Student Reviews for The Alberta Ballet's Cinderella

On Saturday, February 11 some students from Absolute Dance attended The Alberta Ballet’s production of Cinderella.  Here are a couple of reviews written by our very own students!  Enjoy!

On Saturday, February 11, 2012 my family and I had a wonderful opportunity to attend the Alberta Ballet’s production of Cinderella at the Jubilee Auditorium. It was amazing to learn that there were over 40 ballet dancers involved in this performance. The stars of the show were Hayna Gutierrez as Cinderella, Kelly McKinlay as the Prince, Mariko Kondo as the Fairy Godmother, and Mark Wax, Nicole Caron, and Melissa Boniface as the Stepmother and Stepsisters. It really was a lot of fun. We were first given a backstage tour. It was amazing to see how much work goes into making Cinderella, so wonderful to watch on stage.  There are people who are in charge of props, in charge of lighting, and in charge of costumes. The costumes were so beautiful. We were very lucky to also have an opportunity to meet the ballerinas who play Cinderella’s two stepsisters. They seem like really nice people and not at all like when they are performing in the ballet.

The ballet itself, was divided into three Acts with an intermission between the first and second Act.  My favourite part of the ballet was the part where Cinderella comes out of the hidden hutch under the stairs and the Prince realizes that he has found his true love. My favorite character of the whole play was the bird who was played by Anthony Pina. When he danced he almost seemed like a real bird! He seemed very nice especially towards Cinderella. I didn’t think the performance was too long or too short…it was just right. It was very interesting to watch because it was a different version than any I have ever seen. It was definitely better than the Disney version.

I really enjoyed myself and give this ballet two thumbs up. I would recommend everybody have the chance to see it.

Catarina Hill

Cinderella Review

By Kathryn Strayer

Next time the Alberta Ballet puts on Cinderella, I would recommend seeing it.  It is very interesting and well put-together with many lively characters.  A crowd favorite was the Jester, because he was entertaining and he was an incredible dancer.  His technique was amazing when he “kicked” the guests at the ball it demonstrated amazing strength and body control.  Another stunning character was the bird friend, his duet with Cinderella was graceful and well-performed.

The stepsisters played their part perfectly.  They appeared rude, annoying and self-centred on stage.  In parts of the ballet, they were actually screaming out orders to Cinderella, adding an amusement factor.  Some ballets cast men as the stepsisters because they’re supposed to be ugly.  Other ballets cast women, but tell them they’re ugly enough to play the part.  In the Alberta Ballet version they do neither, instead they cast “beautiful women” as the stepsisters because the choreographer, Jean Grand-Maitre, thought that it doesn’t matter what a person looks like on the outside it’s the ugliness on the inside that made the stepsisters “ugly”.  The stepmother, however, was cast a man so that she was visibly ugly, and  ‘she’ appeared much taller than the stepsisters making it easy to tell at first glance who was a stepsister and who was the stepmother.

Hayna Gutierrez who played the character Cinderella was full of emotion and performance.  You could really tell how the stepsisters made her feel, and Cinderella’s reaction to the old hag who visited her who turned out to be the fairy godmother.  Cinderella was dressed in rags in the first and last acts, which are made to look shabby, but you can tell that the costume designer put a lot of work into creating the perfect look.  Many of the other costumes in Cinderella were beautiful, and fit the role they played perfectly.  The set transitions were smooth, and the screen dancers walked behind in the beginning, and when arriving at the ball added a nice effect to this performance.

February Update

Last year Absolute Dance decided to take our Kinderdance program beyond the studio and out into Calgary's northwest communities.  We visited some fabulous preschools, met some great teachers and were uplifted by all the smiling, energetic children who took part in our classes.  During the Spring of 2011, we were able to get nearly 750 students moving and their creative juices flowing.  It was interesting to see that the response was positive regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity.  Dance is a universal language!

This year, we have taken our visits a step further and have been working closely with the students from Early Discoveries Nursery Schools.  Over the course of four weeks at a few of their locations our repeated visits have enabled us to build more of a relationship with the students and progress the material covered so that by the end of it all each student has visibly improved.  It is always a struggle to balance a mix of personalities and interests but with the help of their great teachers the students have left the classes with a sense of accomplishment.  We are about to wrap up our time at EDNS's Parkdale location and are so happy to have had the opportunity to spend an extended amount of time with them.

Coming up on February 11th some Absolute Dancers and parents will be spending an evening out at the ballet.  Since this year seems to be the year of Cinderella, we thought it fitting for our dancers to go and see the pros handle the production.  40 of us will be meeting at the Jubilee to attend the performance and you can look forward to some student reviews of the show being posted on this blog shortly after.

Valentine's Day lands on a Tuesday this year and we are looking forward to hosting a couple's night out.  We've had tons of interest in ballroom classes and figure that this is an excellent opportunity to give it a try.  Come in with your honey and learn some ballroom basics with Kelly Lannan that will prep you for all those summer weddings.  To end your special evening together Katrina will be sharing her massage techniques!  Book a sitter, make a dinner reservation and then top your night off with us at the studio!  Please call to book your space in advance as spaces are limited - 403-210-0188.

To top off another busy month on Friday, February 24th from 6:30 - 7:30, Absolute ballet dancers bring you the second annual Plies to Performance.  The event will take place under our roof in Studio 2.  Keep an eye out for some dance history projects being displayed in the lobby.  A large part of this event will be inspired by the students.  You can look forward to some of them acting as MC's and playing host to a small reception following the performance.

Finally, Absolute Dance is pleased to be starting a new Student of the Month program which will recognize one special student and acknowledge not only their dancing ability but their leadership, work ethic and enthusiasm.  In February,  Brookly Fernandes was nominated by Absolute staff.  We hope that her friendly disposition and work ethic act as an example for her peers.  Congratulations Brooklyn!

Stay connected and view fun dance related videos and pictures on our facebook page at:
Absolute Dance - A Complete Dance Experience

That's all for now!

2012 Here We Come!

Hey all,

After a well deserved break, here we are ready to take on a new year and at the start of another busy time.  Now that the holidays are over it really does mean full steam ahead with the push to finish competition choreography and get things polished and ready for our March dress rehearsal.  Absolute's production of Cinderella was a huge success and has definitely given all those involved the inspiration to take on a new performance challenge.  Next up, Plies to Performance.

As part of our ballet performance program, the students who participated in Cinderella, now have the chance to do a smaller, more intimate project which focuses more on classical technique and draws from various methods of ballet, while also giving some students a chance to find their creative voice when it comes to putting the show together.  With this special program, the overall aim is to produce the thinking dancer.  The students have multiple opportunities to perform choreography that is set in a fast paced environment.  This work not only demands technical ability but, as seen in Cinderella, also ventures into the realm of characterization and storytelling.  With Plies to Performance, there will be a large element of ballet history.  Each student will have take home, written assignments that will focus on an important period in dance.  The material will be shared and presented to our audience as part of Plies to Performance.  Another objective with this project is to make a collaborative, student produced presentation.  Students will take on the responsibility of acting as master of ceremonies and our eldest group, through a series of dance labs, will be taking on the task of choreography themselves!  In this day and age where students are always given direction and told what to do it is important to let go of the reins a little bit and let them take some responsibility and ownership in what they present.  As it always goes in the dance world most of these challenges we take on are experiments and ideas.  It is important that we are open to trying new things, taking some risks, and can then stand back to take stock of what worked and what did not.  This way we can make things even better the next time around.  Our presentation of Plies to Performance will take place at Absolute Dance on Friday, February 24 and will be followed with a small reception in the lobby for all dancers and parents.

As if Cinderella wasn't a huge enough task to take on, some of Absolute's Grade 5 and 7 ballet students also participated in the Royal Academy of Dance's fall session of examinations on December 5, the day after the show!  Congratulations to all those candidates on a job well done!  Next up we look forward to a larger set of candidates who will be entering for their Grade 1, 2 or 4 ballet exam which will be held in April.  Best of luck to Katie, who will be taking her vocational major Advanced Foundation exam in March.  Another exciting bit of ballet news is that Dylan, one of our Intermediate Foundation students, was one of two grade 9 students in Calgary invited to attend Canada's National Ballet School's four week second stage audition in Toronto.  This is a four week ballet summer school held in July where the school will host promising dancers from grades 5 - 12 from all over the world.  Dylan and his family are still considering if he will attend.  In any case, we are very proud of him for what he has accomplished - way to go!

As we head into 2012 another Absolute initiative to look out for is our up and coming Student of the Month recognition program.  Together, Absolute faculty will choose one student a month who they feel displays commitment, enthusiasm and a passion for everything dance.  A special display will be placed in our lobby where this student's photo will de posted, along with an interview sharing that student's interests, hopes and dreams.  Keep an eye out for our first student of the month which will be announced come February 1st.

Lastly, as some of you may remember, in September I proposed that we all come up with some resolutions as we embarked on the new dance season.  Here we are at the start of a new calendar year and almost midway through the regular dance season.  If you didn't come up with a resolution in September perhaps it would be a good time to choose 1 or 2 things to focus on improving.  This could mean giving more attention to the stretch of your feet, or the use of your turn out, or a commitment to asking questions in class or helping out a classmate with a challenging step.  For those of us that did make a September resolution now is a great time to reassess how it is going.  I seem to remember wanting to give my students more time to repeat a new step and trying not to move to the next level too quickly.  I'll do my best to continue to stick to that plan as I can already see the results coming through in some of my dancers.

From everyone at Absolute Dance we wish you a happy and healthy 2012.  Let's work together to make  this another year of accomplishments and great memories!

Winning Essays from the "Live to Dance" Essay Writing Contest

For the last few months Absolute Dance held an essay writing contest for their dancers.  The contest, entitled "Live to Dance", asked students why they dance and what it means to them.  We were so pleased to have gotten so many entries, all with different perspective on dance and its importance in the lives of our dancers.  In fact, we had to pick a winning essay AND a runner up because it was too hard to decide!  Thanks to all those who participated.  Your words were uplifting to the the staff members who had a chance to read them.  Congratulations to Megan Teh, our 1st place winner and Dylan MacPhail, our runner up!  Here's what they had to say...

Dance: The Language Of Movement

Dance is the language of movement.  The music can be fast paced or slow and melodious but as a dancer you can capture and portray the emotions, images, or thoughts through your body, transforming it into something absolutely beautiful.  Dance can be for oneself, the steps bringing delight to the performer in their own little world or can be everyone to enjoy and take part in the experience.  Dancers are artists and actors, painting the stage with passion, becoming who they aren’t.   To me dance is an escape, a place where I can feel the music, dancing for my own pleasure as well as the people around me, a place I can become a million different characters. With dance I can show people I have never met who I am. 

Music for dance can sound like anything, it can carry undertones of feeling beneath layers of intricate rhythms and beats or it can be simple and calming.  No matter the melody a dancer can bring it to life in different forms to create a story.   A dancer may mime different positions in the story to depict certain events or emotions.  Fists crossed in a downward position for death or the right middle and pointer finger held upwards toward the sky the opposite hand placed upon ones chest for promise.  Even if the music doesn’t change the message may change depending on the way it is displayed.  Dancing a piece a certain way may show urgency and sorrow while another depiction may be illustrating pleasure.  Simple head movements or arm gestures can change the whole meaning of a dance.   You must show passion when you dance or the audience will not receive the significance of the scene.  When you show enjoyment for the art then the audience will enjoy the performance even more.  I love dancing because you can take the music and the choreography and manipulate it to render a certain image in the watchers mind.

Dance should bring pleasure to the sender and the receiver.  When one dances in the kitchen among the tall stools or in the middle of a field with the grass beneath your feet, the sky being the only witness, you dance for yourself.  Your well being benefiting from the world only you can find.  When you dance for yourself music is not necessary, motions and movement bring happiness, filling your heart with joy.   It is different with an audience; you have not only yourself to please but also the spectators.  It brings out different feelings excitement, nervousness, and personal achievement.  When we dance for other artists we can appreciate each others talents.  We can help each other obtain goals that had once been miles away.  The feelings dance brings to me, the ability to escape life, to please others and to help one another are a few reason why I’m drawn to this art of movement. 

Dancers are actors without voice and artists without tools, the brush their body, the paint their motions.  When you dance it does not matter who you are for if you can dance you can act, you can turn into a crippled witch or a sprightly fairy.  You may pull personalities onto the stage and into the movements.  On stage you can draw yourself in a different light; you can be someone who you aren’t.  You can deceive the audience, they do not need to know you are shy or nervous for you can elude yourself for even just a few minutes or you can show spectators you will never talk to who you are as a person.  With dance you can paint a picture to escape into a different character or to allow the audience to capture your true colours.  With dance I can evade the nerve wracking feeling I obtain when I meet people, I can become anyone I like, Titania from a Midsummer’s Night Dream or Pierret from Harlequinade.

To dance I am devoted.  I can create images and portray emotion through elaborate to plain gestures from sophisticated melodies to unadorned tunes. I can flee reality and enter a personal universe lined with dreams and imaginings or discover the excitement of performing for onlookers and peers.  And it is the ability to change who you are for even a moment, or to display your genuine character.  There are many more reasons dance has a part of my life, but without being able to display thoughts, to perform for your heart and others pleasure and the capacity to become that you are not, or to elaborate who you are, dance would not have the same aura.  To dance of which I adore, I give my salutations.

By Megan Teh  

Why I love to Dance

           

            Dance is not something I do, it is who I am. I live dance. I dream dance. When I hear music, my body moves. It calms me down when I’m frustrated. It makes me happy. Most important of all it makes me, ME!

             I have been dancing since I was 3 years old, for the past 10 years! I have loved dance since I was in class, pointing and flexing my feet, with Miss Meaghan in a circle. Now, learning harder choreography and techniques, I love the challenge. I love everything about dance! The music, the jumps, the turns, and the wonderful classes with my favorite teachers at Absolute Dance.

            Dance, to me, is a lifestyle, not a hobby. To some people dancing is not important, but to me I see it as something I need to do and enjoy, it is everything. Everyone has something they like to do whether its hockey, football, gymnastics, or dance. To me I love dance for every reason! I also love dance because it’s a fun way to get exercise.

            I love the studio because it’s like a home to me and everyone gets included. I love to dance with my five best friends.

            The year of my first solo I was very nervous and excited. When I first got on stage I was anxious but when the music started I calmed down and enjoyed it. At the end of competition, I was announced “first over all” in my category!  I love to dance on stage for my family and friends. My second solo I was more confident and more prepared for what was going to happen on stage. I practiced, and practiced and practiced! I was really proud of myself.

            I am so happy that I got the chance to dance when I was younger and express who I am. Now I assist teachers to help the little kids learn new techniques and hopefully love dance as much as I do. That is why I love and have a passion for dance!

By: Dylan MacPhail

Autumn Update

Having officially settled into the year, it is so great when the time comes when teachers start to see real progress in their classes.  The first few weeks back, students are always trying to get their bodies back into shape.  After 3 weeks dancers typically perform at a similar level that they were at towards the end of the previous season.  The good stuff comes at the end of October when students really start to progress in a noticeable way.  I find that at each level there is something big to get excited about.  For instance, we are really focusing on cou-de-pied position with my Grade Two class.  This is a position with the foot placed low at the ankle and has been in their repertoire for a few years.  Now, we are finally at a stage where they are understanding the finer details of the position and this change is opening many doors for them.  In my Grade Four class, the time has finally arrived where they are ready to take the leg off the floor to arabesque.  This is a very complicated position that takes a lot of work to master.  It is a challenge for them but still it is obvious that they are up to it and have the necessary body awareness and ability to figure it out.  Again, knowing this placement will pave the way to new steps and elements.  Even in the older classes, as the true concept of turn out and posture are becoming more automatic and the basic foundation has been laid, we are getting closer and closer to being able to accomplish much more sophisticated movements.  Hooray for progress!
With all these changes I think it's safe to say we are officially ready for the busy month that November promises to be.  In mid October a few students were fortunate enough to work with choreographer Mindy Conto who was brought in from Ontario to work specifically with students from Absolute Dance.  It is one thing for studios to host the odd workshop here and there, but to have someone fly in to work privately on competition pieces is a real privilege.  We are so happy that Mindy was able to free a few days in her busy schedule to visit.
Next up, Absolute Dance will be holding their second Mom's Night Out.  Held on the 28th at 7 pm, Mom's are welcome to the studio to take part in a Bollywood inspired fitness class, followed by some shopping with Fair Planet.  On Halloween evening, many Absolute dancers will be performing at the Northland Mall and are busy putting together a few original hip hop pieces for the event.  Don't forget that The Royal Winnipeg Ballet will be in town with its production of Wonderland from October 27 - 29.  In early November, Canada's National Ballet School will be visiting Calgary and will hold open classes and auditions for their summer school.  Students are strongly encouraged to attend.  Absolute Dance will also continue their visit to preschool classes around the city, bringing a dance experience to little ones outside its studio doors.
Amidst all the madness, several students will also be participating in a ballet exam and many will be performing in our upcoming production of Cinderella.  It is a huge project but things are already starting to come together.  Costumes have been ordered, set decorations have been purchased and the task of building a giant pumpkin has begun!  In the studio, each group of dancers has already learned their first piece and are well into the second one.  With the ballet set to a score by Sergei Prokofiev, the dancers have all noticed that the ballet version of this story has a very quirky personality.  The music is very dissonant sounding, is often in a minor key and has irregular phrases.  The initial reaction from the mice was that it sounded spooky!  Initially, I was a bit intimidated by the task of choreographing to the music but as we have delved deeper into things I have become more accustomed to the way that Prokofiev works and his music has told me where to go as far as character choices and blocking.  I recently listened to an interview with british choreographer Christopher Wheeldon who has created many ballets to very unstable sounding music.  He admitted being intimidated by working with his musical choices but remarked on how it is better to put yourself in an uncomfortable position as it will make your skills better in the end and will demand more from you.  I will keep his comments in mind as I attempt to put the finishing touches on our production!
Before we know it, December will be upon us!  Here's hoping we all stay healthy as we transition into the holiday season.  Stay tuned for the winner of the Absolute Dance essay writing contest who's "Live to Dance" essay will be posted right here come late November.

NBoC Offers Something for Everything During Their 60th Anniversary Tour

So the year is officially underway and so far we are off to an excellent start.  While some classes are having to jump right into preparations for ballet exams, I have noticed that across the board everyone came to class during the first week open to learning and ready to work hard.  Let's hope that the enthusiasm and determination lasts throughout the year.
September is always a month that can leave us feeling exhausted.  After the first week not only was my body hurting but I also had some sleepless nights.  I found myself so wound up about getting back into the regular schedule that I couldn't turn it all off at night.  I dreamt about everything from battement fondu, to placing kids in lines.  One morning I woke up wondering if I really did give such a harsh correction to a student.  It took a few minutes to assure myself that it hadn't really happened.  Phew!
No matter how busy we get, I think it is incredibly important to get out to see dance performances as often as possible.  Calgary is fortunate enough to have a professional ballet company and we have to make sure that we don't take this for granted.  With continuous cuts to the arts and the expense of having a professional ballet company, being able to go to the ballet is a foreign thing for many people who live in Canada.  When I was young and living in Saskatoon, The National Ballet of Canada (NBoC), Alberta Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) would visit every few years.  Nowadays, I know that for the most part only the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is able to visit larger centers in Saskatchewan.  The Alberta Ballet takes its tour only as far as Edmonton.  Let's consider ourselves fortunate to have the Alberta Ballet close at hand and when companies like the NBoC visit Calgary, it really is something to get excited about.
Even with as much history as there is when it comes to ballet, in order for it to survive, it is really important that it continue to evolve and respond to changes in its audiences.  Canadian ballet companies have done a great job in creating new works that appeal to a broader audience base and encourage newcomers to fill theatre seats.  RWB had a very successful tour of Moulin Rouge not too long ago and Albertans are still raving about the recent Elton John tribute, Love Lies Bleeding.  Sure there is great value in remounting the greats like Giselle and Swan Lake but Calgarians had no hesitations when the NBoC announced it would bring a mixed program to Alberta in celebration of its 60th Anniversary.
The evening boasted 4 short ballets, 3 of which were contemporary and the fourth which was classical at first glance but had a playful hungarian flare.  The opening piece, the second detail, was choreographed by William Forsythe and opened to a very monochromatic scene.  The stage was draped in white with grey folding chairs lined up against the back.  The dancers all wore grey and the word "the" was placed downstage off of centre.  The score used a variety of instruments but was quite monotonous.  With quirky choreography and intricate patterning, there was no doubt that the piece was a feat for the dancers.  With that said, it was all too much after a few minutes had past.  The meaning of it all was quite abstract and the pace was so relentless that to absorb everything that was happening was just too much.  When the dancers finally did do a short sequence in unison I don't think I was the only one in the audience that thought, "Finally!"
The rest of the evening went off without a hitch, offering something for everyone.  Other Dances, choreographed by Jerome Robbins featured only two dancers, accompanied by a single pianist who played live on stage.  Dancing to a selection of Chopin's mazurkas, the two dancers performed the piece effortlessly, bringing a light, airy, playfulness to the theatre and establishing an informal and light hearted relationship with the accompanist.  The mood and atmosphere was a welcomed contrast to the previous piece.  The Man in Black, which followed, was a brilliant piece choreographed by former artistic director to the NBoC, James Kudelka.  This piece was likely the most accessible to the audience and showcased choreography with meaningful images and inventive partnering.  Kudelka built in a continuous trotting rhythm throughout that gradually slowed in tempo as the subject matter became a bit heavier.  This rhythm also seemed to mark the passage of time.  The four dancers stayed connected for the majority of the piece and even added a bit of line dancing!
The big piece of the evening was Crystal Pite's Emergance.  I had seen this piece before and remembered being so impressed by the movements and illusions.  The endless tunnel upstage gave the lighting designer a lot of creative opportunity and, similar to the second detail, the score was quite ambient with no melody.  Pite did an amazing job of coming up with movements that so closely resembled the emerging of an insect-like creature and brought her viewers into a prehistoric world where females banded together to protect themselves from the group of approaching males.  They stayed in step with one another by counting allowed, an aspect that added to the primal feel of the piece.  Perhaps it was because I had seen it before that I wasn't quite as impressed.  There were times when I felt that the dancers were a bit off as a group and that the spacing could have been just a touch sharper.
All in all, bringing a mixed to program to the Jubilee was a treat for everyone.  What is great about this style of production is that since each piece is so different, someone who may not be that familiar with ballet gets a fresh start with each piece and is offered a taste of everything.  I hope that the company can come up with another reason to tour out west again sometime soon.  For me, the performance was a source of inspiration as we gear up for Cinderella and competition choreography.  For our younger dancers, let's hope that it was an eye-opening evening out.  Hopefully they went home with an appreciation for the diverse range of movement, style and subject matter that ballet is capable of.

New Year's Resolutions

Hey all!  It has been quite a while since my last post but the month of August turned out to be much more action packed then expected.  A part from having a few lazy days earlier in the month, August was full of summer camps, boot camp, and teaching workshops.  I even had a chance to reunite with some of my teaching friends in Ontario.  Along with the great weather, it was a surprisingly fulfilling month that has left me ready to take on the dance season that lies ahead.
Whether your time away from the regular dance season is spent on the beach or in some kind of intensive, it's always great when you can come back to the studio with fresh ideas and renewed energy.  On August 15th we began our first week of summer camps which brought over 100 kids between the ages of 3 and 12 through our doors.  Many of these kids were new to dance and did an amazing job of learning multiple numbers over the course of five days which were performed for friends and family at the end of the week.  As always, the little ones were cute, hilarious and never failed to come up with the most inventive ideas when storytelling through movement.  It was so great to meet so many dance and Glee enthusiasts and I really hope to see them again sometime soon.  Near the end of August our competitive dancers resurfaced, fresh faced and ready to take on a week of boot camp.  This year, classes included ballet, acro, broadway jazz, and afro jazz.  For some, getting back into it was a bit of a struggle while for others it was apparent that they were more than ready to get back at it.
I myself had an opportunity to attend the Royal Academy of Dance's (RAD) teacher's course which introduced the new syllabus for Intermediate Foundation and Intermediate.  Not only did I love the new ideas that the RAD is incorporating but they are also taking risks that will challenge students and help keep ballet training in tune with the progress that is being made in other forms of dance.  The course I attended was in Saskatchewan and was attended by some really lovely teachers.  There was a great feeling of comradery in the room.  You could tell that everyone was inspired and excited by the new work.
One thing about teaching dance is that even though you are always in the room with many people, it can be quite isolating at the same time.  This summer I had a chance to get together with my ballet teacher since childhood, as well as four of my best friends in Ontario, all of whom teach dance.  Having an opportunity to chat about training methods, obstacles we encounter, and ideas for choreography was awesome and has put me in a great state of mind.
In January we always make resolutions for the year, but I think it's also a good idea to do a similar thing in September, when we're preparing to hop back into a busy routine.  I have decided for myself to focus more on quality of movement in the hopes of creating more depth and layers to the overall performance of my dancers.  I have also realized that I often focus on turn out from the thigh but that it would also be beneficial to make more of an emphasis on how this work at the top of the leg travels down to the end of the foot.  I am currently listening to as much music as I can and will hopefully come up with a nice variation that will challenge myself and my dancers.  When I chatted with Erika and Meaghan, they both agreed that this year they would try to focus more on repetition rather than trying to cover a wide variety of steps.  We all agreed that more results are achieved when teachers take time to allow students to work on a smaller number of steps for a longer period of time.  Sometimes it is easy to get ahead of ourselves and move on to the next thing before students are ready.  Apart from that, Erika and Meaghan reiterated that above all, their goal each year as teachers and business owners is to instill a love of dance in each student and to make sure that everyone who has taken a class, leaves having had an enjoyable and positive experience.  As a ballet teacher, I frequently encounter adults who tell me how horrible their experience with ballet was as a child.  I am in full agreement that at the end of the day, what matters the most is that our students look back on their experience with fond memories.
I really hope that our students make similar resolutions for themselves, whether this means trying to focus more in class, fix an old habit, discover how to work a new muscle, make a new friend or follow a conditioning routine at home.  I'm looking forward to 2011 being a year where lasting friendships are made, challenges are met with determination and achievments, no matter how small, are reached.