It's official!
Winter is here to stay. The first Tuesday of December turned
Calgary into a winter wonderland keeping everyone housebound and off the messy
roads. Lucky for the dancers at Absolute Dance the storm was late and
left us with pleasant weather to make it through our holiday production of The
Wizard of Oz on December 1st.
Throughout the month of
November 72 dancers along with the staff of Absolute Dance worked hard to
prepare for the annual event. Costumes arrived from the US while others
were custom made. Of course there were many finishing touches to be done
to make everyone look their best. Accessories were added and costumes bedazzled
from top to bottom. With the help of Muge Performance Wear our leads
resembled the characters from the movie but had a modern and unique design that
enabled them to dance. Set pieces were built and painted and as usual
everyone pulled together to make the show come together in time. Show day
went off without a hitch. Our dancers put on three wonderful
performances. By the end of the day everyone was exhausted but excited
that all their hard work had paid off. Most impressive was the fact that
our 4-6 year olds were able to hold it together till the end of the third
performance. Congratulations to
all of our dancers!
There is no doubt that
what makes an event of this scale possible is teamwork. Many thanks to
all the volunteers who helped with our load in and out, supervised dancers
backstage, or took care of the pre-show events in the lobby. Our silent
auction was held prior to the 12 and 4 pm shows with 100% of the proceeds going
to support the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation. We had many great
items donated and are happy to have raised $2500. Way to go everyone!
Overall, the day was a
hit, a positive and memorable experience for everyone. Stay tuned for
photos of the show to be posted on our website. We were also happy to
have Open Call Films shoot the 4pm performance. We will contact those who ordered a video when they are
ready for pick up.
As if our dancers didn't
have enough on their plates with preparation for The Wizard of Oz some
of our more senior dancers also took a vocational level ballet exam in
November. Congratulations our Intermediate and Intermediate Foundation
dancers who put their best foot forward and went through with the examination
process. Vocational level exams are not easy and require many hours of
preparation in addition to strong technique and a broad vocabulary in classical
ballet. Our candidates had been studying the work since last
winter/spring so finally having completed the exam really is an accomplishment
to be proud of. Now onwards and upwards into the next level!
December promises to be a
busy month of year-end wind ups, concerts and will continue with exciting
studio events. Our fall preschool tour with Early Discoveries Nursery Schools
is wrapping up and will resume full force in the New Year.
We are also in deep
preparation for our upcoming viewing week here at Absolute Dance! Monday December 16th through
to Saturday December 21st, parents and family are invited to come
and watch the last 15 minutes of their dancer’s class. This applies to all
classes at the studio. Photography
and video are allowed at this time, however please take footage of your dancer
only. We hope that parents will
enjoy seeing what we have been up to over the last few months!
Registration for our
Winter session is on-going and available in online or in person during office
hours. Monday to Thursday 4:00-8:30pm or Saturday from
9:00am-2:00pm. As usual there are
many different options for children and adults to choose from and our Adult
class pass makes for an affordable opportunity to participate in dance and
fitness classes and even take advantage of free childcare during our daytime
classes.
The beginning of another
month also means a new Student of the Month. Congratulations to Malia
Kerr for being nominated! Malia is a hard-working and dedicated dancer.
Her attention to detail and effort has contributed to her success in her
classes. We hope that her work ethic can act as inspiration to her fellow
dancers and help them build their skill and enthusiasm for dance.
You may even see some
familiar faces in the promotional pictures of dancers you see around the halls
here at the studio!
Our last day of classes
before our holiday break is Saturday December 21st. We will resume in the New Year on
Monday January 6th 2014.
Absolute Dance staff would
like to wish everyone a happy, safe and restful holiday season. We are so
looking forward to what lies ahead in 2014.
Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,
Madame Jete
