Hi, I’m Lisa Klibansky and I am the founder and class leader at Mini Rockers.
I am a trained dancer and mother of three young children.
I was working as a property conveyancer before and between having my first two children, but my career path took a dramatic turn after having my third child.
I sought to find a program to take my kids to that would do the following-
– Encourage them to use their bodies to dance and be active;
– Enable them to dress up, explore new and exciting props each session and play make-believe;
– Give them opportunities to engage with their peers;
– Teach them more about the world they live in;
– Inspire them to be imaginative;
– Harnessing their boundless energy.
When it became clear that the class I had dreamed up did not yet exist, I set about creating the sort of program I wanted to take them to, and that is how my journey to developing the Mini Rockers program began.
Dance and performance is a passion of mine that has stemmed from a childhood filled with classes and tutus and concerts. I have studied drama, ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and lyrical dance.
As a child and into my teenage years, I would spend my weekends both attending classes as a student, and as an assistant in the lower level classes with younger children. The experience that I gained from that time in my life was the first step in my journey to creating Mini Rockers.
The next and most important step was to gain a deeper understanding of current trends and learning outcomes in preschool education. After a series of interviews with Early Childhood Educators and Primary Teachers, I went on to familiarise myself with the Early Years Learning Framework. This research informed the Mini Rockers key areas of development, which are now incorporated into each and every class.
As part of my preparation, I studied a Canadian movement known as ‘Intellidance’, which is a form of dance training developed specifically for babies and children under 5.
I was inspired by creative ways to teach the following concepts to young minds and bodies, which form part of all Mini Rockers sessions –
I trained as a class leader in local baby classes in order to learn how to deliver a program, how to structure set exercises and how to balance repetition with new concepts. I stayed in that role until I was confident to set out independently.
Further, I studied planning processes from both a primary school teacher and a kindergarten teacher, then developed my own system utilising aspects from each.
Finally, I consolidated all that I learnt through with all that I already knew, and that is how the Mini Rockers program came to fruition.
My aim is to get children excited about being active, cultivate a love for dance, inspire imaginative thinking, encourage peer work, and ultimately provide a sturdy foundation not only for dance, but for other forms of movement such as gymnastics and sport.
Classes are high energy, focusing on movement, creativity and fun!
Classes are only running on Tuesdays and Fridays for the remainder of this year.
Thank you for your understanding!