FUNTASTIC!

By BoroPark24 Staff

A joyful, playful vibe greets you as soon as you walk into Funtastic, Raizy Pavlov’s talent school for girls and boys. Gymnastics, Ballet, Art, Voice, and Drama are only a few of the many skills explored in this happy place.  

Raizy’s passion for what she does with the children is strong. She is determined to give all kids and teens the opportunity to find their voice and express their creativity.

Today, Raizy insightfully answers some questions presented to her by BP24 news.

What does a day in Funtastic look like?

Raizy:  The atmosphere is filled with lots of laughter, music, excitement, and fun! You can tell that all the children are in their creative space and focused on achieving their goals. It's a remarkable sight to watch!

What makes your program unique and different?

Raizy: I always tell people that we are not a fun school; we're a talent school. Every class is goal oriented and designed to teach our students lifelong skills. Many of our students have continued on to be dance, art, gymnastics, and voice teachers themselves utilizing the skills and training amassed at Funtastic! At our program, every class is a long-term investment!

How big are the groups in your program?

Raizy: The goal of my program is to make every child feel noticed. When the groups are very large and the children feel overlooked it defeats the purpose. Therefore, we make sure there’s enough staff to keep the student-to-teacher ratio small. No one gets lost in the crowd!

How do you build confidence in the children?

Raizy: One way we do that is by training our staff to use positive lingo.  For example, we won't say ‘that wasn’t good.’ Instead, we say ‘good try, let's do it again.’ Our teachers only use positive affirmations in the program. Also, the classes itself are goal oriented and when a child reaches his/her milestones they feel so good about themselves!

In addition, in many classes, such as gymnastics and ballet,  every student receives a sticker with her accomplishments of that day. Little steps get acknowledged!  

Can you share an inspiring story you witnessed?

Raizy: When I first started, we had a girl with implants. She was hard of hearing and in school, the girls looked at her differently since she couldn’t hear well. But for gymnastics, you don’t need to know how to hear! She went from being disregarded in school to becoming the most popular girl in the class because she knew how to flip backwards. It gave her the confidence she needed to create healthy friendships and build her self image.  

What message do you have for parents?

Raizy: There are many children who don’t do well academically or socially. And in school, what else is there for them? Unfortunately, these children tend to fall between the cracks. In my program these children are given another chance to feel successful. When a girl becomes an artist, a good dancer, it almost negates the fact that she struggles in other areas.  In fact, parents have told me that what a $200 therapy session couldn’t do for their child, these classes did. I also want to add that when choosing classes for your children,  be sure to enroll them into classes that interest THEM to ensure that they gain the most from their lessons.

Thank you Raizy for providing this important outlet for our community!!

For further inquiries please reach out to 234-fun-fun4 (234-386-3864) or email [email protected]