Broadway Stunts & Tricks Tuesday 5:30-6:30 What exactly are Stunts & Tricks? What will they be learning? Can girls and boys both do it? Why must they be at least 7 years old? Is it safe to teach stunts to children? Do they need prior experience? What if my child is afraid of (insert name of common fear)? Will they be learning (insert name of awesome trick)? What should they wear? Can we try it out first before committing? What exactly are Stunts & Tricks? A stunt is technically described as "any unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre or cinema". Tricks can be described as something very similar, but with tricks you are always trying to land or complete it, as opposed to stunts where you do a lot of crashing (on purpose!). What will they be learning? Because stunts are mostly designed for artistic and theatrical purposes, most of the skills we will be teaching consist of falling and/or crashing in a controlled and safe manner. Falling backwards, forwards, sideways, from raised surfaces, falling while twisting or spinning, all sorts of wacky and fun ways to fall without hurting yourself. One of the largest benefits of knowing how to fall properly and safely is the ability to apply this to any sport outside of class where falling may occur. Skateboarding, Snowboarding, Biking, anything that involves movement and the possibility of crashing. Knowing how to fall can be a very large factor in preventing injuries. The tricks segment of the class will be taught along with the stunts. Standing on your hands, basic flipping, jumping over obstacles, and even some break dancing skills will be taught. Building up an arsenal of tricks will help to make your stunts much more fun and exciting. Students will also learn very basic martial arts skills such as blocking, punching and kicking for use in theatrical "fight scenes" where they can apply the skills they've learned in a show or performance. Can girls and boys both do it? Yes! Why must they be at least 7 years old? Because stunt skills require specific body positions and timing we have set the age of 7 as a minimum to make sure the kids are able to perform these skills safely. In the future if there is enough interest, we may start a Junior Stunt & Tricks class for ages 5 and 6. Is it safe to teach stunts to children? As long as these skills are performed safely and in a controlled environment then the chance for injury is very small. As with even walking down the street there is always a small chance that injuries can occur and because of this we take every possibility into consideration. No skills will be taught beyond the ability of the child, and no child will ever be made to perform a stunt they aren't comfortable with. Do they need prior experience? Nope! Because this class is just beginning here at BGS we will expect all students to have little to no experience at all. You do not need any prior gymnastics training to participate, so bring your friends along! What if my child is afraid of (insert name of common fear)? Everyone has a fear of something, we are all human beings. One of the goals not just in the Stunt class but at Broadway Gymnastics in general is to help children build confidence in all aspects of life by using what we teach as a tool to that end. Although no child will ever be forced to perform a stunt or trick they aren't comfortable with, we try our very best to isolate what may be causing a particular fear and try to conquer it. Example: Afraid of high places? We start you very low and build up the height slowly until you are comfortable. Afraid of going backwards? We start with just walking backwards! Nobody should be afraid to try the class because of a particular fear. Even of performing in front of people! Will they be learning (insert name of awesome trick)? Because the list of amazing and fun skills could fill an encyclopedia, we must stick to our curriculum and teach what has been prepared for the class. If your child has a certain skill they know they want to learn at some point, bring it to the instructors attention and there may be a way to incorporate it into the lesson(s). We do not teach skills out of progression for safety reasons. What should they wear? Boys should wear shorts or warm-up pants (without the side buttons!) and a T-shirt. Girls can wear the same, but NO LEOTARDS! Some skills require grabbing onto clothing so don't wear your most expensive outfit. Can we try it first? Yes! As with any class at Broadway Gymnastics you are always given a free trial prior to starting a class. Because this program is new, you will be offered a free trial even if you are currently enrolled in a different class at the gym. For questions, comments, or just to say "hi!" please feel free to email instructor Jay Grenier at: jgrenier@aliencreations.com Copyright ©2007 BroadwayGym.com - Admin - Design by JG CARTWHEEL-A-THON IT'S COMING! Flip for fun & win great prizes! May 12-17th! New Park in SM! Grand Opening-New Park in Santa Monica-A Beach Greening Event! BGS will participate 5/18 11am-2pm. Summer Camp 2008 June 23-Aug 29th! Gymnastics, Arts & Crafts, Swimming, Bring a Friend Day, Field Trips + much more!! Special Ed Camp Summer 2008: June 23-Aug 29. In the News!!! Broadway in your local newspapers! BGS Newsletter! The BGS Winter Newsletter is now available. Click to check it out!