We had 20 trunks…that were all SO creatively done. We are so grateful for the families and our competition team dancers that volunteer to do a trunk. Without trunks, it wouldn’t be trunk or treat!

Our Performing Company and Sparkle Squad dancers performed, not once but twice for the massive crowds. Seeing those dancers shine and exude confidence (even though we know some may not have felt confident) was such a great sight. We had dancers that just finished learning their dance a few days earlier. And some of our younger dancers performing in this type of environment for the very first time. In fact one of our little dancers told her mom, “I’m a real dancer now!”. That is what we hope for our dancers…to challenge themselves, grow and believe in themselves.

Not sure how many people we had come to the event, but it sure was a LOT! Building community is one of our core values and goals here at Liberty Dance Center. And events like this is one of the ways we do it. We know life gets busy and sometimes during the week it’s hard to find time to connect with others while everyone is just trying to get their people where they need to be. But seeing time slow down a bit to allow for conversations and laughs together, just warms our hearts.

We hope everyone that attended had a blast, made new memories with your family and dance friends. Thank you for our amazing Liberty Dance Center team for all of your hard work. We can’t wait for next year…our 5th annual and during our 20th anniversary season. We know that one will be extra special!!

~Miss Kate

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This week I had the opportunity to attend an in person business conference. There is something so special about getting “in the room” with other people looking to learn and grow. The conversations that happen at the snack/coffee table, in the hotel lobby, and during meals are so valuable. What I loved most about this business conference is that even though I do have friends here that own dance studios as well, most don’t. It’s refreshing to hear from business owners in other industries-from MedSpas to Construction Companies to Restaurants and everything in between. And what always shocks me, is that as unique as we all feel our situations are, we all have the same struggles and goals.

Some of us here have been in business for close to 20 years like me. And others are brand new and some have been in business for many more years than I have. There are men and women. People in their 20s and people in their 60s. Sharing experiences and ideas with each other is invaluable. When my husband asked me this morning how the conference was going, I replied “great! I just need to process all that info and ideas that are in my head!” Boy there is a lot in there…and it’s awesome!

My hope when attending these conferences is multi-fold. Of course I hope to walk away with ideas that will help my business serve our families even better. But I also hope that our students at Liberty Dance Center see that even at age 45 I am still “going to school” and learning whenever I can. And being away at these conferences is also a learning experience for the amazing team at the studio as they get to see that they can handle daily operations on their own…sometimes even better than when I am there!

So as I wrap up my time here, I look forward to the quiet drive home with time to think. It makes me excited to see what the future holds and know that every time I attend a conference, read a book, listen to a podcast and/or take an online course is a step forward. Running a business is a challenge for sure, but boy is it a fun one! And knowing that we are making a difference in so many lives, is our why. And what an honor that is. One we don’t take lightly!

~Miss Kate

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Every year we do a “You & Me” dance to close out our recital shows. It’s a chance for our young dancers to share their love of dance with their special person (dad, mom, uncle, etc). Well, some of our dads have been doing this special dance for years now and they LOVE it. They love it so much, they have been requesting we offer a Dads Dance class just for them.

Well, this season the stars all finally aligned. One of our “OG” Adult students, Miss Keri, emailed me the day after recital saying she would love to teach the dads class. So we checked the room schedule and found a day/time with an open space and made it happen!

Monday we had 7 dads take the class! And they were awesome. The coolest thing was hearing “their why”. They ranged from “I need to get back to moving my body.” to “it looks so fun.” And my favorite… “I’m too old to not know how to dance!”. So any other dads out there, we’d love to have you come try. What a cool way to bond with your daughter when you get home and also gain some respect for what they do each week.

Then…we also started up a session of SHINE Dance Fitness. Our teacher, Miss Kate H, got certified as a SHINE teacher during the pandemic and offered to teach it at Liberty Dance  Center. We tried it out this summer and it was well loved by those that attended. Last night we had a crew of 11 take this class.

We danced, we sweated and we have fun! 5,000 steps worth of fun! This class is high energy and fun music. The moves are easily adaptable based on your experience and comfort level.

What is the best part of both of these 2 new programs offered at Liberty Dance Center is getting to see adults step out of their comfort zone and try something new and something for themselves. We see so many parents give their all to the families day in and day out. Which is so special. But it’s also so special to carve out time to move your body, take time for yourself and most importantly, try something new.

If you’re interested in either program, just let us know…we’d love to have you!

~Miss Kate

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First up, our Performing Company! A few weeks ago they all got together at Liberty Dance Center and Miss Deanna (with the help of her husband) threw such a fun team bonding/season kick off party for the team. Getting to see our students get to know each other and enjoy each other’s company outside the dance studios is so special. They ate, played TONS of fun games outside and of course…danced! And then on Labor Day, they got to do their first performance of the season. They entertained the crowd at the Lake Country DockHounds professional baseball game. They did awesome as always!

You may have seen our next new addition to the Liberty Dance Center grounds…a new, custom made Little Free Library! If you danced with us at our original location, you may remember that we had one there (my mom’s!). We believe that “leaders are readers” and so being able to have books for our students and their families is such a great treat. This very special Little Free Library was the creation of 3 of our students, Ania, Natalie and Nora (along with Ania’s sister). They designed it, built it and installed it. It’s definitely getting used…and that makes us so happy.

Lastly, ice cream!! Last week our friends at Sweet Abilities came everyday with their ice cream truck. What a sweet treat during that very HOT week. We saw so many families enjoying the delicious treats. We love Sweet Abilities’ mission:  Provide meaningful, community-based job opportunities and work experiences for individuals with diverse abilities. Thank you, thank you Kristen and the Sweet Abilities team! Hopefully, this is a new tradition!

We have more community events coming up throughout the year. These big examples are wonderful, but we do also notice the small ones that happen daily in our studio walls. That’s one of the things that makes us so proud. We LOVE our community at Liberty Dance Center. Thank you to all of you for making it so special!

~Miss Kate Moody

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The start of a new season of dance brings so many emotions. For lots, it’s excitement! To see their beloved dance friends again, see their favorite dance teachers and all the exciting things that they know a dance season brings.

For others, they feel more nervous. New things, situations and environments can be scary. But one of my all time favorite quotes is “do one thing everyday that scares you.”

At Liberty Dance Center, we understand these feelings and sometimes feel them ourselves! We take deep pride in being aware of our students and how they approach the new season and do our best to meet them where they are at. A good push out of your comfort zone, when done out of love, can me a magical thing!

It’s so fun for us to see how each student grows as both a dancer and a person throughout the season. When we are watching their recital performance from side stage, we beam with pride knowing that some of the dancers really had a hard time at the start of the season. And to see what they have overcome, either physical dance moves or confidence wise is truly inspiring. There are many a tear shed from the side of the stage…all good of course!

So dancers, I encourage you to set a goal for yourself that’s a bit out of reach. Maybe that’s trying a new style. Maybe it’s getting yourself up to the front of the line for across the floor. Maybe that’s meeting a new friend.

Parents, I encourage you to be there for your child through the positive, happy, “I love to dance” days. But more importantly, through those days (because we all have them) where your dancer “doesn’t feel like it” or “they’re bored in class”. Remind them that sometimes you have to go back to basics to grow. Like pulling the arrow back before releasing! And something I heard an Olympic athlete say her parents’ rule was…”you can quit, but never on a bad day.”

I know this season is going to be full of way more good days, than bad days. But pushing ourselves to try new things and keep going when things are hard…that’s the magic! Let’s make this season, #19 for Liberty Dance Center, the best one yet. We’re here for you every dance step of the way!

~Miss Kate Moody

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January was a busy and exciting month at the studio! Performing Company dazzled with their dancing at the Wave soccer game in Milwaukee, Miss Kate attended Studio Owner’s University in Florida, Miss Lori hosted a hugely successful blood drive at the studio, daytime dance classes for toddlers were a hit, and all of our dancers came back to classes strong and ready to shine! We also saw an influx of new students joining us, whom we welcomed with open arms!

Amidst all of it, our Liberty Dance Center staff pulled together as strong as ever! Many teachers were in need of a substitute this past month due to life’s circumstances: sudden sicknesses (thanks, winter!), planned vacations, a foot surgery, work commitments outside the studio, and unforeseen lack of childcare.

Through all of these challenges, the staff at Liberty Dance Center came together to stand in the gaps! ALL of our instructors have full schedules and many commitments outside of the studio, which is part of what makes us so great! We wear many hats and bring our varied talents to the studio to share with others. Despite our full schedules and bustling lives, we never hesitate to help our team mates when we can! We live by the golden rule.

Just as we work solidly as a team, so do our dancers! Our love for dance and the life skills it teaches trickles down to our students every day. We look forward to the rest of the dance season at Liberty Dance Center, where team work truly does make the dream work!

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This past weekend our competition team dancers did just that. They had their annual in-studio intensive with Epic Dance, Inc. at Liberty Dance Center. They took a total of 4 challenging classes each day of the weekend. They learned new combos, got new feedback from new teachers and learned new skills.

Was it hard? For sure! But as the teachers from Epic Dance Inc. (and we do at LDC) told them…that’s when you grow! We always hope our dancers take away at least one new nugget to improve as both dancers and as people.

It also provided some great team bonding both during class and during snack breaks and a pizza party!

But you don’t have to attend a dance intensive to get out of your comfort zone. Here are a few other ways to do so:

• Stand in a different spot in class
• Take a new style of dance, maybe one that sort of scares you
• Volunteer to lead the line across the floor or go in group one.
• Ask a question to the teacher if you don’t normally do so
• Meet a new friend by simply saying hello!

Not a dancer and want to get out of your comfort zone? Here are a few of my favorite ways to do so:

• Travel! It doesn’t need to be anywhere far and exotic (although that is always great!). Simply visit a new town on the weekend or go to a new coffee shop.
• Read a style of book you don’t normally read. Non fiction, historical fiction, romance, suspense…so many great ones out there!
• Sign up for something that scares you! My favorite is a run/walk. There are SO many out there and the culture at races is so awesome. I signed up for my first half marathon after only running 3 miles. It scared me, but signing up “forced” me to do something I wasn’t sure I could.
• Take a class. That could be our adult dance class (mamas, I am talking to you!). And online course or an art class.

Whatever you do, do something once a month that pushes you out of your comfort zone. Then at the end of the year, look back and see how far you’ve come!!

~Miss Kate

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It’s so fun to see the amazingly talented athletes give it their all in the sport of choice. You can tell they have put the work in. They’ve made so many sacrifices to follow their dreams, as have the parents and families, many of whom are there in the audience supporting these talented athletes. It truly does take a village to accomplish making it to the Olympics.

The Olympic Spirit

But what I find even more exciting and heartwarming to watch is what happens off the mat/track/pool. I love seeing the interactions the athletes have with their teammates AND with their competitors from other countries.

Yes, they are all going for the same goal…winning an Olympic gold medal. However, only 1 person in each event can win that. Many more athletes won’t. But seeing them support each other with high fives, hugs, smiles is just so great to see.

Most notably, the now famous photo of our 2 US gymnasts, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowing down to the gold medal winner Rebeca Andrade from Brazil. THAT is what we need to see more of in the world on the daily basis.

The Importance of Sportsmanship at Liberty Dance Center

We try to teach and model that type of sportsmanship at Liberty Dance Center. Our LDC teaching team is an amazing example and we hope the students (and parents) see that. We genuinely support each other. You will often overhear during show week comments such as, “wow that was a really cool move,” “I love this song, you always find such unique music,” “I love the staging you use, so creative.”

At Liberty Dance Center we do have a competition team and they are really talented! Each season they attend 4 competitions and earn many special judges awards as well as overall high scores.

While we display their trophies the week after, only one stays out at the front desk always. The sportsmanship award. We have won it twice in the past 5 or so years and I always tell the little dancers that stop at the front desk with stars in their eyes that THAT is the trophy we are most proud of, and honestly always will be.

Our dancers (and teachers) earned that by being the people that show support and respect to each other, to other studios, to the backstage staff and their teachers and families. It may not be an official Olympic gold but it’s just as important to us.

How can you show sportsmanship in your daily life?

Imagine if we all did just a little bit more each day…the world would be an even more beautiful place.

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At Liberty Dance Center we feel it’s so important and crucial to step out of our comfort zone, as that is where the real growth happens. Is it hard? Yes. Is it scary? Absolutely. Is it worth it? 100%.

Growth Zone

While we often talk about our comfort zones, there is also a zone called the Growth Zone.

“The growth zone is an area of personal and professional development that lies beyond the comfort zone. It is a space where individuals actively seek out challenges, embrace discomfort, and continuously push their limits to learn, grow, and achieve new levels of success.”

We hope we inspire our dancers at Liberty Dance Center to continue to take a step into their growth zone. It’s so fun and rewarding to know where our dancers started their dance (and life) journeys and see where they go with it. And as we always say, dance training is life training and what the dancers will learn from stepping out of their comfort zones into their growth zones in dance, will transfer over to their life too.

So what ways can YOU push yourself to seek out challenges, embrace discomfort and push your limits? Comment below and let us know!

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Cheer From The Sidelines

Have you ever noticed that cheering someone on, giving someone a compliment or even just sharing a smile with someone else not only puts a pep in their step, but it does to you as well?! Sometimes it may feel awkward or make you nervous to do so, but with practice it becomes more comfortable and it actually becomes a part of your daily life.

This month we have a few opportunities to practice cheering each other on from the sidelines. Classes will be coming together to show and tell and encourage each other to perform their best and keep working hard on their recital dances.

This weekend and next weekend our competition team and performing company will be competing at local competitions. They will not only be cheering on their own teammates, but also other dancers and studios.

At the end of the month, our Rose Glen students will be performing for the classmates at their annual Chicken BBQ.

So we challenge you to find ways you can cheer from the sidelines in your life. We promise, it will not only make the person you are cheering for have a better day, but it will make your day better too!

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