8:30 AM.

If your dancer becomes ill overnight and can’t attend class, please email us at mononaacademyofdance@gmail.com or call the studio after 8:30 AM at 608-221-4535.

If your dancer becomes ill at the studio, we will call their emergency contact from their registration form to pick them up. Front desk staff will be available to wait with them, provide care, and ensure they get connected to the person picking them up.

We know summer is crazy busy for our families! If your dancer needs to leave early on a day because of another commitment, please email us at mononaacademyofdance@gmail.com or call the studio after 8:30 AM at 608-221-4535. Front desk staff will get them out of class at the appropriate time so they can be waiting for you to pick them up.

If you are not able to get to the studio by 5 PM, please email us at mononaacademyofdance@gmail.com or call the studio after 8:30 AM at 608-221-4535 to notify us. Front desk staff remain in the building until 6:30 PM to wait with your dancer.

Late pickup without notification to the studio or after 5:30 PM will result in a late-pickup up charge of $20.