The syllabus is a balanced mix of set work and directed improvisation / choreography exercises, all with the aim of bringing out a more authentic sense of performance in your dancers, and helping them develop their relationship to music and their own use of self-expression.

The main areas of focus are: Rhythm & Musicality, Emotion & Feeling, Confidence & Presence, Imagination & Creativity, Improvisation, Visualisation, and Performance.
The set work is heavily themed so that the movement is stylised rather than genre specific, and is quite drama based to help encourage character and feeling, with themed work that ranges from the Jungle and Fireworks, to Superheroes, Rockstars, Scarecrows, and Emotions.

EXERCISES, VIDEOS & MUSIC TRACKS included:
* Level One / Purple Age 3-5yrs: 12 exercises, 9 music tracks (3 exercises don't require music), 20 video examples and teaching points,
* Level Two / Yellow & Orange Age 5-10yrs: 27 exercises, 37 music tracks, 50 video examples and teaching points

Every class also starts with a short guided visualisation to help children focus, warm ups for their imaginations as well as their bodies, exercises to begin planting seeds of creating their own choreography, enjoyable rhythm exercises, and much more.

The syllabus has a strong emphasis on it’s philosophy of nurturing confidence and self-belief to get the best from any child, and part of the course / materials you’re given offers insight into how we as dance teachers can encourage growth mindset and talent development in our students from an early age.

Note: Level One / Purple Badge work is often used by teachers as a way to 'refresh' and add a touch of excitement and creativity to existing classes, even up to age 8 years. It's a great way to dip your toes into the ethos and style of the syllabus initially without commitment to annual membership. Much value can be had from Level One work if using integrative way with your students.

- There is no other dance syllabus like it.
- It’s core focus is Expression, Creativity, Self-Belief and Mindset
- It’s an additional creative syllabus, rather than a technical syllabus, to help grow the artistry and mindset of young dancers.
- It’s neutral in style and genre.
- It works to complement and even enhance technique.
- It promotes and allows for the creativity and personal self-expression of the teacher, in how it’s delivered from week to week.
- It provides dance teachers with a balanced mix of structure and freedom, enough to give you full control as a teacher but to also allow moments of creativity and the individual ideas of the children to shine through.
- It actively helps a teacher increase a healthy mindset amongst students.
- It’s suitable for all ages and abilities, as the exercises adapt to the ability of the dancer.
- It becomes an annual active MEMBERSHIP from Level Two which includes TWO seminars per year that focus on ways you can maximise your use of the syllabus, ideas of how to adapt and expand the exercises, and one-to-one feedback /assistance where needed.

All set work in the syllabus has been choreographed in a neutral but expressive style, therefore whether you are a ballet, modern, latin & ballroom, contemporary, or street dance teacher it is accessible to all and aims to increase overall confidence performance and creative potential in your students. The syllabus also includes a section of exercises that allows interpretation, meaning the children might apply a specific style of dance to these, if they feel compelled to e.g. if they interpreted some music in a way that felt light and soft they may unconsciously choose a more balletic style to improvise with for that part of the exercise.

If you are delivering independent Groove Child classes we recommend the following age splits:
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- Level One / Purple 3-5yrs
- Level Two / Yellow 5-7yrs
- Level Two / Orange 8-10yrs

Note: these are recommended age splits if you are intending to offer Groove Child CLASSES on your timetable. However, there is an overlap of suitability for all the levels if you are simply planning to mix the Groove Child work into your existing classes - as an injection of variety and fun! For example, many exercises in Level One / Purple are actually suitable for up to age 8 years, and Level Two / Orange can be suitable for 11/12yr olds if they are new to Groove Child work.

This is an ‘add-on’ Syllabus for established dance or performing arts teachers who have teaching qualifications with any recognised dance governing body, or a Degree in Dance / Performing Arts. Experience in teaching is important. Groove Child is not a teaching qualification on it’s own. You will ideally have been teaching children’s classes for a while, and have all relevant insurance, DBS checks, child protection, and basic first aid training.

There are no exams, but Level two members offering independent Groove Child classes at their dance schools can choose to mark student progress and reward them using the supplied Groove Graduation certificates and Groove Growth cards as an added feature.

Each child’s ‘Groove Growth’ is recorded by you, their teacher, and there are 15 areas of growth to mark and keep track of, all of which have a focus on praising the process and celebrating their individuality. A different and healthy way to reward your students!

The growth you can see in your students through Groove Child can be witnessed across all their other dancing, and even outside of dance, as it aims to enhance their personal confidence and creativity, not just within dance, and the growth cards reflect this.

We recommend 30 mins for Purple, 45mins for Yellow, 45mins for Orange. It’s a great beginners class to welcome new children in to dance for the first time, but equally a great way to encourage creativity and expression for your longer standing students who need a boost in confidence and performance.

If however you don’t have room for new classes but still want to incorporate the tools and benefits of Groove Child in your classes you can do so but simply merging this work within your other classes for the corresponding age groups, using the Groove Child exercises to help enhance their performance in class. (Many teachers begin this way, as an opportunity to get confident with the exercises in an already established class before setting up the individual Groove a Child classes).

Yes. And in the members area we explain and suggest ways to do this easily in the teaching points and variations section.

Ideal Groove Child licensees are established teachers who expect high standards in technique but who also understand and take seriously the positive (or negative) impact we as important role models can have on our students emotionally and personally.

Groove Child is perfect for you as a teacher if the mental and emotional wellbeing of your students is of high importance to you.
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It’s also a perfect fit for teachers looking for a structured way to celebrate and reward individuality in their pupils, and for those who want to run separate classes dedicated to the exploration of musicality, choreography, and the expressive nature of dance as a way to enhance the overall development and performance of their dancers.
 
Groove Child is about helping each young person ‘find their own groove’ in dance but also in life, and so it’s ideal for dance teachers who want to find more time (and inspiration) to be creative with their students - fuelling their own creativity as teachers, well as that of their students.‍

This syllabus is not a good fit for teachers who favour a more authoritarian teaching style with a sole focus on technique or set exercises.

Some exercises within the Groove Child syllabus are completely set and some involve child-led exploration and ‘on the spot’ creativity from the teacher, but in a structured manner. If this is not something a teacher feels comfortable with, Groove Child may not be a good fit for them at this time. All exercises, whether set or explorative, encourage expression, feeling, adaptability and individuality – developing on the child/dancer as a whole.

Groove Child is not available currently as a studio membership, only individual membership, but sharing login details with your staff is at your discretion. We understand some Principals may want another teacher to run the Groove Child classes or benefit from using someone of the exercises in their other classes. You might wish to consider whether THEY are the ones who purchase the membership, rather than you if you are not going to use it all. Do feel free to email and discuss this with us if you're unsure.

Groove Child sessions can at times be quite active for you as a teacher, particularly when the children are first getting used to some of the exercises and routines, and you do need to be able to demo everything, and not be afraid to use your own expression (and occasionally channel your own inner child!) But as with all new things, once the children are familiar with the exercises the teacher can do less physically. It’s your choice!

Mindfulness is a life skill that we value deeply because it can help students (and us) grow more focus and concentration, helping them become more self aware, not just of their bodies, senses and feelings but of who they are or who they are becoming all of which is scientifically proven to help us achieve at higher levels in dance, sports, music, and across other diverse areas of life.

We incorporate short age appropriate visualisations and mindful moments within each session to help children gain focus and attention and find that self-awareness. We also encourage them to close their eyes to listen to the music sometimes, helping to guide them in connecting more to music as dancers.

No, we recommend you keep it in line with your other class prices. But as a guide, we recommend £5 per 30 minute session, or £6 per 45 minute session, paid in half-termly or termly blocks.

Please go to the pricing page for full details, but here is a quick explanation:

If you wish to purchase Level Two and become an annual member immediately, you do need to go through the step of purchasing Level One first as a one off £95 payment, and then upgrade in the members area to Level Two. Here are the steps at a glance:

* Get Started / Sign Up to Level One - £95 ONE-OFF payment, which gives access to the syllabus exercises for PURPLE Badge, age 3-5yrs in the members area.. This static membership carries NO ongoing renewal costs and no bonuses/extras..
* Level Two - adds access to students rewards and syllabus exercises for YELLOW and ORANGE Badge covering up to age 10yrs. You simply upgrade to Level Two via your members area where it takes you through very simple and quick set up of your annual licence / membership fee of £145. The date you do this then becomes your official membership renewal date (so make note of it in your diary!)

Currently no annual licence for Level One. We introduced this option in the light of the pandemic when our materials first transferred from live trainings to an online platform. Level One will stay this way until further notice - we would give a 3 month warning to all Level One members should for any reason these materials need to be removed (to give you plenty of time to extract the Level One information you need from the platform) but we would never suddenly ask you to pay an annual fee.

Level Two Licensees:
Annual re-registration and your new certificate
Licensed use of the Groove Child syllabus for age 3-10yrs
Printable student rewards: Groove Graduation certificates and Groove Growth progression cards
Ongoing syllabus support via email and zoom
2 x free online seminars per year, full of additional inspiration and ideas for your students of all ages (including teens)
Access to past seminar recordings
Discount and priority booking on all other Groove Child hosted online seminars, including the annual ‘Inspired Dance Teacher’ Convention (LIVE in person event, from 2023).

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What are Groove Child® Licensee ENHANCEMENT Workshops and how much are they?

These full day 10am-5pm optional in-person workshop events happen once a year every February on the south coast of the UK. They are designed for up to date licensees to attend as optional extra CPD hours, with a certificate of completion at the end. These ENHANCEMENT workshop days include additional ways that Groove Child can be tailored for other specific classes or groups, as indicated below. The day will also give you an in depth look at all the exercises within your current licensee 'level' in a personalised one-to-one setting, led by the lead facilitators and creators of Groove Child.  

* Groove Child Syllabus Enhancement Workshop £250
INCLUDED on the day...
- In depth look at the syllabus exercises, individual Q&As, all exercises workshopped
- Groove Child for Pre-School age
- Groove Child for your SEN / ALN students

We don’t offer refunds once you sign up or upgrade and have access to the materials. You simply CANCEL your membership at the click of a button via your profile page in the members area if after the first year (or any subsequent year) you no longer wish to continue offering Groove Child to your students.

Workshops and Events: We are unable to give refunds for non-attendance of any pre-booked seminars or events, we simply agree a rescheduled date with you if applicable.

Groove Child t-shirts are optional and are available to purchase through us by contacting info@groovechilddance.com and we recommend these are worn with black leggings and that children are bare foot, hair up (neat ponytail or bun).

Contact us for up to date information on our upcoming enhancement workshop dates info@groovechilddance.com

Level One on it’s own carries no certificate or accreditation because it’s not a course as such, you are simply purchasing the music, handbook, and syllabus video access to learn at your leisure, along with our guidance videos. Level One gets you started with Groove Child on a ‘no commitment’ basis. You can set up and advertise Groove Child Level One classes at your venue or anywhere you choose, or you can simply integrate the exercises into your current sessions! You can use the Groove Child Level One logo to promote your classes..

Level Two membership carries a syllabus licence and includes a certificate (updated annually upon renewal) and gives you official Groove Child® Licensee status. The 2 annual seminars can contribute to your personal CPD log (4 hours).

Level Two members receive access to download the licensee logo for use on your website or social media to express your affiliation with the syllabus. We also include short descriptions you can use to help parents and children get a feel for the new class opportunity you are offering.

You simply inform us and then don’t make the renewal payment at the end of the year. We will remove you from our Groove Child teacher register You won’t receive any further access to the membership site, updates or bonus exercises, and will no longer be legally permitted to offer Groove Child classes or use the music/exercises beyond Level One, as per the signed agreement. We don't offer any option to 'pause' membership. You would need to go through the steps of membership again if you wanted to offer Groove Child in the future, at any point.

Junior syllabus trailer
How it feels to teach Groove Child
Groove Child Licensee course day