The Wilmington School of Ballet

3834 Oleander Drive Wilmington, NC 28403 (910) 794-9590 www.wilmingtonschoolofballet.com

Life Lessons Through The Art Of Dance

February 2013 Newsletter
2012-2013 Calendar
February 21-24 UNCSA Winter Dance Festival February 21-23 Forward Motion Dance Company Performance-Cameron Art Museum

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

Our upcoming summer has new wonderful offerings that I want to personally let you know about.....

Princess Camp - our beloved little girl camps are going to be better than ever. Each camp will now focus on a March 18-23 particular theme (hello kitty, disney princess, ect). New this Parent Observation Week-Award Week summer is a costumed show at the end of each camp!!!! Also, we are adding daily March 24-31 "spa experiences" for our campers. Make-up, facials, nails, and more!!!! As before, Spring Break-School Closed camps will also include dance classes, bounce time, center fun, outside water play, princess crafts, dress up and more!!!
April 1 Classes Resume April 5 Arts Sensation Benet PerformanceThalian Hall April 20 Dress Rehearsal-Community Arts Center April 21 Community Arts Center Performance April 27 Kidzapalooza June 10-15 Pre-K Spring Concert Week June 12 Spring Concert Dress RehearsalLevel 1/2 & Up June 13 Spring Concert-Level 1/2 & up July/August Summer Camps Summer Intensives

Summer dance series - we are offering short 6 week sessions for weekly dance classes in our younger ages at discount prices. This is a great opportunity to keep up your dance classes in the summer. Let your friends know it is a great chance to try dance with a small time and money commitment. Skittles Summer Camp - our summer camp for school-age children this summer will include riding lessons, swimming, skating, fitness, nature excursions and more!!!! Only $150/week for full time or $100/week for part time. There are very limited spots available for our summer care program - check it out today!! More information will be coming soon on our advanced dance summer options! See the office for more information. Register early and take advantage of our great specials!!! Happy Dancing, Elizabeth Hester

FEBRUARY SPECIAL SUMMER 2013 No Registration Fee and $50 Off Any Summer Program

Alumni Spotlight
Dara Holmes
Dara Holmes began her ofcial training at The Wilmington School of Ballet on full scholarship for seven years. Starting in 2005, Dara has attended summer programs such as North Carolina School of the Arts, The School of American Ballet, Chautauqua Dance Festival, Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington, D.C., and Joffrey's International Summer Dance Intensive. In 2007, Ms. Holmes attended The HARID Conservatory and graduated after three years of training. She then attended the Joffrey Academy of Dance 2010-2011 Trainee Program. During the program, she worked with the company on tour and in Chicago in the Nutcracker, and later in the production of The Merry Widow. Dara has worked with choreographers such as Mark Diamond, Mark Godden, Alexei Kremnev, Ronn Stewart, and Amy E. Hall. She has also danced lead roles in Cinderella, Swan Lake, Paquita, and Le Corsaire.

TEACHER FORUM
Report from the NDEOs Annual Conference By: Lesa Broadhead
On October 23, 2012 I arrived in Los Angeles, California to present my research on Celebrating Jonkonnu in North Carolina at the National Dance Education Organizations (NDEO) annual conference. These annual conferences not only take me to extraordinary cities, but provide an opportunity to network with other dance professionals/educators and spend five days with my mentor Jacqueline SmithAutard, a dance educator from England. My first day took me to the hills of Hollywood to Bella Lewitzkys house/dance studio. Lewitzky, who died in 2004, danced in Lester Hortons Dance Theatre and was Hortons instrument for developing his technique. Since 1982 I have studied and taught the Horton Technique, so being in Lewitzkys house/dance studio was iconic. Diana MacNeil, former Lewitzky dancer, taught the three hour class which included technique, rare videos of Lewitzky, and, of course, nostalgia. On Thursday I began my day with An Introduction to Renaissance and Baroque Dance taught by Anna Mansbridge. In this class I experienced an overview of the dance at the courts of Europe during the 16th 18th centuries. This period ushered in classical ballet as we know it today, and by dancing the Carole, Farandole, Pease Branle, and French Minuet, I gained an appreciation for the dance of this period and how it played such an important role in the lives of royalty. Later in the day I attended Roots and Branches of Jazz Dance which addressed jazz being derived from people of African descent before and after the period of enslavement. This presentation was a great precursor to my presentation Celebrating Jonkonnu in North Carolina which followed. I addressed the dance and music of those enslaved on the coast of North Carolina in the 19th century during the Christmas season. During this time the enslaved maintained their African customs, humanity, and brotherhood through dance, music, and celebration. From Approaches to Teaching Dance Online to finding my element in the Master Ballet Class This is in a Three #2, I was totally immersed in Focus on Dance Education: Collaborations: Many Cultures Strength through Diversity.

NEW MERCHANDISE HAS ARRIVED

See the ofce for all of your dress code needs. New shipment of leotards, tights and shoes. Let us know if you have any questions regarding dress code!

?FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS?

UPCOMING PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES
. There are many exciting performance opportunities coming up for all of our students here at the WSB. To alleviate some confusion I have listed some basic information about each below. If you know now that your child will NOT be able to participate in a performance, please let our ofce know so we can plan accordingly. As always should you have any questions please dont hesitate to ask!

Spring Dance Festival

Kidzapalooza

Spring Concert When: June 13, 2013 Where: Kenan Auditorium Who: All Dancers Level 1/2 &Up Performance: This is the WSB end of the year recital for all students Levels 1/2 & up. Pictures At An Exhibition will be presented in its entirety as well as our contemporary classes and variations classes.

When: April 21, 2013 When: April 27, 2013 Where: Community Arts Center Where: WSB Studios & Facility Who: All Dancers Levels 3/4 & Up Who: Selected Dancers from all " Levels Pre-K & Up Performance: A fundraiser for the Wilmington Ballet Company. Performance: Part of Dances featured will be Pictures Wilmington Parents At An Exhibition currently being Kidzapalooza. Various dances learned in class as well as being performed throughout the selected choreography from this day as well as classroom past summer including Sharing Is demonstrations throughout the Caring and In The Garden. day.

SYLLABUS FOCUS
Type to enter text Februarys Theme: Dynamics & Efforts This month we will be focusing on the dynamics of our movement. We will be learning how to choose appropriate dynamics and efforts in our movement as well as how to manipulate those dynamics. Learning to choose different efforts from the effort scale develops the dancer as an artist as this effects the interpretation of the movement.

SEE DARA HOLMES PERFORM LIVE!

March 23, 2013 7:30 pm @ Memorial Hall Chapel Hill, NC
Our own Dara Holmes will be performing with the Joffrey Ballet in Chapel Hill on March 23rd. We are organizing a group trip for all those interested in attending to see Dara perform. Tickets are $62 with our discounted group rate. Please purchase your ticket(s) at the ofce by March 1st. This is such an inspiring opportunity for our young aspiring ballerinas to see a former student performing with a world class ballet company!

This photo is our own Dara Holmes performing with the Joffrey Ballet at Jacobs Pillow.

BODY & NUTRITION

Understanding Effort & Dynamics
Rudolf Laban developed a sophisticated method of analyzing movement that has helped develop dancers into artists for almost a century. One of the foundational building blocks of his principles is based on having an intrinsic understanding of effort and dynamics in movement. Effort is a system for understanding the more subtle characteristics about the way a movement is done with respect to inner intention. I have listed below the four effort factors with their corresponding eight effort elements. This month as part of our syllabus focus we will be exploring these effort factors and elements and how they relate to our classical technique. Effort Factor Space Weight Time Flow Effort Elements Direct/Indirect(Flexible) Strong/Light Quick/Sustained Bound/Free

Life Lessons In Dance

Patience
One of my favorite sayings is that, Theres no such thing as fast food ballet. Ballet training by its very nature is tedious and requires years of committed training before any level of expertise is acquired. It just takes time. There is no getting around that fact. Ballet training teaches us to be patient with ourselves and with the process. The old adage that, Slow and steady wins the race is absolutely true of classical dance training. Learning to be patient and consistent, learning to embrace the process, these are all skills that help our students to become successful and happy adults in any walk of life.

STUDENT ACTIVITY PRE-K & Level 1/2 NEWS

This month our pre-k dancers will be studying the position arabesque and the step pas de chat. Please encourage your child to color our lovely ballerina in a beautiful arabesque pose. We would love to display your childs artwork in our lobby and let them pick a prize from our Princess Treasure Box. Helpful Hint: We strongly encourage that your child NOT wear underwear or panties under their leotard and tights. Beside the fact that they are visible they have a tendency to bunch up and become uncomfortable for the dancer. All dance tights and leotards are designed and made in such a way that undergarments are not necessary.