julie lunde, senior company dancer, organized a wonderful dance program at the academy this summer in conjunction with SEPTA (special education pta).  she loves dance so much, as do the other students teaching with her this summer, that she is sharing it with children who might not have another opportunity to take dance classes.

the classes are open to special needs boys and girls and our senior company teachers hope that the power of dance and music will help these new dancers feel like the stars they are!  the majority of the dancers are between the ages of 6-8 but we do have two 15 year old girls who will take some classes and work on more advanced steps while helping out the younger dancers as well.

the academy is very proud of our dancers for putting together this very special program.  thank you julie lunde, allison o’toole, elena adams, lacey waterhouse, grace osgood and julia edelman for your time, expertise and willingness to give back to our community.

This is a no-cost program and classes will run once a week until august 10th.  pictured below are julie lunde and allison o’toole getting ready for their first class setting up chairs so that parents can watch class and be part of the magic.

Great job keeping this a secret before the performance! Bravo to David’s choreography and to all the company girls and “special guest” dancers for making this piece fill the room with energy!

Click above to view the video clip

With recital and finals right around the corner, my schedule could never be busier. I am a junior at Staples High School and have been dancing at the academy since 6^th grade. I started dancing a little later than most, but it hasn’t stopped dance from becoming my passion.

Over the years, I have grown as a dancer and as a person due to the incredible training and opportunities provided by the teachers at the academy. I have had unbelievable experiences through performances at recital, and especially the Nutcracker, and was thrilled with the Winter Showcase that took place in March. It is the academy where my best friends, if not sisters, are and a place that I am proud to call my second home. I love everything about dance, from the hours of training in the studio to the minutes on stage where my jaw hurts from smiling too hard.

Aside from dance, I love having fun and being with my friends, family, and boyfriend. My friends, especially from the academy, are a huge part of my life and the relationships we have created will last forever.  As college approaches, my schedule will continue to fill and my life will be loaded with stress. It is definitely a challenge to balance my schedule with schoolwork and countless hours at dance, but everything is worth it because dance makes everything more enjoyable.

I will definitely continue to dance in the future and I hope to minor in dance in college, or at least dance on the side.  After college, I would love to study education and one day become a teacher. Who knows, maybe even a dance teacher!

It’s what I always wanted to do, to show the laughter, the fun the joy of dance.
-martha graham

dress rehearsal and performances were the highlight of this past weekend!  bravo to our wonderful teachers and choreographers, tollie barrato, catalina bohiltea, david fernandez, natalie lambelet palacious, courtney poulos, caitlin roberts, and our student choreographer julia edelman.  ftc’s stage one theater was filled with amazing music and performances on a beautiful sunday afternoon.  our dancer’s hard work paid off and our audiences were on their feet!

a very special thanks to fred busk and his son, for their invaluable help setting up and taking down our dance floor … your generosity and spirit are greatly appreciated by all, especially our dancers who wouldn’t be able to perform without your help!  let’s not forget our film crew, visual mercernary group, who’s talent and editing skills will be seen once again with a dvd recording of our amazing day.  thank you to gayle kirsch for running back stage again for us, it wouldn’t be such an efficient show without you.  we can’t wait for next year…our 2nd annual winter showcase!  enjoy the pictures below.

Congratulations to Julia Edelman, student choreographer for our first annual Winter Showcase. Click above to view an excerpt from an interview with Julia.

tickets are on sale for our winter showcase ‘10 being performed at the fairfield theater company on stage one…70 sanford street, fairfield (at the metro north railroad station). performances will be at 1pm and 5pm on sunday march 7th…seating is limited so please purchase your tickets early. click here to download the order form.

we are excited about our first showcase where company and pre-company dancers cover a wide range of styles and techniques in these performances, giving them the opportunity to continually explore what dance has to offer. in addition to the professionally choreographed pieces, academy student julia edelman, will be debuting her first choreographed piece “underneath it all”.

show your support of the academy and their performers by attending the show!

As my schedule fills with different workshop rehearsals, I know that performance day is finally approaching! For the ten years I’ve been dancing at the Academy, the anticipation of a performance has always been the most stressful (but exciting) part of my experience. I remember the very first time I ever performed on stage, as a little blue soldier in the Nutcracker- I was so nervous, I actually threw up backstage and ruined what I had been dreaming about for months- performing on the stage, under the bright lights, the audience applauding. Now, even though I still get butterflies, I know not to let my nervousness get in the way of my dancing. Instead, I focus on enjoying the feeling of being onstage and just doing my best! In doing so, I’ve gained so many great memories with all my wonderful friends at the studio. I never want to stop dancing- it’s the best feeling in the world! I’m a junior at Staples High School right now, but I know that even when I go to college, I’ll keep dancing as a part of my life.

As my schedule fills with different workshop rehearsals, I know that performance day is finally approaching! For the ten years I’ve been dancing at the Academy, the anticipation of a performance has always been the most stressful (but exciting) part of my experience. I remember the very first time I ever performed on stage, as a little blue soldier in the Nutcracker- I was so nervous, I actually threw up backstage and ruined what I had been dreaming about for months- performing on the stage, under the bright lights, the audience applauding. Now, even though I still get butterflies, I know not to let my nervousness get in the way of my dancing. Instead, I focus on enjoying the feeling of being onstage and just doing my best! In doing so, I’ve gained so many great memories with all my wonderful friends at the studio. I never want to stop dancing- it’s the best feeling in the world! I’m a junior at Staples High School right now, but I know that even when I go to college, I’ll keep dancing as a part of my life.

julia edelman, our student choreographer for winter showcase ‘10 was interviewed by nancy and filmed by craig hyland, visualmerc.  some great moments from a fun saturday afternoon.