Creative Energy Arts FactoryNewsletter
February 1, 2012
Hello Everyone!
Well, January has been just great! We have been focusing on technique over the month and the kids have approached the classes with energy and enthusiasm. When I watch them I am reminded of what a great group of kids we have.
We also have a new class of little stars and it gives me great pleasure to welcome them.
As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, I am going to be answering some of the more frequently asked questions that I get at the studio, as well as de-mystifying some theatre/dance protocol. The newsletters will start to involve more show information closer to spring. Last newsletter I covered casting and studio structure.
Technique vs. Choreography:
This is an exciting week at the studio we will be announcing cast. All the dancers and performers will be finding out what part they will play in the Sleeping Beauty Show, listening to their music and brainstorming and starting the choreography for their routines. This is always an exciting week!
At creative energy, we incorporate the technique that the dancers learn into their show routines. It is a very fun and motivating way to learn, remember and make a routine your own. The kids will still be focusing intensely on technique over the next months as well as learning the combinations and formations for their show numbers. It is our goal that every class is technically on par with each of syllabi in terms of age group. We work from the RAD syllabus for ballet and ISDT syllabi for tap and jazz as they complement each other as well as the style of ballet we teach. Our modern classes are based on the Lester Horton technique. We use Leap n’Learn as the basis for our Little Stars classes. Hip Hop does not have a syllabus, but is based on dance trend culture with the basics like “popping”, “dropping” and “locking” coming from the origin of hip hop: break dancing. The most important thing you can bring to hip-hop class is energy!
Costume Rental vs. Costume Purchase
At Creative Energy we have a costume rental policy. Though this situation is less common at performing arts studios than the purchasing of costumes, I feel that it is a more sensible and economic way to do things for parents and students. Most studios will have their performers and dancers purchase their costumes outright. This can be very expensive as some of the costumes can run up to $300 each for tutus. It also means that parents could be stuck with costumes and accessories that their child may quickly outgrow and they will have to store. Many studios will not have a costume rental policy, as it is very costly to carry the burden of funding the costumes as well as inventorying them and storing them.
It has always been my vision that the performing arts and dance be accessible and affordable and this is why I have taken this direction with Creative Energy Arts Factory. The cost is shared between the studio and the parent. As our inventory grows I am able to continue to keep the costume costs reasonable for parents. It also means that students may sometimes wear costumes that we currently have in stock and sometimes they will wear something that is part of the current order. To put things in perspective an Intermediate student in ballet, jazz and tap has 3 costumes and a rental fee of $128.80. I was talking to a mother at competitions last year that had paid over $350 for three costumes for her 9 year old, in addition to finding someone to make and tailor them.
All of our costumes are custom made and come from companies in New York and New Jersey that also costume such fabulous things as Disney on Broadway, Hairspray, Fabulous Modern Millie, News Boys (just to name a few) and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
The Spring Production:
This spring we will be performing Sleeping Beauty. Our show’s plot and characters follow Walt Disney’s adaption of the Tchaikovsky and Petipa ballet. It is very classical (I think we have a record number of tutus this show!) with some show stopping magic and surprises. I think our multitude of genres, ballet; modern, hip-hop, jazz and tap, as well as our precious Little Stars along with a beautifully sequenced story will create an epic experience for both our dancers and the audience.The show dates are set for May 10th and 11th pending approval from Fernie Secondary School. I have negotiated to have the show on a Thursday and Friday, as I think it would be better for our performers, so fingers crossed that the school approves our dates!
2012 Tuition Payments:If you have added classes for term 2 please ensure that all class tuition is paid in full. If you require information on this please email me. Income Tax receipts will be coming out this week and it important that we have all accounts settled.
Next newsletters I will talk about how to take your child’s dance experience from good to great, our new structure for parent volunteers during the show, other performance opportunities, and our recommendations for the best places to buy dance wear.
Break a Leg everyone!Ms. Alana
