It makes sense that New York City, with its storied club scene and burgeoning kid population would result in kid club scene. Booming dance parties with a kiddie twist are a thing now, and it makes sense: most kids, be they toddlers or pre-tweens love to get down and rock out with abandon. One of the pioneers of the kid dance party biz, Little Club Heads, has been around so long its founder’s 10-year old daughters have taken the DJ reigns. Read on to find out the next time this dynamic duo’s Super Fun Family Dance Party is hitting NYC.
photo: Little Club Heads
Back in the Day
The man behind Little Club Heads, Elijah Wells was, not suprisingly, a club head when he was little(r). A Fort Greene native, Wells immersed himself in the NYC club scene of the late 80s and early 90s (he was a particular fan of the four-story mega club Mars) and loved not only the mix of music, but the diverse and eclectic blend of people he met in the clubs. It was his love of having fun on the dance floor and that spirit of community that led him to create Little Club Heads. (At the time, his daughters Amira and Kayla were three; since commandeering the “turntables” in the last year, the pair have blown up, as they say, DJing the Fashion Week charity event Kids Rock, a private event at Jay-Z’s 40/40 club and landing on the cover of their neighborhood mag, Jersey City. On May 6 the sisters will make their national television debut on Fox5’s The Real, appearing as the show’s featured DJs.)
photo: Little Club Heads
Dance Party Details
While no dance party is exactly the same, every Little Club Heads Super Fun Family Dance Party follows a loose format and contains a variety of elements, designed to entertain and engage kids from ages one to 12 (the core audience is four- to nine-year-olds. Over the course of three hours on a weekend afternoon, partiers can expect several dance segments, as well as appearances by various entertainers. Previous parties have featured breakdance crews, magicians, double dutch teams, stilt walkers, contortionists and more. The Little Club Heads mascots, Nubby and Bubby — who ironically have really big heads — are also always on hand to keep the party going.
Additional entertainment and diversions include balloon twisters, face-painters and video games, usually one old school and one new. (The theme of old school and new school is strong at this party, with parents and kids having fun face-offs during dance or call and response segments.)
Kids are encouraged to get up on stage and dance, as Wells sees the dance party as a supportive atmosphere where kids can also build confidence and boost self-esteem.
photo: Little Club Heads
The Music
What will you hear? The usual suspects, AKA hits from the Top 100 dance charts and radio favorites such as Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Skrillex, Diplo, Selena Gomez, Usher, etc. You can also expect some throwback tunes you might remember from your youth that your kids will know because someone just sampled it or it’s in a video game. Is it loud? At the dance party we attended, it was loud but not deafening, and no kid we saw seemed phased in the slightest.
photo: Little Club Heads
Save the Dates
Little Club Heads is hosting not one, but two events in the near future.
The first will be held on May 1 from 2-5 p.m. at the Broad Street Ballroom. Tickets are $15/person or $40 for a family of four. (Sign up for the Little Club Heads mailing list and get news of discounts and coupon codes.)
The second is a dance party water park mashup with the option to stay the night for two days of fun. The event will be held at the Coco Key Water Park and Resort in Mount Laurel, New Jersey on June 4. Families can enjoy the water park from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and then dance with Little Club Heads from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $30/person without overnight stay, $225 for four overnight guests. Tickets for this event must be purchased in advance.
Party on!
Online: littleclubheads.com
Has your family attended a kids’ dance party? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
—Mimi O’Connor
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