The last few weeks of a very successful season of dance are upon us and the staff at Absolute Dance could not be more happy with how well the year went. It seems like so long ago we were preparing for our production of The Wizard of Oz and learning choreography for competition. Even ballet exams, despite being in April, seem like they were ages ago. Time flies when you are having fun! Now here we are two weeks from our year-end recital where, once again, students will come together as a team and finish the year off with a bang. We can't wait to see all the little ones in their costumes, performing on stage for the first time. For our graduating students, sending them off after having them in our classes for many years is bittersweet.
It was truly a great year for Absolute Dance. Our full-length production of The Wizard of Oz kicked off a long list of performances for many of our students on December 1st. The show featured our largest cast yet. 75 students ranging from age 4 to 17. The cast performed 3 shows to a packed house and also worked together to gather items for a silent auction which raised funds to support the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation. The cast was featured on City TV's Breakfast Television and did a fantastic job of making the classic story of Dorothy come alive as a ballet.
The Fall at Absolute Dance also kept dancers busy preparing for vocational RAD ballet exams. In fact, many of the students who had character roles in our Holiday Production also had to prepare and enter for these challenging examinations within a couple of weeks of each other. As if that wasn't enough, choreographers Mindy Conto and Sabrina Philips were also in town during October to set pieces for competition. What a crazy time of year!
Following the Christmas break our ballet dancers started to prepare for the annual performance of Plies to Performance. This in-studio show was a great success and was an opportunity for some of our dancers to learn more about Enrico Cecchetti's style. The winter months also meant continuous preparations for spring competitions and for graded RAD examinations. Some Intermediate and Advanced students did have an opportunity for a night out on the town. In January a group went to see a show in the Alberta Ballet's Up Close series which featured three original works performed to a small house at the Alberta Ballet's Calgary studio. It was a great opportunity for our dancers to see what kinds of work could be created with very limited set and costume pieces and few dancers.
The arrival of March meant competitive dress rehearsal and mock exams. Even after these two important events teachers and students could see that there was still so much more work to be done in order to enter competition season at our best. Many students came into the studio for extra lessons, worked on their own, and continued to train hard in their technique classes. What was also really nice to see was the team moral that was in full force by the time April came around. Once we finally graced the competitive stage it was so great to see dancers coming out early or staying later just to cheer on their team mates. Teachers saw great sportsmanship amongst the team over our three week run of competition. As we see every year there were some moments of weakness, where we knew we could have done better, and there were also moments of triumph. All in all Absolute Dance walked away from each competition with numerous special awards, choreography awards and overall awards in each age category and division. We hope that dancers can look back on the past few months feeling proud and accomplished but also hope that there was some learning involved and that this years experience can be applied to make next year even better.
Now here we are ready to tackle two days of recital on June 14th and 15th. Competitive pieces will be included in the line up but now it is time to really give our full attention to our many recreational dancers and give them the recognition they deserve for all their hard work over the course of the year. For many of these students getting up on stage is a big deal. It takes courage, confidence and proves that hard work is always worth it in the end. Plus the costume, make-up, bright lights and large crowd creates an energy like none other. We are so looking forward to seeing what these dancers bring to the stage. Each year there are always a few students that really come out of their shell once the spotlight is on them. It is so much fun to see.
The summer months at Absolute will allow for a bit of rest and change of schedule. Competitive students will continue to take technique classes until the end of June. As of July 8th - 31st classes will be suspended however the office will be open 4 - 8 Tuesdays - Thursdays. Online registration will continue to be available for Summer camps and sessional classes. Once August hits, Absolute Dance will be back in full swing with two weeks of Summer Camps (starting August 11th) and competitive bootcamp and choreography at the end of the month. On September 6th we kick off our 17th season of dance. Another season which promises all the wonderful things that comes with being a dancer; fun, friendship, sweat, hard work, determination and success! Whether it is in the audience or in the studio, we hope that you will join us.
Have a safe and restful summer,
Madame Jete
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