Revue Pictures at the Studio May 4th by Billie Jo Gwaltney

Recital pictures will be at the studio on May 4th.  Billie Jo Gwaltney will be there taking the photos. Time will be from 2:00 - 5:00.  We will be doing individual and group shots.  We can't wait to see everyone in their costumes:)

Reminders

Costume deposit is due by January 30th.

Fundraiser money and/or cards are to be returned by February 6th.  If you need more cards, please contact us. 

Dance Revue Info - Costume Deposit

COSTUME DEPOSIT

THERE IS A $20.00 COSTUME DEPOSIT,

PER COSTUME, THAT IS DUE BY

JANUARY 30^TH.

THERE WILL BE ONE COSTUME PER CLASS THAT YOUR CHILD TAKES.

Ballet + Movement to Music = $40.00 Deposit

Ballet Only $20.00

Movement to Music Only $20.00

PLEASE MAKE YOUR COSTUME DEPOSIT CHECK PAYABLE TO

ALICIA WASHBURN.

THIS MUST BE A SEPARATE CHECK FROM THE CLASS

TUITION CHECK.

Fundraiser - A win for parents:)

PEEL CARDS FUNDRAISER!

Our Peel-A-Way Fundraiser cards have arrived! This is very exciting, as it is a fundraiser that will directly benefit you!

Each student will be issued 5 cards to sell. Each card sells for $12.00.  Cards have discounts for Subway, Domino's, and McDonald's.  Card will pay for itself with two uses. If your child sells ALL 5 cards, this will cover your recital fee ( revue fee is $25 to cover rental and insurance fees, props, music, and sets). Any additional cards sold beyond the initial 5 will earn a $5.00 credit toward your costume balance.  You could earn free costumes and a credit towards next month's tuition depending on the number of cards sold!

Each student who sells 5 cards will receive a free peel card for their family!

If you have people interested in purchasing a card, but you have already sold all 5, you may collect the money and keep track of their names on the front of your envelope. Then you can pick up the additional cards at your child’s next class time.

All money and unsold cards are due back by February 6^th, 2013.

VERY IMPORTANT: Please note that you are responsible for the cards. Unsold cards must be returned or $12.00 per card must be paid.

If you have any questions or need additional cards before your child’s next class please contact:

Jennifer Boileau – jboileau@stagestores.com

Or

Christy Edmonds – cedmonds@stagestores.com

Substitute Teacher for Ballet

Miss Alicia will be out of town 1/15 and 1/16.  There will be a substitute teacher for all ballet classes.  Please welcome Allison Jones.  She is very excited to be teaching classes this week.  Thank you Allison:)

New Students

New students still accepted until the end of January.  Please message us if you are interested!

Nutrition Lesson for Wednesday Ballet Classes

In December, Nancy Jimmerson, came to the Wednesday night ballet classes.  Students learned about trying new foods and the sugar content in foods.  We learned a lot about healthy eating.  Thank you Mrs. Jimmerson:)

Halloween at Dance

Look at those awesome costumes!  We enjoyed dressing up for Halloween:)

December Parade

On December 2nd, many students participated in the annual South Hill Christmas parade. Everyone had a great time. Our float theme was "Let It Snow". Students, ages 7 and up, performed a short routine at the spectator point. They did a fantastic job!!

Doug Wright visit ballet classes

 

Doug Wright, the director from the Colonial Theater from South Hill, came to vist our dance classes.  All of the students participated in a theater/acting lesson.  Everyone had a great time dancing like monkey ballerinas, using their imagination, and following directions.  Thank you Doug.  The girls really enjoyed it:) 

What's Going On in Ballet Class

3/4 Year olds:
January - mini acting lessons.  Continue word recognition and definition.
February – Being work on recital dances. 
March – Parent observation week.  Finalize recital dance. Introduce barre work.
April – Rehearse recital dance
May – Rehearse recital dance

5/6
January - mini acting lessons.  Continue word recognition and definition.
February – Being work on recital dances.  Introduce positions of body.
March – Parent observation week.  Finalize recital dance.
April – Rehearse recital dance
May – Rehearse recital dance

7/8
January - mini acting lessons.  Continue word recognition and definition.
February – Being work on recital dances.  Introduce new big jumps and traveling steps.
March – Parent observation week.  Finalize recital dance.
April – Rehearse recital dance
May – Rehearse recital dance

9 and up
January - mini acting lessons.  Continue word recognition and definition.
February – Being work on recital dances.  Introduce single leg turns and new across floor steps.
March – Parent observation week.  Finalize recital dance.
April – Rehearse recital dance
May – Rehearse recital dance

About Miss Michelle

Miss Michelle was a member of the color guard team for 3 years and a cheerleader for 4 years at Park View High School.  During her Junior and Senior years, she was captain of the Park View Varsity Cheerleading Squad and was captain of the Marching Dragons Color Guard team her senior year.  Michelle later choreographed the routines and instructed the color guard team at Randolph Henry High School, with her team having a successful competitive season.

Michelle has been trained largely in Modern Dancing and American Style Ballroom Dancing.  Most of her training was done at the College of William and Mary.  Michelle not only trained in Modern Dancing, but also took courses in Modern Dance history giving her a thorough knowledge of technique and background.  While attending William and Mary, Michelle joined the ballroom dance club and competed and placed in numerous competitions.  She competed mostly in Tango, Foxtrot, Waltz, Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing and Viennese Waltz.  During this time, Michelle and her partner had great success competing, most notably 1^st place in Tango against 75 couples at a D.C. competition.  While with the ballroom dance club, Michelle performed at the annual Heart Ball which is held at the Science Museum of Virginia by the American Heart Association, two years in a row.

After college, Michelle continued training at Arthur Murray in Pittsburgh, PA and later taught ballroom with Dance Pittsburgh.  Apart from Modern and Ballroom, she taught Zumba, a Latin-dance inspired fitness class, for a number or years.  This opened her up to numerous new styles of dance; such as Cumbia and Reggaeton.   Michelle has been exposed to many other styles of dance such as; Lindy Hop, Salsa, Mambo, Hip Hop and Ballet.

Miss Michelle enjoys exploring creativity in dance and nurturing free movement.  Having been exposed to different styles of dance, she enjoys bringing a fusion of dance styles together in her teaching and choreography.

About Miss Alicia

Alicia Washburn - Classical Ballet, Preparatory-Pointe`, Pointe’, and Musical Theater Dance Instructor

Miss Alicia received her early dance education from Joy Hargrave of Lockhart’s School of Dance of South Hill. She then became a student of Shannon’s School of Dance, under the direction of Shannon Smith and Phyllis Daw. She received training in classical ballet, tap and jazz for seven years, in addition to assisting ballet classes with Mrs. Daw for three years. This inspired her love of dance and cultivated an interest in teaching.  Alicia furthered her ballet training at Raleigh Dance Theatre, under the direction of Mary LeGere , as well as the Chesterfield School of Ballet, under the direction of Patricia and Leona Dodd.  While attending Radford University, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Minor under the direction of Frano Jelincic and Dagmar Kessler.

Ms. Washburn attended Summer Intensives at Raleigh Dance Theatre in North Carolina, South Ballet Theatre in Florida, as well as American Academy of Ballet in New York, where she also served as a counselor. During college and in her summers away, she expanded her knowledge by taking classes in modern, Pilates, acting, dance history, yoga, Brazilian, Russian folk dance, floor barre, swing, music appreciation, Spanish dance, partnering, Pointe, variations and mime. Summer study also enabled her to take classes with many prestigious Ballet Masters such as David Howard, Gelsey Kirkland, Stephanie Saland, Violette Verdy, John Meehan, Susan Jaffe, and Sean Lavery, to name a few. Having the opportunities to study with a wide variety of teachers and being exposed to many different methods and styles of dance, enabled her to become a more versatile dancer and gave her the ability to incorporate diversity in her teaching methods.

Currently, Ms. Washburn choreographs for the Colonial Theater in South Hill.  She has choreographed for “Smoke on the Mountain” and the 50s and 60s revue.  Future plans include “The Totally Awesome Musical” and “Wizard of Oz”.

Ms. Alicia currently has over 18 years of ballet training and 7 years of teaching experience. She is an avid runner who enjoys participating in various marathons and triathlons in her free time. She currently works full time for Peebles as an associate buyer.

Class Schedule

	Ballet	Movement to Music
3 & 4 year olds	Tuesdays
	5:30-6:15pm
5 & 6 year olds	Wednesdays	Wednesdays
	5:30-6:15pm	6:15-7:00pm
7 & 8 year olds	Tuesdays	Tuesdays
	6:15-7:00pm	7:00-7:45pm
9 years old & up	Wednesdays	Wednesdays
	7:45-8:30pm	7:00-7:45pm

Ballet Class Desc and Dress Code

Welcome to BOTOFOGO’S new dance year.  We are very excited to get things started.  Below are short class descriptions, dress codes, and classroom rules.  Please review with your child. 

Class Descriptions:

Classical ballet is the foundation for all forms of theater dance.  Classroom instruction will incorporate the best of ballet teaching systems: Ceccehetti, Vaganova, and Western influences. Students will follow a syllabus created by the teacher in accordance with his or her physical abilities and mental development.  If you wish to see the syllabus, please contact the teacher.  Advancement will be based on ability and not necessarily age. The below are the classroom plans.  We may not reach every goal but will strive to reach as many as possible. Student evaluations will be completed at the end of the year to monitor each student’s progress.

3 and 4 year old Pre-Ballet – 45 minutes – Tuesday 5:30 – 6:15

Students will learn basic ballet technique.  Proper placement, rhythm, body control, directions, listening skills, and coordinated movements will be emphasized. Students will learn: walking, running, skipping, sitting, basic positions of feet and body, jumping, port de bras, French ballet terms, cultural dances, and performance skills.  Students will be introduced to story ballets, prop dancing, group dance, and the structure of a ballet class.  Special lessons from outside teachers will include: music, nutrition, and drama.

5 and 6 year old Pre-Ballet – 45 minutes – Wednesday 5:30 – 6:15

In addition to the above, students will learn coordinated ballet movement to music.  Proper ballet classroom structure will be emphasized.  Students will begin learning: plies, tendus, jumps, passes, port de bras, grand battements, spring points, gallops, balance, curtsey, and positions of the body.  Special lessons from outside teachers will include: music, nutrition, drama, and strengthening.

7 and 8 year old Ballet – 45 minutes – Tuesday 7:45 – 8:30

In addition to the above, elementary ballet class will be introduced.  Further steps added: rond de jambe, leg and head positions, head spotting, steps traveling across floor, center work, pas de bouree, simple jumps, proper stretching, and big jumps. Special lessons from outside teachers will include: music, nutrition, drama, and pilates.

9 and above Ballet – 45 minutes – Wednesday – 7:45 – 8:30

In addition to the above, class will be structured as follow:  warm-up, barre work, center work, and across the floor.  Intermediate ballet steps will be introduced such as turns, jumps with beats, adagio in center, and variations.  Students will also begin to learn the basic anatomy needed to execute these steps.  Special lessons from outside teachers will include: music, nutrition, drama, pilates, and injury prevention.

Dress Code

Ballet = Solid color leotard, pink tights, and split sole pink ballet shoes.  No underwear under tights.  Tights are a dancer’s underwear.  Please make sure elastics/strings are tucked neatly into shoes. 

Preferred hair = Put hair in bun.  Hair must be pulled back and out of face. 

Suggested leotard = Capezio camisole, short sleeve, or long sleeve solid color leotard

Suggested tights = Capezio Transition Tights/Ultra Soft in pink

Suggested shoes = Sansha Unisex "#1 Pro" Canvas Ballet Slipper in Pink

Optional: ballet skirts, leg warmers, or sweaters.  Teacher may ask these items to be removed for instructional purposes.

These items can be found on the Discount Dance Supply website or at Ellman’s of Carytown, in Richmond.  Please write student’s name on all items.

Classroom Rules:

1.       Be on time.

2.       Follow dress code. If you child will be tardy or absent, please notify the teacher.

3.       Be respectful to teacher and classmates.

4.       Pay attention to teacher.

5.       Keep talking and giggling to a minimum.

6.       No cell phones allowed during class.

7.       No chewing gum or food allowed in class.

8.       Teachers and/or directors will decide the appropriate class for each student.

9.       Cover-up when leaving the studio and do not wear shoes outside.

10.   No jewelry allowed except for stud earrings.

11.   MAKE SURE TO USE THE BATHROOM BEFORE CLASS.

We will be utilizing a discipline and reward chart in the classrooms for the 3/4 and 5/6 year old classes.  For the discipline chart, each student will have their name on a star.  Stars will be placed in the purple hanging pockets.  If a student has been corrected several times on behavior, the student will find the star and bring it to the teacher.  If the student continues the behavior, the student will then place the star in the red hanging pockets.  After class, the student will have to explain to their parent/guardian why their name is in the red hanging pockets.  For every student who attends class or exhibits good behavior, we will utilize a sticker reward chart.  Once the reward chart is full, the student will be able to choose a prize from the prize box.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.  My email address is awashburn@radford.edu and my personal cell is 434-294-3609.

Thank you for your support.  I am very excited to begin this new venture!!

Auditions for Ages 11 - 14 at Colonial Center

Backup Dancers Needed

 For

 Upcoming March Performance!

Saturday, January 12^th

from

3:00 to 4:00 pm

 at the

Colonial Center.

Need 4 or 5 female dancers, ages 11 – 14.

No dance experience is required.

Auditions will consist of simple warm-ups and choreography.

Please bring a head shot and arrive early t0 register. Enter through the actor’s entrance on the side. Must be able to attend all Saturday rehearsals.   Small compensation for performance will be provided.

Please RSVP to 434-294-3609.

Colonial Center

220 South Mecklenburg Avenue

South Hill, VA 23970