It is hard to believe that
it is already late May and we are 29 weeks into our season! That last
post was pre-competition season and we were just on the verge of taking our
competitive pieces to the stage. Well, we are almost over the craziness
now that our competition season is over and are currently in the process of
preparing for one last big hooray, one that we prepare for all year and
includes close to everyone involved in our studio, our year-end Recital.
This year, we were pleased
to take our competitive team to four competitions all in the Calgary area.
We were so happy with all the hard work that our dancers put into their
pieces and were proud of their performances. Of course, the level of
competition varied from one competition to the next. It was a great
opportunity for the dancers to see the outstanding ability of some other
dancers and become inspired by some of the "out of the box" pieces
that various choreographers created. After each competition our studio
walked away with at least one Overall Award, Choreography Award, Costume Award
- not to mention a placing in nearly every category and many other special
awards. Congratulations and thanks to our competitive team and their
parents for all the hard work and commitment throughout the year.
The month of April meant
that it was time for our spring session of RAD ballet exams. The studio
was visited by an examiner who flew all the way from South Africa! The
examination process was new for all our candidates who came out of their exam
smiling with pride. We can always recognize improvements that come with
working towards an exam and are so happy with the effort that was put forth by
all the participants.
Also in April, we
recognized another Student of the Month, one of our Junior dancers, Summer
Ramsay. Summer stood out in her classes thanks to her dedication, hard
work, musicality and at home practice. We can always count on Summer to
come in to class ready to work. It is not uncommon to see her reviewing
material from previous classes without being asked! What a great work
ethic! This month, we are pleased to recognize Camryn Lettich as the
Student of the Month. Camryn is a very conscientious person, who consistently
demonstrates leadership and care for her classmates. She also does a
great job remembering more specific details that are covered in class.
Way to go Camryn!
Throughout April and May
Absolute Dance has been completing the last leg of our 2011/2012 Preschool
Tour. This year, we teamed up with Early Discoveries Nursery School and
have been visiting each class for a short session. May 28th will wrap up
our visits to their Hawkwood location. Thanks so much to the students and
staff of EDNS for welcoming us into their schools. Parents, if you are
looking for a great preschool for your young one, find out more about EDNS on
the web. They are a fantastic organization with great instructors and
five convenient locations in the North West.
So here we are over
half-way through May and our 14th Season is nearly over! This past week,
our students were sent home with their recital costumes. Throughout the
week of May 28th, pictures for recital will be taking place during class time
at the studio. June 10th is the big day where we will treat audiences to
the work we've been preparing in class since the New Year. Absolute Dance
likes to make recital a special day of celebration. Audience members can
look forward to themed surprises in the lobby and fun for the whole family.
This year our Junior Show (10am and 1pm) is called "Food Glorious
Food" and our Senior Show (4pm and 7pm) is called "The Red
Carpet". All four shows will be held at the Wright Theatre on the
Mount Royal University Campus. Tickets can be purchased by calling their
box office at 403-440-7770 or online at www.mtroyal.ca/tickets. Good luck
to all our performers!
As we get into the summer
months, things at the studio will calm down a bit but there will still be
technique and fitness classes offered for all age groups. For the first
three weeks of June our competitive students will continue with technique
training classes three times a week. Our Summer Session will also offer a
few Zumba and Ballet classes for Adults as well as Hip Hop, Kinderdance and
Tumble Bums classes that will run June 11th to July 21st. Our Summer Camps are
extremely popular and have had very high registration since April. We
offer one-week half and full day camps for ages 3 - 12. Over the course
of each week dancers will take various dance classes including Hip Hop and
Musical Theatre, do some fun arts and crafts and will prepare a few numbers to
share at an informal presentation at the end of the week. These camps
will run August 13th - 17th and the 20th-24th. Registration is available
online, over the phone or in person. These camps are likely to sell-out
so it is best to register soon!
Absolute Dance students
were recently sent home with our 15th annual schedule for the 2012/2013 season
with a list of recommended classes. Registration is now open for these
classes that will begin September 8th. Online registration is available for Sessional
classes and Full year class can be registered for by phone or in person during
office hours.
Absolute Dance is very
pleased to announce that in November 2012 our Holiday Production will be Alice
in Wonderland. We are so excited about this production and are
looking forward to all the fun and wacky characters it will offer.
Although the show will be primarily based on character ballet, students
from our Glee classes, Hip Hop and Rising Stars will also have the opportunity
to work on this performance as well. This will be an Absolute Dance
original production and will give us a lot of creative freedom that we are
already beginning to organize. Some dancers will even begin learning their
roles in August! If you have a dancer that is interested in
participating, please see the office with any inquiries. Absolute Dance
will also hold a Silent Auction at the performance and donate all proceeds
going to The Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation. Keep us in mind if
you have any connections to businesses or individuals that may want to
contribute/donate ann item or if you would like to volunteer and help out in
any other way. This will be our fourth year putting on this special event
and we aim not only to give students another performance opportunity but also
to build a sense of community and participation within our studio.
This will likely be posted prior to our current season wrapping up,
however, to all the parents and dancers of Absolute Dance, thank you for
joining us for another great season! We are so fortunate to be sharing
our passion for dance with all our amazing students. Thanks for your
dedication, hard work and enthusiasm for dance. Enjoy a safe and restful
summer and we look forward to seeing you again in the Fall.
