Watch Your Students Grow in Joy and Confidence
The Little Dancer Difference
Teacher
Support
Feel supported as a teacher, avoid burnout and remove hours of weekly lesson planning stress.
Exceptional
Classes
Get the tools needed and develop the confidence to teach exceptional early dance classes.
Clear
Progression
Teach consistently across your classes, with a clear progression from tots into your foundational dance classes.
Developmentally
Appropriate
When you teach classes that nurture the whole child, you’ll see more growth and more joy in your students and your teaching.
It’s 3:52. Class begins at 4:00.
You just stepped into the studio, running a few minutes late. Tonight, you’re teaching littles. A 3 year old class, a 4 year old class, a 5/6 year old combo class. You’ll end the night with Ballet 1, then an adult class.
Your preschool students are gathering in the lobby. Twirling and jumping across the waiting area as their moms start chatting. Today, you’re starting a new theme. You meant to arrive a little earlier, but got stuck in school traffic.
You’re running late. You didn’t spend your weekend lesson planning. But hey, it’s actually okay.
You open your class binder. Your roll is there. Your lesson plan is ready, along with your prop list for the day’s lesson and coloring pages to hand out after class. You skim the info about the new theme and what you’ll be teaching. You gather your props in about a minute. You scan the QR code to pull up today’s music playlist.
You’re ready, and with 2 minutes to spare. You head out to the waiting area to greet your students, feeling calm and confident for today’s class.
Consistent Classes. Confident Teachers.
“I fell in love with the simple lessons wrapped in fun. It was easy to implement and did not require me to write a curriculum!”
For Dance Teachers
Lead Exceptional Classes
Get access to clear, practical training on how to teach preschool and primary dance that supports students’ body and brain development. You’ll receive training on teaching dance concepts, managing the dance classroom, adapting lesson plans to meet the individual needs of your classes, and more.
Teach in a Way that Truly Supports Child Development
All of our training, tools, and lesson plans are grounded in research and best practices in early childhood development. Your students won’t just grow, they’ll thrive as they build connection, focus, confidence, and readiness for future training.
Never Run Out of Fresh Ideas for Dance Class
Each month, you’ll receive TWO imaginative, developmentally aligned lesson sets designed to keep students engaged, support your teachers, and maintain consistency across your studio. One set will follow an imaginative play theme; the other will follow a fairy tale story.
There are two age groups:
Ages 3-5: Creative movement and pre-ballet
Ages 5-7: Ballet, tap, and jazz
EACH lesson set includes:
A full month of lesson plans
Video demonstrations
Music playlists
A themed marketing image
Movement cards
Sticker charts
Coloring pages
Student certificates
Limited Time Bonuses
For a limited time, you’ll also receive a themed preschool acro dance lesson plan set and a themed preschool and elementary boys dance lesson plan set each month to expand your class offerings.
Built for the Reality of Teaching
“This program allows the freedom to build continuity as well as being easily adaptable.”
Created by Teachers, for Teachers
Hi, I’m Ashley.
I’ve spent more than 20 years teaching dance and educating dance teachers. I created Little Dancer, the preschool dance program used by more than 2,400 dance educators in more than 30 countries. I know firsthand what happens when teachers don’t have a plan. I also know exactly what happens when they do have a plan. And I think you do too.
Many teachers have told me they can finally relax when they use Little Dancer for their classes. It helps them teach littles well, and teach them in a way that they actually engage in class and pay attention.
They find relief. They are no longer, as I think the saying goes, throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it will stick. They can rest assured their lesson plans are easy-to-follow for the day and well-planned to support their class goals for the year.
They get their lives back. They aren’t spending countless hours each week researching and planning lessons. They’ve finally gotten their Friday nights back.
Many who have used Little Dancer have told me just how much less stressful their year was. They were no longer overwhelmed with all the planning. Instead, they had something open-and-go they could turn to each week. And when they saw their students listening and enjoying class, they finally began enjoying teaching littles again too.
And while the above is based on what hundreds of teachers have told me over the past nine years, it’s also what I found when I began teaching this format too. In fact, this is the reason why I started Little Dancer in the first place.
I hope you’ll join me and the many teachers who have used Little Dancer over the years. Check out the program below, or read more about me and my team.
Finally Understand How to TeachBring Confidence and Joy to Your Teaching
✔ Teacher training for confident, developmentally aligned instruction
✔ Research-based approach to early childhood development
✔ Monthly lesson plans for ages 3–7 with fresh ideas for dance class
$24/month
or
$197/year
Built to Support Dance Teachers
“I had a teacher just finish the training program and I think it really benefited her… I really wanted her to understand the lesson plans, how they are set up, and how they should be taught.”
- Vickie S.
“The breakdown of developmental goals and expectations for these age groups has really allowed me to optimally plan my lessons and provide a cohesive approach to all my classes across different age groups.”
- Erin C.
“The training includes in-depth lessons, helping aspiring teachers better understand how to teach to the best of their abilities.”
- Sami H.
“This program is very helpful in helping you to set expectations and to understand what skills are appropriate and how to make skill learning age appropriate and fun.”
- Dulci S.
You’re in the Right Place
Little Dancer is designed to help teachers and studios bring consistency, confidence, and joy to their preschool dance classes, while creating a clear foundation for the years that follow.
Hear from Other Teachers
Kari Novikoff has built her preschool dance program with confidence. Learn how she took her first steps toward teaching littles.
Nadia Giuliano has positioned her studio as the top choice for families in her area and given her teachers the tools to teach effectively.
Vickie Szeplaki has created an immersive experience for preschool dancers at her studio, keeping them excited to return year after year.
After Little Dancer
A Complete Training Program that Grows with Your Dancers
The Little Dancer Program lays the foundation in the early years, but your training doesn’t have to stop there. As your dancers grow, Storybook Ballet and Modern Artists provide engaging, age-appropriate programs that help you continue developing technique, artistry, and confidence in the years that follow.
Introduce ballet to ages 7+ through classical ballet stories and ballet history.
Ballet / Ballet History
Pre-Pointe / Conditioning
Ages 7 to 12
Four Levels
12 Months of Lesson Plans for Each Level
Music Playlists
Video Demonstrations
Introduce modern and contemporary dance to ages 7+ through 20th century modern dance artists.
Modern / Contemporary / Conditioning
Ages 7 to 12
Two Levels
12 Months of Lesson Plans for Each Level
Music Playlists
Video Demonstrations