
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to all of our dancers with birthdays in April. Enjoy your special day, Rebekah, Emma, Scarlett, Zoe, Penelope, Audrey, Roxana, Liliana, Malachi, Aly, and Sulan.
Spring Awards
During our Spring Recital, we honor dancers who have danced with us for 3, 5, 8, and 10 years. Please review the LIST and let us know if your dancer should be on it. If we have left your dancer off, please know it was not intentional, and that is why we are asking you to double-check the list for us.
Costume Guide and Practice Videos
Be sure to check the COSTUME GUIDE for any additional costume needs you may need for your dancer. All new dancers in a ballet class will receive their costumes this month. We will continue to update our PRACTICE DRIVE so that dancers can practice their dances at home.
Attendance
Our teachers have a limited time to teach recital choreography and technique in classes. Attendance during this next month of classes is extremely important! Please be sure to get your dancer to classes. If they do have to miss, we encourage them to visit the Practice Drive to try to get caught up before the next class.
Company and Summer Dance Classes
We had a successful summer season last year and will be following a similar schedule this year, holding classes on Thursdays during the month of July. Classes will be available for all ages. Information on class times, prices, and how to sign up will be sent out this month. If your dancer is interested in auditioning for one of our performing dance companies next year, they will need to sign up for our summer technique classes. Summer classes are a requirement for any returning and prospective company members. Behavior and commitment levels are also taken into consideration during the company auditions that will take place during the first week of the fall dance season.
Pictures
Don’t forget to check out our GALLERY to view any photos taken throughout the year. You can also contact them at [email protected] to set up a studio session of your dancer in costume or with any questions.
Hygiene
As we enter into warmer months, a friendly hygiene reminder to all of our dancers is needed. If your dancer is at the age that they should be wearing deodorant, please pack a small travel size one in their dance bag to use before class. Many of our dancers are coming from school, so a fresh pair of socks is encouraged for class as sometimes recess and PE class can result in stinky feet. We will continue to encourage our dancers to wash their hands after class as well, especially if they are doing any group/partner work. This is always a delicate subject to talk about, so please know that my heart is to create a safe and clean environment for our dancers to dance in.
Lost and Found
Please mark and label all of your items. We try our best to collect things that are left behind but do not always see them. When we do collect them, we keep them upstairs for a week and then take them to the school lost and found. When they are picked up by custodial, instead, they are put into the church lost and found which is found near the church office. One of our classroom assistants had a water bottle with her name on it walk away. If anyone’s dancer came home with a water bottle with the name “Eden” on it, please let us know!
Connect With Us
Not following us on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram? We encourage you to do so! It helps us to stay connected and allows us to feature our dancers in fun ways. Please continue to use #idancewithintegrity when you make your dance posts.
The Director’s Heart
I can hardly believe we are down to the last few weeks of our dance season! This year has gone by so quickly. We are so excited for our upcoming recital production, Made for More! Have you ever been around someone who is a “go-getter?” Whenever I get my hair done, my stylist will tell me about all the different dreams and aspirations that she has. The next time I see her, she has achieved those aspirations and moved on to even more. It is quite inspiring, if not a bit embarrassing! I am happy to strive for MORE, but I am also quite content with my life, and my dreams and desires look a lot different than hers. In Ephesians 2:10, we are told that we are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This is a great reminder that our lives are not random, they have been carefully planned out by God. We should not let fear, doubt, comparison, or the opinions of others dim the light that is within us. We are not made to merely exist! God has blessed us each with a specific gift that we can use to honor him. We are made for MORE! This does not mean we have to add more things to our already busy lives. It just means that we have a purpose, and with God’s help, we are meant to thrive in that purpose. In our recital production, we are coming together to celebrate this. You will see that we are made for more, more dreams, more memories, and more of God! We cannot wait to see what God does through our dancers in our upcoming production.
Made for More
Our Spring Recital production is scheduled for Saturday, May 10 at 1 PM. It will be held in the Mainstream Youth Auditorium. It runs approximately 90 minutes and includes our infamous Daddy / Daughter dance, a special closing dance with ALL of our dancers, and our spring awards celebration. As a reminder, all dancers who are new this semester will see a costume or production fee on your upcoming invoice. Dancers in a ballet class will receive a costume. All other classes should refer to our COSTUME GUIDE for any additional costume pieces you may need to provide. Returning dancers who received a ballet costume will wear their costumes from the last recital.
Daddy / Daughter Dance
Calling all DADS! It’s your time to shine!! Join your dancer onstage in a fun dance number that is sure to be the highlight of the recital. Open to dancers (suggested age 6 and up) and their dads (or uncle, brother, friend)! The cost to participate is $25. Dads will need to wear all black and provide a pair of black sunglasses that they will use during the dance. Practices will be held on the 3rd floor on Thursday, April 17 and 24 from 6:15 PM-7:15 PM. Practice will also be held on Sunday, May 4, from 5-6 PM in the Mainstream Building and Thursday, May 8, on the 3rd floor from 6:15 PM -7 PM. Email [email protected] to sign up.
Recital Shout-Outs
We will be displaying our virtual shout-outs again. A fun slideshow with encouraging messages to our dancers. If you would like to purchase a shout-out for your dancer for $5, please email us with a picture and the message that you would like displayed. We will accept shout-out requests through May 1.
Closing Dance
This year, we are attempting to do a choreographed dance number with ALL of our dance students at the end of the show. Most dancers will learn these dances in their regular classes. Our 3rd-5th grade female dancers can learn it during the tricks class on Monday, from 3:10-3:40, starting on April 21. If your 3rd-5th grade (female) dancer does not normally take during that time, we encourage them to attend on April 21 to learn the dance. Our middle and high school dancers will have the opportunity to learn the dance during the stretch/conditioning class on Wednesdays or during the stretch class on Thursdays, during the week of April 21. Videos will be added to the practice drive for anyone who can not attend the practice times. We would love for everyone to take part and are looking forward to having all of our students and staff close out the show together!