Misty Copeland making history!

Earlier in the year, I posted Misty Copeland's I Will What I Want ad campaign for Under Armour.  Today, I am sharing Misty Copeland as Clara in The Nutcracker as she makes history as the first African American to dance the role of Clara.

Enjoy!

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2014/12/18/ballerina-misty-copeland-makes-history/?hpt=ac_mid

I love the time before dancers arrive....

But I love a full stage even more!

Thank you for a wonderful performance!

December 7th Rehearsal/ Performance Info.

Dear parents,

Below you will find the rehearsal schedule for our performance on Sunday, December 7th, 2014. Please note that we are asking 4 classes to arrive at the same time and will be asking those four classes to stay in Centennial Hall the entire allotted time slot so that we have some flexibility as to which classes are on stage at any given time. 

It is very important that all dancers attend and are on time for this rehearsal so that they are comfortable on stage- this rehearsal provides the dancers with a chance to practice their dance(s) without the use of the mirror which is quite important.  Missing dancers can also cause confusion for our young dancers. 

Schedule:

11:30 Gandhi's Wednesday Jazz for grades 2-5 

           Gandhi's Friday Jazz for grades 2-5 

           Tankersley's Thursday Jazz for grades 5-8 

           Tankersley's Thursday Ballet for grades 5-8 

12:45: Tankersley's Wednesday Ballet for grades 1-4

            Gandhi's Wednesday Ballet for grades k-p1

            Tankersley's Wednesday Jazz for grades k-1

            Tankersley's Friday Jazz for grades k-1

2:30-  All students will change into full costumes.  We will be using the cafeteria as a changing area.  

3:00- Show time! This is a free, informal performance.  Please keep in mind that we have close to 85 dancers and space is limited.

Upon arrival, dancers should come to the main entrance of Centennial Hall where we will check them in.  They should wear their regular dance class attire as costumes will be handed out during rehearsal. 

Hair: Ballet students should wear their hair in a bun while Jazz students may wear their hair in a neat ponytail with bangs pinned back off of their face. Lots of bobby pins and hairspray will be helpful for the buns!  If your daughter is in both Ballet and Jazz, she may keep her hair in a bun the entire time.  

Makeup: Because we are on the stage with bright lights, a little bit of makeup is helpful so that we can see the dancers faces. A little bit of bright pink or red lipstick, blush, and mascara should suffice.  

Performance: Doors will open at 2:45 for the performance.  There are no reserved seats and, while there is plenty of room in Centennial Hall, we do have close to 90 dancers so we are asking that you please limit attendance to 4 per family.

                     Volunteers:

I do have some Upper School students who will be helping us keep the dancers organized but we will also need some parent volunteers as well. Here is a link to the Sign-up genius asking for assistance with the following:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050a44aaa92c7-dance1

*Chaperones during rehearsal times (4-5 for each time slot)

*Backstage help (6-8 you will be able to go into the theatre to watch your daughter's dance)

*Video recording (1):  I will provide the video camera.

*Reception organization: (one or two people would need to take the lead on this)

Food:

Please pack lunch/ snacks for your daughter. I will have some snacks available, however, it will not be enough to last the entire day.  Additionally, please have your daughter bring a refillable water bottle. 

Should you have any questions at this time, please feel free to ask!

Dance with meaning

The following video has been floating around the internet for a week or so and I just got around to watching it last night.  I won't say too much about it as it really speaks for itself.  What I will say is that teaching dance, in my opinion, goes beyond plies, leaps and pretty costumes- we can use our art for so much more.  This video demonstrates wonderful choreography and dancing along with a very important message.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

http://www.upworthy.com/since-when-does-being-popular-mean-having-to-put-up-with-this-kind-of-bullying?g=2&c=ufb1

I WILL WHAT I WANT

This year, as I was thinking of ways to motivate my Upper School students, I decided to kick off my dance classes with a short video clip- actually an ad campaign launched this summer by Under Armour.  

The particular “I WILL WHAT I WANT” campaign I am referring to features Misty Copeland, a soloist for American Ballet Theatre. As you watch the video, it is clear that she is a phenomenal dancer but there is more to her story than impeccable dancing.  Misty Copeland has not only broken stereotypes as to what a Ballet dancer “should” look like (I could go on and on about this topic!), but she has also broken through racial boundaries as one of the few African American soloists with ABT. You can read more about Misty Copeland and her journey here:

http://www.mistycopeland.com/home.html

Below is the link to Under Armour’s website where you can find the ad.  There are actually 3 different videos all of which are worth watching, the first is a behind the scenes look at the filming and the third video is the actual ad featuring Copeland.  

Enjoy!

https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/misty-copeland

Friday Fun!

Hi all!

Just thought I'd share a couple photos of my Friday Jazz class! Enjoy!

SHOES!

In honor of The Dance School implementing it's first shoe exchange, I thought I would share a short video from a series about the New York City Ballet.  This particular video is about pointe shoes.  Pointe shoes are worn by ballet dancers ONLY when they are fairly experienced and strong enough to wear the shoes safely- usually not before age 12 and, only then, if they have had several years of good ballet training.  In watching the video, we learn just how quickly some dancers go through a pair of shoes and how individual the fit of these special shoes can be.  This is just one video in a documentary series about this exemplary company.
Enjoy!

Let's Get Started!

Classes start Wednesday September 10th and we are so excited to get started!

I thought I would use this blog post to provide a few links to websites that are my "go-to's" for dance apparel.  You can find the required uniform clothing on these websites as well as extras- sweatshirts, hair accessories, dance bags, etc.

Discount Dance Supply:
http://www.discountdance.com/

Just for Kix:
http://www.justforkix.com/

All About Dance:
http://www.allaboutdance.com/

Dancewear Solutions:
http://www.dancewearsolutions.com/

You will certainly find similar items, with comparable prices, on all of these websites.  You may also find uniform items at local dance retail stores and stores such as Target, Walmart and Payless Shoes.

One more wonderful website is Crafterina Ballerina.  This is a fun ballet resource with useful information for parents and teachers as well as a link to an Etsy store selling simple ballet craft items.

http://www.crafterina.com/

Enjoy!

WELCOME

Welcome to our new blog for the Dance School at Bryn Mawr!  While it is still summer as I write this, I am excitedly preparing for the 2014-15 school year and am looking forward to another great year of dancing! 

This blog will be used as a means to showcase our dance program with photos of your children in action, interesting dance articles and websites, while, at the same time, also providing you with important information regarding the program, scheduling, and performance details. 

If you have any questions regarding the Dance School, please feel free to email Emily Tankersley at bmsdanceschool@brynmawrschool.org.