THE BEAT
MAY 2023
IT'S SHOWTIME!
TAKE A PEEK!
Backstage Dance Studio's annual Spring Show, Bloom Where You Are Planted, takes place Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4 at Renton High School's IKEA Performing Arts Center. There are lots of important details to be aware of, so please make sure to mark your calendars for your child's picture day, dress rehearsal day, show color/date and time. ALL the details are included in this newsletter and on the Backstage website!
WELCOME - 1 SPRING SHOW TIMELINE 2-6 SUMMER REGISTRATION - 7 DANCERS OF THE MONTH - 8 TEACHER SPOTLIGHT - 9 MAY BIRTHDAYS - 10 CHARACTER FOCUS - 11 PARENT EDUCATION - 12 23-24 REGISTRATION - 13 SIGNATURE TEAM/STARS TEAM UPDATES - 14 ODDS & ENDS - 15 UPCOMING EVENTS - 16
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Spring Show Timeline
MAY 13 - 19: CLASS PICTURES
DANCERS COME TO BACKSTAGE DURING THEIR REGULAR, SCHEDULED CLASS TIME. DANCERS SHOULD WEAR THEIR FULL COSTUME WITH HAIR STYLED APPROPRIATELY PER THE INSTRUCTION SHEET INCLUDED WITH EACH DANCER'S COSTUME, ALONG WITH CORRECT TIGHTS, SHOES, HEADPIECE, AND ACCESSORIES AS INSTRUCTED. AS PART OF THE SPRING SHOW MEDIA FEE CHARGED TO ALL FAMILIES WITH A DANCER PARTICIPATING IN OUR SPRING SHOWS, YOU WILL RECEIVE A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OF ALL PHOTOS (INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP) TAKEN OF YOUR DANCER(S) DURING PICTURE WEEK. THESE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS ARE TAKEN BY NIGEL COOPER PHOTOGRAPHY.
MAY 20 - 26: LAST WEEK
OF REGULAR CLASSES AT BACKSTAGE
DANCERS COME TO BACKSTAGE FOR THEIR LAST REGULAR CLASS OF THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL-YEAR SESSION. WEAR REGULAR DRESS CODE CLOTHING THIS WEEK. WE WILL HAVE ONE FINAL CLASS TO PRACTICE OUR DANCES AND CELEBRATE A SUCCESSFUL DANCE SEASON! IF YOUR DANCER IS IN A CREATIVE MOVEMENT CLASS, THEY WILL HAVE AN IN-CLASS PERFORMANCE FOR PARENTS AT THE END OF CLASSES THIS WEEK!
MAY 27 -
MAY 29: STUDIO CLOSED FOR MEMORIAL DAY
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HOLIDAY
DANCERS COME TO BACKSTAGE FOR THE DRESS REHEARSAL FOR THEIR SPECIFIC SHOW(S). IF YOUR DANCER IS PERFORMING IN MULTIPLE SHOWS, THEY NEED TO ATTEND THE DRESS REHEARSAL FOR EACH SHOW. IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF WHICH SHOW YOUR CHILD IS PARTICIPATING IN, PLEASE REFER TO THE EVENTS PAGE ON THE BACKSTAGE WEBSITE.
DANCERS SHOULD WEAR THEIR ENTIRE COSTUME, JUST AS THEY DID FOR PICTURES, AND IF THEY ARE IN MORE THAN ONE DANCE FOR A PARTICULAR SHOW, THEY WILL NEED TO BRING ALL COSTUME PIECES FOR ALL DANCES IN THAT SHOW. THERE WILL BE CHANGING AREAS IN THE STUDIO WHERE DANCERS CAN CHANGE BETWEEN NUMBERS. WE WILL RUN THROUGH THE ENTIRE SHOW FROM START TO FINISH. DANCERS MAY LEAVE WHEN THEY ARE FINISHED REHEARSING ALL OF THEIR PIECES, INCLUDING THE GRAND FINALE BOW.
RED SHOW
DRESS REHEARSAL
May 30, 4:15-6:00pm
May 31,
4:15-6:00pm
GREEN SHOW DRESS REHEARSAL
May 30, 6:45-8:30pm
blue SHOW DRESS REHEARSAL
June 1, 4:15-6:00pm
purple SHOW DRESS REHEARSAL
June 1, 6:45-8:30pm
JUNE 3-4: SHOWTIME AT RENTON IKEA PERFORMING
ARTS CENTER, 400 SOUTH 2ND ST, RENTON
JUNE 3, 2023
RED SHOW, 11:00 AM
ORANGE SHOW, 2:30 PM
YELLOW SHOW, 6:00 PM
JUNE 4, 2023
GREEN SHOW, 11:00 AM
BLUE SHOW, 2:30 PM
PLEASE ARRIVE 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO SHOW START TIME. DANCERS SHOULD WEAR THEIR COSTUME, INCLUDING TIGHTS, SHOES AND ACCESSORIES. PLEASE FOLLOW
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JUNE
MAY 30 -
1: DRESS REHEARSAL WEEK
PURPLE SHOW, 6:00 PM ORANGE
SHOW DRESS REHEARSAL
YELLOW SHOW DRESS REHEARSAL
6:45-8:30pm
May 31,
SIGNAGE AND DROP OFF YOUR DANCER AT THE DRESSING ROOM.
Show Tickets
WE ARE USING A TICKET VENDOR, DANCE RECITAL TICKETING (DRT), TO HANDLE TICKET SALES AGAIN THIS YEAR. A LINK TO PURCHASE TICKETS WAS SENT TO YOU VIA EMAIL AND INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE BACKSTAGE WEBSITE. TICKETS GO ON SALE MAY 3 AT 11:00AM AND ARE $23 EACH (PLUS DRT SERVICE FEE) IF PURCHASED ONLINE, $30 AT THE DOOR. YOU DO NOT NEED TO PURCHASE A TICKET FOR YOUR DANCER FOR THE SHOW(S) THEY PARTICIPATE IN.
Digital Recordings of Spring Shows
OUR SHOWS WILL BE RECORDED BY A PROFESSIONAL VIDEOGRAPHER AND AN EDITED VERSION OF ALL SHOWS WILL BE AVAILABLE VIA DIGITAL DOWNLOAD A WEEK OR SO AFTER THE SHOWS (ACCESS TO THESE DOWNLOADS IS AVAILABLE TO ALL FAMILIES WITH A DANCER PARTICIPATING IN THE SPRING SHOWS AS PART OF THE SPRING SHOW MEDIA FEE CHARGED IN APRIL).
SHOW HAIR & MAKE-UP
Please follow the instructions on the costume form included with your child's costume when doing hair and make-up for show pictures, dress rehearsal and the SPRING SHOWS!
As a reminder, hairstyles follow:
BALLET: Low ballet bun, middle part
JAZZ: Low ponytail, middle part
TAP: Low ponytail, middle part
HIP HOP: Low ponytail, middle part
CONTEMPORARY: Low ponytail, middle part
Make-up requirements include blush on the cheeks and a little pink lip color due to harsh light created by stage lights. Other make-up is optional.
SHOW TIGHTS
If your dancer is in a ballet class, they need a new pair of tights for the show! As per your costume instructions sheet, dancers should have a fresh pair of Capezio Ultra Soft tights in the "ballet pink" color. These tights are sold at Stage Left Dancewear and will also be available for purchase at the front desk of the main studio beginning May 1st.
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SUMMER FUN AT bds
DON"T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR SUMMER 2023!
BACKSTAGE IS OFFERING 6 WEEKS OF CLASSES AND 5 WEEKS OF CAMPS, JUNE 26 THROUGH AUGUST 4. THERE ARE ALSO TWO WEEKS OF INTENSIVE 3-DAY WORKSHOPS FOR EXPERIENCED DANCERS (JUNE 13-15 AND AUGUST 8-10).
REGISTER TODAY ON THE BACKSTAGE WEBSITE!!
Congratulations to our SUMMER RAFFLE WINNERS! Anais Gould, Egan Ip and Aria Mackenzie
registered for a class prior to April 10th and are our lucky winners! They will receive $50 OFF summer class tuition! We can't wait to dance with you this summer!!
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DANCERS OF THE MONTH!
AS we begin a new month, we are excited to announce our next round of DANCERS of the MONTH for the month of April! PERRI, ISABELLE and KATELYN were recognized by their teachers for their hard work and great attitudes! CONGRATULATIONS! Make sure to stop by the front desk to pick up your certificate and prize! WAY TO GO, DANCERS!
PERRI COLLINS
Perri was nominated by her Hip Hop 1 teacher, Miss Maddie. Miss Maddie says that Perri is consistently prepared and ready to start new material. She takes corrections with a smile and always has a positive attitude!
AWESOME WORK, PERRI!!
KATELYN WONG
Katelyn is a member of our STARS 104 Team! She is enrolled in Ballet 104, Contemporary 104 and Jazz 104. Katelyn was nominated by her Jazz teacher, Miss Grace. Grace says that Katelyn is on time to class and encourages others. She appreciates that Katelyn is always working hard during class.
WAY TO GO, KATELYN!!
ISABELLE ANGRIAWAN
Isabelle is enrolled in Ballet/Tap with Miss Tani. Miss Tani says that Isabelle is a star student! She is always focused, tries hard and is very courteous. Miss Tani is impressed with her growth this year!
EXCELLENT JOB, ISABELLE!!
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Team Teacher Spotlight
RHONDA!
Rhonda is one of our awesome Signature and STARS Team teachers and teaches ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary. She also teaches many of our recreational classes--she does it all! Rhonda has been dancing for over thirty-five years and has been on the faculty at Backstage since 1990. She received her training at JoAnn McKimson School of Dance, Marty Roberts Dance Studio, Backstage Dance Studio, Bellevue Community College, Tremaine Dance Studio in Studio City, California, and Star Struck Dance Studio in Durham, Oregon. Rhonda continues her dance education by attending several conventions and competitions each year and she continually learns and grows from working with her students. She hopes to pass on the joy, love, respect, appreciation and enthusiasm that she has for dance!
Kelly has been dancing since the age of five and teaching movement to children for over 20 years. She grew up in Minnesota where she competed with her local dance studio in jazz, tap and lyrical. She was also a member of her high school dance team which won the state championship. She began her journey in teaching with her first job as a gymnastics instructor at age 15. She continued dancing in college as a member the Montana State University-Bozeman dance team and also taught classes at a local studio. She fell in love with choreography and has shared her love of movement and expression with students at Backstage for the past eleven years. She teaches ballet, tap, jazz, acro, contemporary and choreographs for the signature team. Though she earned her degree in Graphic Design, and continues freelance work in design/illustration (including the Backstage Costume Coloring Book) she loves saving time for dance and can’t imagine life without it. She has danced and taught across multiple states and studios around the greater Seattle area and chooses Backstage as her home for its technical excellence, integrity, community and family feel. She’s particularly excited for the return of the Dad’s Dance this year - keep an eye out for them at the Spring Show!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANCERS!
Make sure you wish these dancers a HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY this month!
MAY BIRTHDAYS!!
Grace Adrián, Caroline Arora, Lilyanna Berrones, Ashley Burkholder, Kayley Chan, Keira Chan, Kathryn Charlton, Eliana Chauvet, Ellie Cheung, Clara Cosnowski, Cora Damey, Leila Denisov, Sarah Dennie, Yutong Ding, Kellan Doroski, Nomroho Fauzia, Riley Feng, Lesa Ford, Hannah Gemmell, Carina Guattare, Annelise Guerrero, Channing Johnson, Tessa Keeney, Lily Kwon, Lyanna Lan, Maria Legacheva, Darren Li, Julia Ludlow, David MacKinnon, Lyalla Magsi, Elisa Markevitch, Grace McMellon, Antonieta Medina, Haruna Morishita, Ursula Muir, Kai Novsky, Jordyn Ohashi, Lucy Olberg, Avery Noelle Palting, Calvin Peek, Elena Portillo, Cynthia Rivette, Jeena Roy, Molly Shea, Muyan Song, Karenna Stone, Cyrielle Titov, Millie Wang, Allison Wei, Ellie Wong, Azusa Yi, Ava Zeng
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ACCEPTANCE
excellence
We are encouraging our dancers to focus on EXCELLENCE during the month of May! Let's all strive to work toward one of the 8 keys of excellence this month!
8 KEYS OF EXCELLENCE
INTEGRITY – MATCH BEHAVIOR WITH VALUES DEMONSTRATE YOUR POSITIVE PERSONAL VALUES IN ALL YOU DO AND SAY. BE SINCERE AND REAL.
FAILURE LEADS TO SUCCESS – LEARN FROM MISTAKES VIEW FAILURES AS FEEDBACK THAT PROVIDES YOU WITH THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO LEARN, GROW, AND SUCCEED.
SPEAK WITH GOOD PURPOSE – SPEAK HONESTLY AND KINDLY THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. MAKE SURE YOUR INTENTION IS POSITIVE AND YOUR WORDS ARE SINCERE.
THIS IS IT! – MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON THE PRESENT MOMENT. KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
COMMITMENT – MAKE YOUR DREAMS HAPPEN TAKE POSITIVE ACTION. FOLLOW YOUR VISION WITHOUT WAVERING.
OWNERSHIP – TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACTIONS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, WORDS, AND ACTIONS. “OWN” THE CHOICES YOU MAKE AND THE RESULTS THAT FOLLOW.
FLEXIBILITY – BE WILLING TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY RECOGNIZE WHAT’S NOT WORKING AND BE WILLING TO CHANGE WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL.
BALANCE – LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE BE MINDFUL OF SELF AND OTHERS WHILE FOCUSING ON WHAT’S MEANINGFUL AND IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE.
MONTHLY
CHARACTER FOCUS
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PARENT EDUCATION
Anxious Parents, Anxious Kids: Parenting Tips
From the ‘World’s Worst Mom’
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
1:00 p.m.
REGISTER HERE
It’s time to change the way we look at obstacles and stop making assumptions that our kids are incapable of clearing their own path in life. Join author, columnist, blogger and reality TV show host Lenore Skenazy, aka “The World’s Worst Mom,” for a talk laced with humor, wit and the unvarnished truth: Your kids can be independent. Skenazy will share simple but powerful ways anxious parents can counteract the urge to overprotect their children, move away from fear-based parenting, and give their bubble-wrapped children the freedom to develop confidence and resilience the natural way: through unstructured, child-directed play.
LENORE SKENAZY IS THE PRESIDENT OF LET GROW, THE NONPROFIT PROMOTING CHILDHOOD INDEPENDENCE AND RESILIENCE
EVER SINCE HER COLUMN WHY I LET MY 9YEAR-OLD RIDE THE SUBWAY ALONE CREATED A MEDIA FIRESTORM, SKENAZY HAS BEEN DECLARING THAT OUR KIDS ARE SMARTER AND STRONGER THAN OUR CULTURE GIVES THEM CREDIT FOR SHE IS THE AUTHOR OF “FREE-RANGE KIDS, ” THE BOOK-TURNEDPARENTING-MOVEMENT THAT GARNERED HER THE “WORLD’S WORST MOM” NICKNAME.
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FREE
WEBINAR SPONSORED BY PARENT MAP!
2023-2024 Registration
Dancer Assessments Coming Soon!
We have enjoyed teaching your children this year! This month, teachers continue assessing student progress and making recommendations on class placements for next year. Watch for this information to come your way in midMay. Our teachers put a lot of time and thought into each dancer's recommendations to ensure that dancers are placed in a class that is the best fit for their overall growth and development.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT MOST STUDENTS SPEND AT LEAST TWO YEARS IN EVERY LEVEL. THEIR FIRST TO SECOND YEAR, THEY ARE CONSIDERED A LEARNER; THEIR SECOND TO THIRD YEAR, THEY ARE CONSIDERED A LEADER!
Every dancer's journey is COMPLETELY UNIQUE. Your dancer may progress at a different rate than their classmates. What is MOST important to us is making sure your dancer is in a position where they are challenged, but not overwhelmed, to ensure the best chance for success.
New Concierge Registration for 2023-2024
As we prepare for the 2023-2024 School-Year Session, we are working to make things as easy and simple for our families as possible when it come to registering for classes. Since you will be receiving class placement recommendations from teachers in mid-May, shortly thereafter we will send out a form for families to complete to let us know your dancer's plans for next year. If you plan to have your dancer continue, we will automatically renew your registration with the discounted annual membership fee of $40 on June 5.
Concierge Registrants save on their Annual Family Membership Fee ($40). Families who do not participate in Concierge Registration have a Membership Fee of $50.
Benefits of Concierge Registration
If you elect to participate in concierge registration by June 5th, you receive priority access to class enrollments. You get your first choice in classes before they fill up!
Families who participate in Concierge Registration will have access to a priority ticket window for purchasing tickets for Backstage's Spring Shows 2024.
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Signature Team Auditi ns
Planning for next year's Signature Team is underway! If you are interested in learning more about Signature Team and the audition process, visit the Backstage WEBSITE. Auditions are June 10-11 and the deadline to register is June 6.
STARS TEAM ASSESSMENTS
Planning for next year's STARS Teams are also underway! Your dancer may have received a recommendation from a teacher that STARS could be a good fit for them and that is great! A teacher assessment is required, even with a teacher recommendation, and assessments will be done during summer session classes. For more information about the STARS program and the assessment process, visit the STARS page on the Backstage website.
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ODD & ENDS
Creative Movement In-Class Performances
Our tiniest dancers will be having a
show of their own during their last class, Saturday, May 20th through Friday, May 26th! Parents will have the opportunity to come into their child's studio room during the last part of class to watch their child'sperformanceandcelebratethem!
Last Day of Classes?
Students not participating in the Spring Shows are welcome to attend classes through the end of April. During the month of May, classes are geared toward students participating in the Spring Shows, with show pictures and dress rehearsals. You should have received an email notification at the end of April to confirm the end of your dancer's enrollment. Any questions, please email the studio at dancewithus@backstagedance.org
For all other dancers (including those in classes that do not participate in the spring shows, like Creative Movement and Acro) the last day of classes is Saturday, May 20 through Friday, May 26.
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Upcoming Events
MAY 3
MAY 13-19
MAY 27-29
MAY 30-JUNE 1
JUNE 3-4
JUNE 5
JUNE 6
JUNE 10-11
JUNE 13-15
JUNE 26
SPRING SHOW TICKETS GO ON SALE, 11:00AM
SHOW PICTURES IN CLASS
STUDIO CLOSED - MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
DRESS REHEARSAL AT BACKSTAGE
SPRING SHOWS AT RENTON IKEA PAC
CONCIERGE REGISTRATION BEGINS
PARENT MAP PARENT ED SESSION, 1:00PM
AUDITIONS-SIGNATURE TEAM
MINI-INTENSIVE #1 SUMMER CLASSES START
