Well it is safe to say that it is officially the Holiday Season! Children's concerts, presentations and wind ups are in full swing as everyone gets ready to go on a well deserved break and then ring in the New Year. Things at Absolute Dance have been extremely busy and it is amazing to look back over the past twelve weeks and see how much we've accomplished.
As many people know, on November 25th, Absolute Dance held its 4th annual Holiday Production. This year, students and staff were pleased to share a full scale production of Alice in Wonderland. The show featured a cast of 45 and included all levels and ages from four to seventeen. The story of Alice is so open to creativity that we could have gone on and on with different ideas and the grandeur of the production. Taking on the task of Alice in Wonderland demanded the combined efforts of many staff, friends, and parent volunteers. We were amazed at the enthusiasm and energy that the cast brought to the production. The show was so much fun to put together and a great learning experience for everyone involved. For our youngest dancers, it offered a chance to perform on a real stage. For our more intermediate dancers, it offered a glimpse into what their dancing will soon become. With this production, we tried our best to make it an ensemble piece for our more senior students and not only expected them to know their own choreography but also made them responsible for set changes and prop placement. Hopefully it gave them some insight what it takes to put a show together and made them think beyond their individual parts.
Show day went off without a hitch and we were extremely lucky to have some fantastic technicians work with us at the Wright Theatre on the Mount Royal Campus. During both show we held a silent auction that was put together thanks to the extra effort of parents and members of the Absolute community. Many thanks go out to everyone who donated an item. We were so excited to have such a large amount of donations come in and were touched by the effort and kindness of those that went out of their way to make the silent auction such a success. This years silent auction was our most successful to date. All proceeds have gone to support The Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation. On Wednesday, December 5, Erika and Meaghan will present a cheque in the amount of $4300.00 to the foundation. Way to go dancers and parents!
If you missed out on the show, please check our facebook page. We had professional photographer Joel Yana snapping pictures throughout the day and he's got some fantastic shots posted online. With the exception of the Holiday Production Sessional class, all Holiday Production classes will now turn their focus to their next presentation, Plies to Performance, which will take place at the studio on Friday, February 22nd.
December also meant Fall Vocational Ballet Examinations for our Intermediate Foundation students. Yes, you guessed it, these dancers finished up with Alice and then had to turn around and do a ballet exam! Congratulations to Sydney Moncrieff, Milaina Robinson, Nevada Piraux, Hannah McCarthy and Dylan MacPahil. Now on to Intermediate!
A new month also means a new Student of the Month. For December, Absolute staff selected Danica Berg thanks to her focus and effort in class. She has improved by leaps and bounds since September and her enthusiasm and work ethic are a great addition to the Absolute Team. You can learn more about our December Student of the Month by checking out the display our front entrance.
The upcoming end to the Fall Session means parent viewing in all of our classes. From December 15th to 21st parents will be invited into the studio for the last 15 minutes of each class. Photography and video will be permitted. We encourage parents to come see what your dancer has been working on since September. Viewing for competitive choreography classes will take place on Thursday and Friday only.
Our last day of classes before we break for Christmas is Friday, December 21st. Classes will resume on Monday, January 7. Please be advised that the studio will be closed for two weeks but the Directors will still be available over e-mail. Please be sure to check the lost and found before December 21st as all remaining items will be donated to Goodwill. As we look forward to the New Year and the new Winter Session, don't forget to re-register for any sessional classes. Our sessional schedule will remain the same but will have a second Kinderdance class added on Fridays from 4:30 - 5:15. Our Moving Forward class will also be running again but in shorter session lengths: Winter, Spring and Summer. Please see the office for more details. Already planning activities for March Break? Check out our March Break Camps for children ages 3 - 12. We've got an excellent Early Bird rate until February 15th and registration is available online. Please chat with the office or visit our website for more details.
Absolute Dance would like to wish all students and their families a happy, safe a restful Holiday. We look forward to seeing what 2013 has in store for us!
Happy Holidays,
Madame Jete
