Ballet in the Park
By Jennifer Grahnquist, The Dancer’s Advantage
The Dancer’s Advantage, a ballet studio in Park Hill, certainly has one very unique advantage: its location directly across the street from W. H. Ferguson Park. In addition to providing a great place for mom and little brother to play while big sister is in class, the park offers a whole new dance experience by serving as a second studio space when the weather permits. Commonly known as “Turtle Park” thanks to a large concrete climbing turtle, the park includes a playground with a jungle gym, plenty of open grass for dancing, a surrounding fence at the perfect height for a ballet barre and great trees for skipping circles around.
Owner and instructor Brian Bender was very enthusiastic about the idea to take Pre-Ballet and Beginning Ballet classes outside to the park. In today’s world, with fewer and fewer children having access to regular outdoor play, taking the ballet class outside allows for time in nature while encouraging a more creative mindset than other outdoor activities like organized sports. Parents and dancers alike have been delighted with the “ballet in the park” and the children have continued to ask for outside classes even when the weather is too cold. This teacher is encouraged to see the increasing excitement her students have shown both for ballet and for the outdoors.
The Dancer’s Advantage offers ballet for all ages and experience levels year-round and is located at 4638 E 23rd Ave in Denver. For more information contact Brian Bender at 303-320-6659 or visit thedancersadvantage.com.