Newsletter Autumn 2013

Dear Parents,

Welcome back and welcome to all our new faces this year. I hope you’ve had a great Summer. What fabulous weather we’ve had …….finally felt like a proper Summer!!! I hope you all have lots of fun but a well earned rest.

Harry the new addition to the Whitfield family is doing really well, very chunky and putting on weight fast (….whether you’ll recognise him from last term?) He’ll be popping down with me at the start of term to say Hello!

Yet another year has flown by! The performance back in May seems ages ago now but was once again a fantastic show of ‘Alice’ ! Danced beautifully by the children, the brilliant choreography and storytelling by Angela Hardcastle, the dynamic addition of the Street jazz, Tap and Contemporary, choreography by Franki Spong & Lucy Clark; parents you must have been so proud!!!

Mrs. DeMeric, the founder of the school thought once again said it was “the best one yet by far!” Thank you for all your donations in the collection buckets at the show for The Woodlarks Centre in Farnham, we raised over £300. Again a big Thank you to all the parents involved for all your invaluable help and support in making the event such a success.

Myself and Emma received so many endearing letters and emails of thanks (some are on our website) so thank you. All DVDs and photos have been processed, if you didn’t receive them at the end of last term they will be handed out in classes this week. Additional DVDs can still be ordered if anyone missed the cut off date last term. There will also be some of the official photos on the website soon so do have a look.

The school’s website address has changed just in case some of you weren’t aware to www.demericdance.co.uk

 

I hope you will find it useful for information on classes, uniform, events and any changes as it can be difficult to speak to parents after classes. If it is uniform queries, please fill out an order form which you can download from the website or collect one from any of your teachers. I would also prefer if you do have a dancing issue that you call 01483 813348 or email me ray@dance.alisonbentley.com

If you do not receive any of the school’s emails or if your details have changed recently please let me know

There have been various achievements throughout this year and may we start with Congratulating the children who gained our Demeric Awards; Eleanor Selby (Queen of Hearts in Alice) for The Performance Award and Zoe Anderson The Improvement Award.

Some children again have auditioned for the Cecchetti Associates in London, where by the children must be awarded a B grade above 70 marks or A at Grade 2 Ballet level and above, selected through audition out of hundreds of children. Once a month they attend a Ballet Class taught by Guest Teachers, Choreographers and Examiners and a further subject which varies everything from Spanish, Irish, Musical Theatre to Contemporary which are held at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in Twickenham. We congratulate Imogen Carruthers (Alice 2) for Senior Associates and Zoe Anderson for Junior Associates as well as auditioning for English Youth’s Ballet of the Nutcracker and gaining a place dancing in ‘The Nutcracker’

I hope to be auditioning more girls this June as it is such a great experience for them. Please let me know if your child is interested in the Spring term so that you can have the relevant forms to fill in.

I do hope and encourage that children do audition for parts in outside productions; it gives them such great skills and experience. Please let me know of any other forth coming events and achievements.

There soon will be auditions for Surrey Youth Ballet. Let me know if you would like any information or visit www.syb-dance.org.uk for further information.

I will be entering children for the London Mabel Ryan Awards which will be held at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November.  The competition is aimed for the encouragement of dance quality and to demonstrate the high standard of children training in the ISTD Cecchetti Method. Please let me know or your class teacher if you may think your child may be interested, forms will be available at the beginning of term. We aim to coach some of the work in class but in some cases other coaching days may be needed, they will be either on Mondays, Fridays or Saturdays.

Regarding uniform, there are increasing numbers of different dance clothing being worn. If you are unsure of the correct uniform for any particular class please ask your teacher. We do sell all of the uniform so again please ask your teacher for an order form or use our website. Please, please, please can hair be away from faces for our younger children and for Modern, Tap & Jazz classes, buns in all other classes.

As Autumn is here and the weather getting colder please can we use the correct dancewear. There are fleeces and t-shirts with our logo as well as some Alice T-shirts still on sale and as always woolly crossovers, legwarmers and shorts for the seniors.

In all the venues we teach in please make sure you use the correct changing rooms as we are constantly being  reminded that we cannot allow children to change on stairwells and corridors especially due to the rules and regulations of the Children’s Act and that we do abide by them. I do understand it can be difficult as some of you have siblings with you but we cannot afford to lose the places that we teach in. Please also be aware that as we are drawing to darker evenings that the older children who wait for parents are properly dressed in outdoor clothing and not just their dance uniform especially at the Maltings and those they do wait in the foyer and not outside of the building.

New to this year we were thinking of introducing a Mum & Baby Ballet Class from 18mths – 2yrs, either on a Monday or Wednesday. Please let me know if you may be interested or might know anyone else who may be. We will also be offering coaching classes on a one to one basis for anyone who may want extra coaching on a specific area in their dancing, which may also be used for Festival Dances that we may consider and entering local Dance Festivals in the near future.

And finally as many would have known last term sadly Mrs Wise left. She has now settled down in Devon and sends her love; hopefully she may pop in from time to time to see you all. We also said goodbye to Mr. Louis who retired this year, again he may be popping in to play for exams and various classes. Some of you would have met Lisa Sharratt our new member of staff who shadowed me in my Modern & Tap Classes last term. She will also be taking over from Sarah Lavender in the Adult Tap Classes due to Sarah carrying on with her studies. We also welcome Silke Mackay who taught the seniors towards the end of last term & will be teaching them again this term. Some of you may already have recognised her from the London Associates.

A big “Thank you” to all the teachers, helpers and pianists, they’re wonderful playing and assisting in our classes.

Wishing all the children the Best of Luck for their forth coming exams, auditions and competitions and please keep working hard!!!

Aurelia Whitfield.