Our Methods

There is a method to everything we do at Dogwood Cotillion. There is a reason we teach traditional dances and there is a reason we ask the girls to wear white gloves. Our goal is to instill timeless social graces and life skills in a way that keeps our young students engaged and interested. 

One overarching theme is inclusiveness, encouragement, and positivity. We do not tolerate any kind of "making fun", teasing, or bullying. 

DANCES

The real reason we teach classical dances like the cha-cha: while the kids are moving about learning to dance, they are also learning eye contact and confidence. The dances actually serve as a means to help them learn other social skills that they will use every day.

NOTE: Boys are never required to ask girls to dance! We rapidly rotate dance partners around a large circle so no one has to choose a dance partner or wait to be chosen.


HIGH SCHOOL LEADERS

Our paid high school leaders not only assist with instruction, but they also add an essential "cool factor" to Dogwood Cotillion. Also, our cotillion students identify better with our high school leaders for lessons about cell phone etiquette and social media safety. 

ENERGY

The pace of each class is quick and our students are constantly moving around to optimize their energy and attention span and keep awkwardness at bay.

We play current pop music to teach classical dance steps and keep the kids singing and engaged.


FRIENDS

Cotillion classes are full of friends from the same school and grade. We even coordinate the rising 6th graders to continue learning with their friends from elementary school.

We want Cotillion to be fun!

INTERACTIVE GAMES

At the end of each session, we play interactive games with prizes to reinforce the session's key concepts. It's amazing what kids can remember when a prize is at stake! 

SPECIAL EVENTS

In addition to our "classic sessions" where we introduce the concepts in our curriculum, kids look forward to our special events like the Parent Program, Western Night, Hippie Night, Winter Dance, and Dining Out Workshops.