Heartbeat promotes a non-competition dance, acting and singing educational environment where instructors teach by encouragement – not by intimidation.
We are a performing arts studio and choose not to be involved with competitions because we appreciate and advocate dance, acting and singing as pure art forms. Our focus is on correct training and technique by professionals in the fields of dance, acting and singing. We provide performing opportunities throughout the year for all ages to share the beauty and emotional and intellectual stimulation of the arts with the public. We also want to provide long-term, life enriching experiences in the performing arts for our students. Hand-in-hand with this is our goal to develop the students’ trust in dance, acting and/or singing and to encourage them to take on the responsibility of raising the bar on their own potential. Dance, acting and singing are more than a physical presence and we nurture a truthful, not artificial, connection between the performer and the audience. We allow our students to immerse themselves in what is happening and to internalize their performance because it is only then that it is real.
We choose not to promote dance as a sport. Dancers, singers and actors are artists, not pageant participants. “Square peg; round hole,” comes to mind here when an effort is made to make something that it is not. Excessive makeup, false eyelashes, hair pieces, high fees associated with competitions, and age-inappropriate costumes, choreography and music are not encouraged at Heartbeat. Heartbeat fosters healthy competition on a personal basis. As renowned dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov once said, “Do not try to dance better than anyone else. Only try to dance better than yourself.”