For babies and toddlers who are discovering so much about the world around them each day, our award-winning Playdance program helps advance physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. Playdance was recognized by esteemed pediatrician, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton and featured on Channel 2’s “What Every Baby Knows.” Playdance faculty are experts in the field of early childhood development and hold advanced degrees in dance. They love children, love to teach dance and exude energy, warmth, and bright smiles so engaging to babies and toddlers.
Babydance is a gentle movement class that encourages babies’ natural curiosity for exploration and helps advance social and physical skills, confidence and contentment setting the stage for future healthy development. Babies enjoy the repetition of familiar song and movement activities that strengthen the bond between baby and caregiver.
Babydance classes include both child and caregiver.
Playdance 2 combines new and familiar song and movement activities in an engaging environment that builds in routine, helping pre-schoolers understand transitional cues and sequence. While encouraging imagination and play each week, fun listening and movement games also develop memory skills and classroom readiness.
FOR OVER 45 YEARS, PLAYDANCE HAS BEEN BUILDING
CONFIDENCE, INSPIRING A SENSE OF ADVENTURE, AND
ENCOURAGING SELF-EXPRESSION IN THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN.
Shawn Mahoney began his ballet, tap, and jazz training at the Joanne Langione Dance Center and his early performing career with Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theatre in Boston, MA. As an apprentice, Shawn danced for American Ballet Theatre before joining Boston Ballet. At Boston Ballet, Shawn performed in Petipa, Balanchine, Kylian, Forsythe, Bejart and others. Shawn performed as a chosen member of “Tharp!”, a national and international touring company directed by Twyla Tharp. Ms. Tharp invited Shawn to be part of the creative and choreographic process for her Broadway hit “Movin’ Out” and performed in Tharp’s “Red, White, and Blues”. Shawn performed with the Suzanne Farrell/Balanchine Project, Sean Curran Company, Washington Ballet, and Bale Estado de Goias. As an educator, Shawn has taught internationally for Festa de Danca in Sao Paulo and Bermuda Civic Ballet. Currently, Shawn is on faculty at Emerson College, instructing dance classes to actors and musical theatre students and is a teacher and lecturer at Days in the Arts. Shawn founded Mahoney Agency, representing dancers for national engagements for the Nutcracker Ballet. Shawn is a sought out mentor for emerging artists and choreographers in ballet and contemporary dance.