By now your stockings have probably been hung by the chimney with care…
But you’ve still got dancers on your gift list! And Amazon is telling you that paying expedited $hipping fee$ a dose of Elf Magic is your only Ho Ho Hope for the timely arrival of those gifts.
Never fear, the digital age is here! These gifts are a procrastinator’s dream:
Choreography for Teachers
DancesToGo.com provides à la carte choreography for a variety of dance levels and genres. They’ve got a great group of guest choreographers with years of experience as teachers (and I’m not just saying that ’cause I’m one of them)!
One way to gift it: You may not know which choreography would be most useful for the gift-recipient. Since Dances To Go uses PayPal’s services, you could send money to your dancer friend or family member (they will need a PayPal account) for use at the site. While you’re at it, send them an iTunes gift so they can grab the music, too!
Help for Studio Owners
DanceStudioOwner.com gives studio owners what they need to be successful – e-books and articles, monthly teleseminars, templates, checklists, customizable forms, and plenty of support in an often isolating job. This is one of my favorite resources because they offer so much value at affordable monthly and yearly membership plans. Gift a membership and make your favorite studio owner very happy.
A Weekly Action Plan for Success
A new year. A new commitment to going the extra mile in your dance classes. We at Dance Advantage deliver the keys to make this year outstanding with an e-mail course that provides terminology, an inspirational quote, something to Dancescribe in a dance journal, and something to do EVERY WEEK in a 40-Week E-course.
Let us sustain and motivate your favorite dancer the whole year through. Yes, you can “gift” this e-course. It’s called 4 for 40 and you can find it right here.
Digital Reading
Whether your gift-recipient is Team Nook or Team Kindle, you can give specific digital publications as gifts at the Nook Store or Kindle Store (just look for the Buy/Give as a Gift links on the book’s purchase page).
Here are some of my favorites and books I’ve read this year:
When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she’s deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem’s muse, but as she discovers a surprising passion for writing, she begins to question whether she’s chosen the right path. Is Rem using her, or is it the other way around? And is dancing still her dream, or does she need something more?
Told through free-verse poetry, Kehoe’s first novel about an aspiring ballerina pairs dancing with coming-of-age themes. [Nichelle notes: This book is recommended for ages 12 and up but the book does contain adult situations which may not be suitable for all dancers on the younger side of this age range. A novel in verse is very unique and it took me only a short time to adjust. As Sarah’s passion for writing is revealed, the stylized prose proves to be a perfectly appropriate choice by the author.] For Nook || For Kindle
Bunheads For Nook || For Kindle
The Tutu Much Dance Series (4 books) For Nook || For Kindle
dancergirl For Nook || For Kindle
Where Snowflakes Dance and Swear For Nook || For Kindle
The Creative Habit For Nook || For Kindle
Physics and the Art of Dance (Kindle only)
The Ballet Companion For Nook || For Kindle
[Nichelle Notes: I loved the autobiographical anecdotes by this former NYCB company member and National Dance Institute founder who has also dipped his toe into the world of Hollywood. You’ll zip through this read. Jacques D’Amboise has lived a rich and interesting life and he can name-drop like nobody’s business!] For Nook || For Kindle
Mao’s Last Dancer For Nook || For Kindle
There are so many more! Search for dance or ballet or something more narrow in either store.
iPad users don’t have to miss out on the fun either. E-mail gift cards are available for each service.
Get a gift card:
For Nook Users || For Kindle Users
…then suggest items from our dancer-friendly reading list!
Music Magic
Richard Maddock (see our review)
Patience Clements (see our review)
For choreography or listening pleasure try:
Sabrina’s acoustic cover albums, I Love Acoustic and I Love Acoustic Too
Music of Ruth Crawford (Classical)
Delicious Dance Video
Amazon Instant Video from TenduTV
KineticFlix.com is DVD rental for the dance & fitness industries. Get a Gift Certificate and your dancer can queue up his/her favorites.
Got some more last-minute dancer gift ideas?
Tell us about ’em in the comments!
**In the interest of full disclosure: Dance Advantage has an affiliate relationship with both Amazon and iTunes, meaning we get a very small commission on any purchases made via our links. We have a similar but more significant relationship with our friends at DanceStudioOwner.com. DA does NOT earn referral commissions from Barnes & Noble, TenduTV, KineticFlix.com,or PayPal (though we like them a lot). And other than for Nichelle’s own choreography sales, DA earns no referral commission from DancesToGo.com.
Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. As a Houston-based dance writer, Nichelle covers dance performance for Dance Source Houston, Arts+Culture Texas, and other publications. She is a leader in social media within the dance community and has presented on blogging for dance organizations, including Dance/USA. Nichelle provides web consulting and writing services for dancers, dance schools and studios, and those beyond the dance world. Read Nichelle’s posts.
