Hello, I am Lisa Coleman, owner and instructor of Kinderdance Columbus. I was born and raised in Wheeling, WV, where I grew up dancing and began instructing at age 15. I have lived in Columbus for over 20 years and reside in the area with my husband, two sons, and our beloved dog Odie.
As a graduate of The Ohio State University, I have also worked in television, marketing and advertising; however, dance and fitness education has always been my true passion. Finding Kinderdance was like a dream come true! The Kinderdance programs are all original worldwide dance, motor development, gymnastics, and fitness programs that combine academic readiness skills which are specifically designed for children ages 15 months to 12 years old. What makes us unique is that all of our programs incorporate educational concepts in a developmentally designed curriculum that teaches to the total child. We place special emphasis on building self confidence and self-esteem in young children.
The first Kinderdance opened in 1985, and today there are over 100 Kinderdance franchises throughout the United States, and the world! I am extremely proud to have brought the Kinderdance program to Columbus. Through Kinderdance, I can pass along the love of dance and learning to young children, and help build the confidence and self esteem that I received as a young child, through dance. Thank you for welcoming me into your school and giving me the opportunity to teach your children! — Miss Lisa
What Makes Us Unique
The Kinderdance programs are all original worldwide dance, motor development, gymnastics, and fitness programs that combines academic readiness skills which are specifically designed for children ages 15 months to 12 years old. What makes us unique is that all of our programs incorporate educational concepts in a developmentally designed curriculum that teaches to the total child. We place special emphasis on building “Self Confidence” and “Self-Esteem” in young children.
A Happy Child
is a Joy to Behold! Anyone who has ever watched a child jump for joy when a parent comes home knows intuitively that small children express their feelings with MOVEMENT as well as words. Movement, music and DANCE can be natural tools for learning. Influential child psychologists and educators like Piaget and Montessori agree that a planned developmental program in MOVEMENT should be part of every child’s education. Since early childhood education is the foundation for higher education, how a child “learns to learn” will have a lasting influence throughout his or her school years. Kinderdance, where children “learn how to learn” when they learn how to DANCE and MOVE!
Kinderdance®…A Brief History
In 1979, Carol Kay Harsell was busy running the American Academy of Dance, a successful dance school she founded in Scottsdale, Arizona. Harsell, who had great expectations for the school, was eager to expand her offerings and clientele. She looked to Bernard Friedman, businessman and entrepreneur, for ideas. After several months of hard work, Harsell and Friedman had more than tripled the size of the dance studio and raised the school’s enrollment to more than 600 students, but enrollment in the academy’s pre-school dance program, aptly named Kinderdance, was still low. While talking one afternoon, Friedman asked Harsell why she thought that participation was limited? Harsell replied that it was because many young children were in child care centers and preschools. Friedman thought a few minutes and said “then why don’t you bring the program to the children?” It was at that moment that the concept for Kinderdance International was born.
The very next day, Harsell approached a local child care center and signed up six children for her Kinderdance program. Thirty days later, more than 60 children were enrolled. Sensing that they were on to something big, Friedman marketed the Kinderdance program to all of the child care centers in the greater Phoenix area. Six months after the original “on-site location”, the Kinderdance idea was off and running. Harsell and dance teachers from her studio were instructing classes in more than 30 child care centers around Phoenix, and were teaching in the Phoenix public school system.
By 1981, Harsell and Friedman were thrilled with the success of the Kinderdance program. Clearly there was a demand for their innovative “on-site location” education through dance programs. Friedman and Harsell put their marketing and business experience to work, researching and developing an expansion plan for their new endeavor. Establishing Kinderdance as a franchise organization seemed like the obvious answer. Both knew that other motivated people like themselves could successfully market the Kinderdance programs to child care centers, preschools and other viable locations around the country.
In late 1981, Kinderdance International was incorporated and in 1985, the first Kinderdance franchise was opened in Houston, Texas.
Today there are over 100 Kinderdance franchises throughout the United States, and the world!