Our Mission.
At Zima Academy of Dance, our mission is to provide a high-quality, well-rounded dance education that fosters creativity, confidence, and community. Our director is a highly trained school psychologist, which brings a unique understanding of child development and learning to our programs, ensuring a nurturing and supportive environment that promotes social, emotional, and cognitive growth. We believe that every individual deserves access to the arts, regardless of background or financial means. Through our programs, we strive to break down barriers and create a welcoming environment that embodies our core values of Perseverance, Acceptance, Commitment, and Kindness. By offering affordable and accessible classes and performance opportunities, we aim to empower students of all ages and skill levels to explore their passion for dance and reach their full potential.
core values.
Our Core Values are our philosophy and root of programming. We follow the acronym, PACK. A pack of animals need each other to survive. They operate in unison to complete tasks, no matter how difficult it may be. To me, this is similar to a family. A dance studio is a family. We are a pack. Each of our competitive teams and performance levels are labeled as animals to show our commitment to the PACK.
Perseverance.
Dance is hard. You will fall, you won't get everything the first time, we will need to persevere together. It is essential to take these risks together and keep going even when things get hard. Someone once told me, "perfection is an unobtainable social construct", which has really resonated with me as I navigate life. The dance community empathizes perfection. We put an empathize on the process. Trust the process and persevere with us through our love of dance.
Acceptance.
Did you know that the chance to be the way that you are is a 1 in 400 trillion? The beauty in life is no one is the exact same. We welcome everyone here a Zima. Dance is a place to be you. To feel like you. To leave all that is happening at life at the door and just come in and dance. We have a zero tolerance policy for bullying and all suspected bullying claims will be investigated and treated seriously. If a claim has been proven to be true it is possible you may be asked to leave the studio for not following the PACK.
Commitment.
While dance is fun and should always be fun, there is a level of commitment that is expected to be upheld. If you are not committed to the art and the sport it will prevent you from making growth. It can also effect the other members of the team and your class. You must be committed to yourself as a dancer, your team, and the studio. We do have an attendance policy in place.
Kindness.
I was a live in nanny during my undergraduate time. Those four kids would imitate me saying; "That's not kind". Kindness is in the forefront of everything that I believe in. To feel confident enough to be vulnerable in dance class, you need to know that you are in a safe environment. In order to succeed at Zima, you will need to adopt kindness as a philosophy. Again, we have a zero tolerance policy on bullying or any unkind behaviors.