THE BEAT
STUDIO NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2023
BY MARTY ROBERTS, STUDIO OWNER
We value YOU as members of the Backstage Dance Studio community. As we reflect on the challenges of the past several years, we are grateful for our families who have weathered the pandemic storm with us, and those of you who have joined our community and trust us with your child's dance education and social-emotional growth. May this new year be one of adventure and growth for us all! Here's hoping you shimmy shake your way into 2023! TAKE A PEEK! WELCOME - 1 TREEHOUSE-THANK YOU! - 2 NEW POP-UP CLASSES - 3 DANCERS OF THE MONTH - 4 TEACHER SPOTLIGHT - 5 JANUARY BIRTHDAYS - 6 PARENT EDUCATION - 7 CHARACTER FOCUS - 8 SPRING SHOW UPDATE - 9 FAQS - 10 UPCOMING EVENTS -11 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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Treehouse Thanks You!
We had such an amazing response to our Treehouse fundraiser in December! Thanks so much to those who donated items to support the nearly 7,000 foster children in the state of Washington that are served by Treehouse. Because of your generosity, we dropped off a truckload of toys, clothing, sporting equipment and electronics to the Treehouse Store in Seattle in time for your items to be shared with children for the holidays. Together, our amazing community makes a difference!
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Adult Dance Mix Class with Grace!
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND, ADULT DANCE MIX! Dance Mix incorporates a variety of dance styles - hip hop, contemporary, jazz, and even a little yoga and stretching!
Class is on Mondays, 7:00-8:00pm and runs six weeks, January 9 to February 13. $150 for the six week session.
Hip Hop Choreography Class with Shay! Ages 10-14
Miss Shay loves hip hop and will share her passion for hip hop choreography during this six-week class. Students will learn how to choreograph a hip hop dance and will choreograph their own dance to perform for their family on the last day of class. For dancers, ages 10 to 14. Class is on Mondays, 4:15-5:00pm and runs six weeks, January 9 to February 13. $120 for the six week session.
Space is availabe in both Pop-Up classes! Register TODAY on the Backstage WEBSITE!
6-WEEK Pop-Up Classes starting January 9!
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DANCERS OF THE MONTH!
NOMROHO FAUZIA
Nomroho is enrolled in Hip Hop Basics and was nominated by Miss Sofia. She says that Nomroho keeps a positive attitude throughout class and fully participates, even during hard tasks. GREAT JOB, NOMROHO!!
Emma is enrolled in Jazz 1 and was nominated by Miss Rhonda, who says Emma is always focused during Jazz class. She says that Emma is kind to her classmates and smiles throughout every class! WAY TO GO, EMMA!!
EMMA RAYES ANANYA SHARMA
Ananya is a member of our STARS 101 team and is enrolled in Ballet 101, Tap 101, Hip Hop 101 and Acro 101. Ananya was nominated by Miss Tani, who says that she is very committed and focused in class, always standing with her chest lifted and prepared for class!
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Congratulations to our January Dancers of the Month! These dancers will receive a gift card to Stage Left Dancewear! Please stop by the front desk to pick up your prize. HOORAY!!
AWESOME JOB, ANANYA!!
Teacher Spotlight
GRACE!
Grace joined the Backstage family in August and we are so happy to have her as a member of our team!
Grace has 18 years of dance training and 5 years of teaching at Creative Arts Center in Helena, Montana and Tutu School in Seattle. She attended Cornish College of the Arts, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2021 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. While at Cornish, Grace received the Terpischore Writing Award in 2020 and was Outstanding Dancer of the Year runner-up in 2018.
Grace has served as a choreographer for New Moves and Terpischore's Landing in Seattle, and she also performs with Corliolis Dance in Seattle!
Fun Facts! Gracehasbeendancingsince she was three years old!When she's notdancing, sheloves cooking, reading, and paddleboarding. Herfavorite animals are pigs, sloths anddogs! PAGE 5 YOU'LL FIND MISS GRACE AT BACKSTAGE ON MONDAYS, THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS. SHE TEACHES TAP 1, TAP 3-4, STARS HIP HOP 101, HIP HOP 1, HIP HOP 2, JAZZ 2, STARS JAZZ 104, BALLET/JAZZ AND OUR ADULT DANCE MIX POP-UP!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANCERS!
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
Make sure you wish these dancers a HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY this month!
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Lila Cochrane, Ella Amram, Melina Bahrami, Cameron Bos Aliyah Bynum, Ava Carlson, Jennifer Charlton, Nicole Chen, Sierra Chism-Okino, Mila Comer, Ellie Custer, Camilla Du, Dorian Fillingames, Sophie Frabetti Suchek, Jolene Hall, Julia Harnish, Scarlett Hone, Ethan Hong, Juliet Howard, Aanya Karunakalage, Shreya Kasireddy, Stella Kendrick, Harper Kobuki, Alia Kumar, Olivia Leung, Luke McMaster, Amelia Morgan, Emma Nakano, Ido Naveh, Madeline Nguyen, Charlotte Olstein, Isabella Park, Junhee (Emma) Park, Thea Phillips, Genevieve Pita, Ava Precht, Kieu An Ratts, Anna Rivette, David Rivette, Margot Sandoval, Amelia Shepherd, Edie Tehan, Tanish Telukunta, Meekha Tharavattathil Abin, Isaline Tsang, Ada Vandervelde, Mia Watanabe, Mila Whitmore, Walter Wilson, Ella Wong, Mae Yan, Myla Zehner, Zoe Zong
EDUCATION Again this year, 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. ParentMap Presents: Past Forward: The Legacy of Racism in Modern-Day America Thursday, January 19, 2023 1–2 p.m. PT REGISTER HERE PAGE 7 DISCUSSING RACE, RACISM AND ACCURATE HISTORICAL INFORMATION IN SCHOOL REDUCES PREJUDICE AMONG STUDENTS OF ALL RACIAL BACKGROUNDS. PROMOTING “COLOR BLINDNESS” AND IGNORING RACE, RACISM AND STEREOTYPES LEADS TO INCREASED PREJUDICE. Don't miss this essential ParentEd Talks event with Khalil Gilbran Muhammad, Ph.D., and Jeffery Robinson, two of the nation's leading scholars on race, democracy, inequality and criminal justice. In this live, online conversation, they will discuss the hidden history of racism in our country and how to forge a path forward.
PARENT
SELF-Discipline The feeling of being in control of yourself Higher rates of goal achievement and success Feeling more motivation towards your goals Self-discipline is the ability to push yourself forward, stay motivated, and take action, regardless of how you're feeling, physically or emotionally! What are the benefits of self-discipline? OUR CHARACTER FOCUS FOR JANUARY IS... Look for a culture card coming home with your dancer this month! We hope everyone will earn a card for working on their SELF-DISCIPLINE this month! PAGE 8
Spring Show News!
Thanks to EVERYONE who turned in their SHOW PARTICIPATION/COSTUME ORDER FORM during the busy-ness of the month of December! All costumes have been ordered and should be received by the end of March. Costumes will be distributed in classes during the month of April.
As a reminder, our ballet follows the storyline of Disney's Frozen with the overall theme Bloom Where You Are Planted. Our six shows will take place on Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4 at IKEA Performing Arts Center at Renton High School.
What are the benefits of participating in a dance recital? Why is this experience so valuable for your child?
Check out the following blog post by Backstage Dance Studio owner/director Marty Roberts Working Toward a Goal, for all
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January Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add or change classes?
We have closed enrollment for the 2022-2023 school-year session, except for Acro, Creative Movement, and Tech classes that do not participate in our Spring Shows 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 whether or not you turned in your child's form, you can check your portal account for a costume fee (charged in November or December, depending on when you turned in your form) or contact the studio office for confirmation. If you did not turn in a form, we did not order a costume for your child and your teachers have noted that they are not participating in the show
Can my child continue to take classes if they aren't participating in the Spring Show?
YES! Your child will continue to learn new technique and skills, in addition to the choreography that will be performed in the Spring Shows The last month of classes for dancers not participating in the show will be April as we begin to focus heavily on show protocol in May and we don't want any of our dancers to feel left out.
Are make-up classes available?
They are, though we strongly recommend that dancers attend their regular class as much as possible. Classes will be focusing on learning choreography, which makes it more difficult for a student not normally in the class to participate. That said, if you would like your child to make up a missed class due to illness or vacation, please check the class schedule on the website and find a comparable age/level class for your child to attend. Please contact us in the studio office with any questions.
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January 2 January 9 January 9 January 19 February 20-24 February 21-24 Upcoming Events Classes Resume Adult Dance Mix Pop-Up class begins Hip Hop Choreography Pop-Up class begins Parent Map Webinar Mid-Winter Break: STUDIO CLOSED Mid-Winter Break Camp--DETAILS TBD! PAGE 11
