Recital Fee Due March 3

Hey everyone. The last fee for the year is due not the first week of March with March tuition. It is $30.00 per student. This fee goes towards renting the auditorium for the recital. There will be no charge for tickets at the door and you can bring, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents etc. and they will all get in at NO CHARGE.

I know the due date on this one is kind of close to the costume money and I apologize, but I have already rented the auditorium and paid for it out of pocket so I do need to get the money in as quickly as possible.

ALSO!!!! CD's will be coming home the first week of March as well. Hopefully your girls will be excited to practice at home and show you some of the stuff they have been working on.

Recital Date Set!!!

Mark your calendar! The recital date is set for May 16th.

We will be performing at Ft. Herriman Middle School. Please don't be scared I know everyone hears Herriman and they think they will be driving all day, but the location is only 8.6 miles from the studio so it is not a bad drive. The facility is beautiful and will fit our needs perfectly.

The theme of this years recital is ...

Girl Power!!!

The rest of this blog is for Gee Whiz appeal, so feel free to stop reading or read on from this point forward.

If you are still reading I'd like tell you a little bit about the inspiration for this years recital.

After dancing for 25+ years I realize the impact that dance has had on my life. Sometimes when I watch things like High School competitions or Half time shows at sporting events I am sad to be a part of the world of dance and the skanky, thoughtless side it can bring out in some, as opposed to the artistic talent and quiet strength it should bring out. But if I am being honest I would not be who I am today without the experience I have had dancing and the coaches who have taught me a lot about myself and life.

I know from the experiences that I have had with my coaches that I am going to rub off on your girls whether you or I like it. As I really thought about it this year I want to make sure that I am rubbing off in a way that will make them better people. If there is anything I could give your daughters it would be the self confidence of seeing the power that they hold within themselves.

Girls and women have incredible power in so many areas of life. Part of this power comes from the inside having confidence and assurance in who they are. Part of this power comes from the outside as they become proud of their bodies and the strength and beauty they possess.

While I assure you I am NOT a feminist MAN HATER I do believe that girls/women should be strong and capable and yet still appreciate the beauty and grace they have that ONLY comes from being a woman.

If I could have my way I would ensure that every one of your girls is the girl that will go to the kick boxing class wearing a skirt, kick the snot out of the punching bag, and still be the nicest girl in the class.

So this is what we've been working on.

Some of the numbers are fun and crazy like the 4 year olds dancing to I Will Survive and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. It has been so rewarding for me to watch them really strut their stuff with the confidence that only a 4 year old has.

My middle age class I have really been encouraging friendship and teamwork. I have found this to be a pivotal time in people deciding what is really important to them in friendships. I am trying to teach them to search for the beauty that all people possess. I've put together a number that will hopefully reflect some team spirit once we get it mastered.

My oldest girls....well see they are tough sometimes. They are 10-13. Their bodies and hormones are changing so much. Sometimes they don't even know which way is up by the time they go through the day in the brutal place we call middle school. Then to put them in front of mirrors and teach them to move and fine tune this "new" body they are now wearing can be a challenge. Walking after a growth spurt is tough and dancing is a whole different story. I have seen a lot of progress from them this year. I am so proud of how they are conquering the beginnings of the journey into adulthood. They will be dancing to American Woman. We have been chatting a little in this class too about the differences of real beauty and "skanky" beauty. Hopefully there will be one less fight to fight at home as they make good choices on their own.

Anyhow, that's what we're up to. Thank you again for letting me work with your children. Hopefully I am earning my keep and it is a good experience for everyone not just me.

Costumes!!!!

Yeah!!! It's time to order costumes. I'm so excited about the recital this year. As soon as I have a date I will announce the theme. As promised aka threatened costume money is due in January. I have listed the prices below for all classes followed by pictures. I try to order things that are tasteful, affordable, non-skanky and exciting all at the same time. It is difficult to decide sometimes, but hopefully everyone is happy or at least not completely unhappy.

All costume money is due January 27 - Last class of the month.

Tues 4:00 Class

The pink one

The blue one
Total Price $83.00

Tues 4:30 Class

The yellow one
Total Price $87.00

Tues 5:00 Class

The pink one

The ivory one, we are getting the shoes too.
Total Price $98.00 (Welcome to Adult Sizes -I did my best to get it under $100)

Tues 6:30 Class

The orange one
Total Price $84.00

As soon as I know the date and location for the recital I will send another update. I hope your girls are as excited as I am.

Another Party????

Winter break for traditional Jordan District Schools is be from December 20, to January 4. Since our studio follows this the Jordan School District schedule this means our last class before the break is tomorrow December 16. Traditionally we have a Christmas party the last class of December.

A lot of you may be thinking "Another party?" I know it may look like fun and games...but in reality it is our theory day. For dancers theory is often the most tedious uneventful part of dance. I often hear them say I am taking a dance class not a French class. Turning theory into a party is a way to add "cheese" to the "broccoli of dance". So while to the casual observer it looks like we are eating candy and playing games I am sneaking in a lot of brain learning that will help your dancer in future classes and auditions. It is also a good time for me to observe what your dancer know on an individual level.

If you are inclined you may send you dancer with a treat to share with the class when we have parties. Please know though that this is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL. They will not feel like the loser child if they don't have a treat.

Thank you again for letting me teach your children. They are learn a lot it is fun to watch them grow and progress.

Halloween Party!!!!

Next week for class we will have our halloween "party". It is really low key, but it is a way to keep the kids attention when Halloween fun is so close. Really only two things to rememeber

1. Come in Costume - But they still need to be able to dance, so scale it down if you need to

2. If they (and you) want they can bring a treat to class to share with everyone. This is optional, if they don't it is not a big deal and they won't feel dumb if they don't so don't stress over it.

If anyone is interested here are the numbers of kids in the classes 4:00 class - 9 4:30 class-10 5:00 class-7, 6:30 class -10. Hope everyone is enjoying class. See you Tuesday.

Mountain West Ballet Nutcracker Auditions

Mountain West Ballet is a great school. They teach classical ballet. They have a rigorous schedule and I refer a lot of my older students to go there when they have aged out of my program.
Something wonderful they do is a December Nutcracker production. They have open auditions and get students from 25+ schools auditioning and performing in their productions.
This is a wonderful opportunity to anyone who is wanting more performing opportunity for their children. I think the age limit is 7???? Their auditions are to determine which spot would be best for the child not to see wether or not the child makes the cut.
It is a show of very good caliber. If you choose to audition know what you are getting into and be prepared for the time commitment. They only charge a costume fee, and some required parent volunteer time. It is a very good experience and a lot closer drive than capital theatre.
If you are interested go to THIS LINK Be sure to let me know if you choose to do this. I will help you any way I can and I would love to come and watch your child perform.
Auditions are this week so if your interested you need to look into now.

Dance Starts Today!!!

It is September 2nd!!! I'll see you all this afternoon.