Your child doesn't have to know their favorite dance style before they begin. At The Garden Arts Center, we use the full Ready Set program family, introducing different kinds of movement and music within a progressive children's dance pathway.
Different ways to discover movement
The Ready Set family includes movement, dance, ballet, and acro programs with distinct teaching focuses.
Music and singing are part of Ready Set Dance, alongside jazz, tap, and hip hop.
Using the full program family doesn't mean every child does everything in a single class.
An interest can start with the music
Perhaps your child loves copying a dance, moving to a song, or imagining a character. You don't have to turn that interest into a decision about their whole future.
Our youngest children begin in Move With Me and grow into Ready Set Dance. Along the way, the wider Ready Set family gives us different ways to introduce movement—not just one set of steps for every child to repeat.
That breadth is part of what we offer at The Garden. Children have room to discover what interests them, supported by educators rather than pressured to choose a specialty before they've had a beginning.
What each part of the program brings
The official Ready Set website describes distinct focuses across its program family. Here's what those names mean, without treating them as a rigid sequence or assuming every element happens in every class.
Ready Set Move
Its teaching focus: Creative movement and music for toddlers and their grown-ups, with opportunities to engage, explore, and express
Ready Set Dance
Its teaching focus: Jazz, tap, hip hop, music, and singing
Ready Set Ballet
Its teaching focus: An introduction to ballet using music, themed dances, and props
Ready Set Acro
Its teaching focus: Structured activities focused on stretch, strength, and acrobatic skills
We use all these programs at The Garden. Your child's experience belongs within our class structure, beginning with Move With Me and continuing into Ready Set Dance—not a requirement to enroll in every program at once.
Ballet offers a different kind of introduction
Ready Set Ballet uses music, themed dances, and props to introduce the world of ballet. That gives young children a way into the subject through an imaginative experience, rather than expecting them to arrive knowing ballet terminology.
An introduction is still a beginning. Your child doesn't need to look like a finished dancer to belong in the learning process.
Acro isn't a reason to rush into tricks
Ready Set Acro's focus on stretch, strength, and skills is a different part of movement learning. It shouldn't become a list of tricks for families to attempt at home or a competition over who can do the most.
Our educators guide the challenge. As with dance technique, the aim is appropriate teaching for the child—not pressure to match another child's progress.
Music is part of the experience, too
The Ready Set Dance curriculum includes music and singing alongside its dance styles. For a child drawn to songs as much as steps, that's another way into the experience.
This describes the children's program, not a private music lesson or a promise of a particular result. Children can enjoy exploring sound and movement without needing to decide which one matters most to them.
A couple of family questions
Do I need to choose ballet, dance, or acro before my child starts?
You don't need to plan your child's entire dance journey before beginning. Tell us what interests them and we'll talk through the appropriate starting class at The Garden.
Does using all the Ready Set programs mean every class includes everything?
No. The programs have different focuses, and our classes are part of a progressive pathway. The wider program family is not a promise that every component appears in each lesson.
If you're wondering what that progression feels like at the beginning, explore our approach to toddler dance. Bring us your child's curiosity; we'll help you find a place to start.
Program descriptions: official Ready Set Move, Ready Set Dance, Ready Set Ballet, and Ready Set Acro pages, consulted November 2026.