About Laura Ward-Moran
About Our Instuctors
Instructor Bios
FAQ's
Featured Student
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Frequently Asked Questions

1) What age do you need to be to enroll in dance classes at MSBMD?
Students must be age 3 at time of enrollment and potty trained.

2) Do you have classes for adults?
Yes, we have dance classes for all ages. Check our classes and schedules page.

3) Do you have recitals?
No, we do not have “recitals” as we do not waste precious class time practicing recital dances. At our studio, class time is spent learning dance technique. However, we do offer two pre-professional productions a year that the students may audition for and perform in if they choose to do so.

4) What are your performance opportunities?
We offer two pre-professional performances a year held at the Milburn Stone Theatre at Cecil College. We do a full length production of the Nutcracker Ballet in December and a Spring Concert in April. Students must be age 5 to audition for the Nutcracker. Students must be age 5 to audition for the Spring Concert.

5) Do you have performance opportunities for 3 and 4yr olds?
Yes. Our 3s and 4s can perform in our Spring Concert, if they choose to do so, by taking the Petite Performers class offered in the winter and spring sessions. See our classes and schedules page.

6) What type of floor do you have?
We are one of the only studios in Harford County offering a Gerstung certified Airbase floor with Marley. What does this mean? This means you will not get injured dancing on our floor. Our floor is designed specifically for ballet and modern dance and is shock absorbent and safe. Dancing on floors that are not designed for dance and are not air based can cause dancers to have shin splints, or worse; knee, foot, hip and back injuries. The Marley top surface prevents slippage for dancers on pointe and is ideal for ballet and modern dance.

7) Is your studio clean?
I guarantee you will not find one cleaner! Our studio is “straightened” daily and cleaned twice a week. You will not be dancing in dirt, hair or find things on the floor that you only can wonder how long they’ve been there. Our bathroom is neat and clean and our waiting area is meticulous. We pride ourselves on the cleanliness of our studio environment. We have hand sanitizer throughout the studio and encourage students and parents to utilize it. Fresh flowers are placed in the studio weekly.

8) What Method of Ballet do you teach?
Our instructors are trained both as professional ballet dancers and college degreed professionals. We bring to the studio a wealth of pertinent knowledge for training intelligent dancers mentally and physically. We do not train one specific method, rather we utilize the professional backgrounds of our entire ballet faculty, and the students at our studio get to learn ballet in a variety of styles. This gives our students an edge when they go to audition for companies and college dance programs as they have not been pigeonholed into one method of training. They can handle any combination given to them. See our instructor bios page.

9) Are you critical of a dancer’s weight?
At our studio no dancer is discriminated against based on her weight. All dancers are provided every possible opportunity based on their level of dedication, training and talent.

10) Do you have minimum requirements?
No. This means any dancer from any studio can supplement her ballet training at our school. However, it is expected that the dancers taking regularly at our school participate in multiple ballet classes per week by the time he/she reaches the Intermediate Level and is training for Pointe shoes.

11) What is your procedure for placing students’ en Pointe?
Dancers must be age 11 with Pediatricians approval. Once the parent has provided us with clearance from the family Doctor, the student will be evaluated for Pointe shoes IF: she is attending ballet classes regularly, has reached at least the Intermediate level, and demonstrates the necessary focus to handle Pointe technique. A very specific Pointe test will then be given to the dancer to see if she is ready. If so, the director will accompany the dancer to Artistic Dance Fashions in BaltimoreMD for a pointe shoe fitting.

12) Do you do competitions?
Absolutely not. We are a professional training school and we focus on technique- not competition. Our dancers perform well, dance well and most of the time pursue college or professional dance careers.

13) What makes you better than your competition? (other local studios)
It is not for us to say what is better or worse, and each family will have different reasons for choosing a dance studio. We may not be the studio for you. But, what makes us different is that our program is 100% focused on providing EACH student with a dance education, and then following through with the student to get him/her into college dance programs. We are educated women and men who have worked in a variety of college and university environments. We have made the necessary connections to have our dancers get noticed, and experience what is required of them for pursuing dance in college. We offer master classes to help get our students involved in summer programs at colleges and universities. We offer them exposure. We help them with their auditions for scholarship, and oftentimes write their recommendations. At our studio, you will be prepared to audition for any college dance program you desire. The dedication and perfection we demand gives us our integrity. See our Featured Student page on our website.

14) What is your inclement weather policy?
In the event of inclement weather please call 410-638-5188 for the status of classes. Sessions will not be extended, nor will refunds be given for classes missed due to weather. However, students may make up their missed classed by attending any class on our schedule at her level or below.

Further questions?
Email Laura at mdschoolofballet@comcast.net