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 6th 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!
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.
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!
tickets go on sale to academy families and the general public beginning february 23rd. our showcase will be 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.
dancers working hard with david fernandez on a saturday morning.
a saturday morning rehearsal with david
Westport’s Academy of Dance is thrilled to announce our first annual Winter Showcase ‘10, to be performed at FTC on StageOne in March of 2010.
The two scheduled performances will be the culmination of a new Academy workshop. Our company and pre-company dancers will be given the opportunity to collaborate with choreographers and create unique, multi-disciplinary performance pieces within an exciting new forum.
Works will be rehearsed over a two month period, and will cover a wide range of styles and techniques. The performance world is a vast, dynamic place, and we are pleased to offer the opportunity for dancers to continually explore what dance has to offer.
Not only will this be a chance for students to perform without the boundaries of any specific category, they will also find themselves contributing to the creative process.
The final performances will also feature one student-choreographed work. In preparation for Winter Showcase ‘10, students were asked to present ideas to a panel of teachers. One has already been selected as the first student choreographed piece to be performed by that student’s peers. Sr. company member, Julia Edelman will rehearse over a two month period, and with the guidance of her teachers, see her inspiration come to fruition via dancers she has studied alongside for years.
The Academy teachers and students are excited to embark on this journey together, and we thank all of the talented individuals that will make it happen. We hope those in our community will also join us for the performances.
Please check back for ongoing updates.
Winter Showcase ‘10
FTC on StageOne
March 7, 2010
1pm & 5pm shows
check dance magazine for summer camp auditions. please be sure to make an appointment with nancy and catalina to discuss the best camp options for you.
it’s not too early to start thinking about summer dance/sleep away programs. dance magazine publishes a guide and list of auditions for many programs in december’s issue. please make an appointment (after nutcracker) with nancy to discuss the best option(s) for you.
a unique performance opportunity for jr.ll, jr. co. and sr. co. dancers to showcase faculty and student choreographed pieces! workshop rehearsals will be on saturdays and/or sundays beginning in january, 2010. participation forms are available in the office. please be sure to return yours no later than december 1, 2009, you don’t want to miss out on our 1st annual winter workshop.
kudos to julia edelman and grace bergonizi who showcased their choreographing skills this past week. congratulations to julia for being chosen as our student choreographer. her piece will be performed this spring so stay tuned for more information on our upcoming workshop and performance.
