Backstage Dance Studio's January 2022 Newsletter

THE BEAT STUDIO NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2022

TAKE A PEEK! THANKS FOR HELPING! page 2

WEATHER AND POPUP page 3

NEW PROTOCOL DANCER PICK UP/DROP OFF

page 4

SHOW DETAILS page 5 & 6

BLOG, FAQ'S & CULTURE FOCUS page 7 & 8

"DID YOU KNOW?" page 9

PARENT ED page 10

UPCOMING EVENTS page 11

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Happy New Year!

We value our relationship with our dance families and look forward to serving you in the year to come. As always, we want to thank you for your support and appreciate you trusting your children with us! Hoping for a prosperous, healthy, and calm New Year for everyone!

Toys For Tots Thank-You Huge shout out to all the families that contributed to the Toys for Tots Holiday Event. Thanks to your efforts, we collected hundreds of toys for those less fortunate. Together we make a difference!

2

Winter Weather It's that time of year when snow and ice can mess up the best laid plans. Please check our website, Facebook, Instagram or voicemail if closures due to weather are a question.

www.backstagedance.org @backstagebellevue backstage.dance.studio 425.747.5070

Short Sessions

Do you have a 4 or 5 year old that wants to test the dance floor?

This pop up class is a perfect chance to try with no long term commitment!

Piper is so excited to see these kiddos starting on the 11th!

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Pop Up Class 6 Week Session Preballet

January 11 - February 15 Tuesday 4:00-4:45 4-5 year olds welcome! $140.00 no registration fee required

New Protocol

dancer drop off and pick up In an ongoing effort to keep all of our dancers safe we are establishing new drop off and pick up rules. Parents/Guardians will now drop off AND pick up at the main studio doors, facing the west.

We will no longer be dismissing dancers from the secondary doors on the side of the building, they will remain locked at all times. If your dancer takes class in the satellite building (room 5 and 6) you will pick them up from that building's main door. Teachers will end class a few minutes early to accompany dancers to the satellite building's entry door. Any dancer NOT picked up in time from the satellite building will be walked to the main building and you may pick them up from the front desk. We are also locking the lobby door in the satellite building (room 5 and 6) at 7:00 pm every evening, as an added safety measure.

We are hoping to open our lobby to parents soon, but the ever changing COVID variants are slowing things down for all of us! Stay healthy and SAFE! Thank you for understanding!

4

Our Spring Show Theme!

We a re excited t o r e t u r n t o t h e s t a g e w i t h o u r 2 0 2 2 p roduction, A Whole New Wo r ld, featuri n g o u r a d a p t a t i o n o f D i s n e y ' s A l a d d i n f or the ballet!

A l a d din is the r a g s - t o - r i c h e s s t o r y c e n t e r i n g o n a n o r p han, princess, magical g e n ie, and evi l v i l l a i n . T h e s t o r y f i r s t a p p e a r e d i n O n e Thousand and One N i g h ts, an ant h o l o g y o f c e n t u r i e s - o l d f o l k t a l e s w i t h r oots in cultures across S o u th/Southw e s t A s i a a n d No r t h A f r i c a . A v e r s i o n o f t he tale more recently s u r g ed in popu l a r i t y w h e n D i s n e y r e l e a s e d i t s a n i m a t e d feature, which will s e r v e as the b a s i s f o r o u r c r e a t i v e , i m a g i n a t i v e , a n d p layful ballet. The m a jo rity of ou r b a l l e t ' s m u s i c w i l l c o m e f r o m D i s n e y ' s 1992 animated feature, D i s n ey's 2019 l i v e a d a p t a t i o n , a n d t h e o r i g i n a l B r o a d way production. Our goal is t o expose d a n c e r s t o m u s i c , c o s t u m i n g , a n d c h o r e o g raphy that is fun, c h a llenging, a n d r e m i n i s c e n t o f D i s n e y ' s A l a d d i n s t o r y.

O u r team aim s t o t h o u g h t f ul l y b r i n g o u r a d a p t a t i o n o f Disney's Aladdin to the B a c kstage Danc e S t u d i o s t a g e . W e c a n ' t w a i t t o s h a r e A Whole New World with y o u in Spring 2 0 2 2 !

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Spring Show Timeline January - February - March Students continue to learn new choreography and skills through March.

Attendance is important so dancers don't fall behind!

May The Final Countdown!

Two weeks of rehearsals at Backstage as well as pictures.

April Costumes begin to arrive and are passed out in class.

Dancers continue to rehearse their show piece, as well as the Grande Finale Bow!

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Working Toward a Goal Benefits of Recital More performance benefits for your child Find out HERE

Top 3 FAQs Can I add or change classes?

We have closed enrollment in most classes for the 21/22 school year session. Acro and Tech classes will continue to be available to register for throughout the year as those classes do not participate in the spring show. Please contact us at dancewithus@backstagedance.org with any questions.

Is my child registered for the Spring Show?

If you turned in your Show Participation/Costume Form prior to winter break, you are all set! If you aren't sure if you turned in your child's form, check your family portal account for a costume fee charge. We charged costume fees as forms were received, so if we received your dancer's form(s), you should have a costume fee charge on your account.

We made phone calls and sent emails before the winter break to anyone we did not receive a form from. While your child does not have to participate in the show, we ask for everyone to complete a form to confirm their intentions. If your child is not participating in the show, that is no problem!

They will still come to class, learn technique, new skills and choreography that will be performed in the show. The last month of classes for dancers not participating in the show will be April, as we focus heavily on show protocol in May and don't want any of our dancers to feel left out.

Are make-up classes available?

Yes! If you are absent from your regular class you are welcome to make up in a comparable age/level class. Contact us at dancewithus@backstagedance.org if you have questions about the correct make-up class for your dancer.

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Our Character Focus for January is

Self-Discipline!

"With self-discipline most anything is possible."

Theodore Roosevelt

Self-discipline is the number one trait that is essential to accomplish goals. Look for a culture card coming home with your child when we notice them displaying this trait! This could be demonstrated by trying again, doing extra sit-ups, not talking during classtime, remembering their choreography - anything that is easy to NOT do! Celebrate the victories!

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Did You Know?

Rhythm activities stimulate the areas of the brain used for pre-reading skills. Recent research is connecting the ability to detect rhythm with improved early decoding skills in reading.

At Backstage we use all kinds of instruments to help our dancers learn rhythm and timing, including bells, tambourines, claves, maracas, jingle sticks, finger cymbals and more. And of course, tap dancing is the ultimate instrument to find your rhythm!

9

Parent Education

Backstage would like to partner with you on your parenting journey!

We will inform you of parenting workshops and speaker series that may be of interest to you, and hope to bring you some of our own events throughout the year.

In Praise of Learning Differences: Focusing on Strengths and Abilities FREE webinar from @ParentMap Live Tuesday, Jan 18 at 2:00pm

Changing our mindset about learning differences opens up a world of possibilities for our kids. Just ask New York Timesbestselling author Dr. Edward Hallowell, who transformed the way we see ADHD, recharacterizing the trait from being a challenge to a superpower. REGISTER for the free talk HERE.

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Upcoming Events

January 3

Classes Resume

January 11th

Pre-Ballet Pop Up Class Begins

January 18th

Parent Map Webinar

February 21-27

Midwinter Break, No Classes

February 21-27

2 in 1 Camp/PAC Camp TBD