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Sept news and Nutcracker casting for each Dec show

Sept News and Nutcracker casting for each Dec show

Welcome back dancers and hello to new students!

Nutcracker:  As many of you know we are presenting a full-length Nutcracker this year at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts. It’s very exciting for the dancers to be part of this professional show that is co-presented by DanceStation (through our State Street Dance Company) and The Hettenhausen Center for the Arts. This means that we will have access to huge, beautiful backdrops and professional lighting cues that will make our show quite spectacular and professional.  It also means that tickets are purchased through the Hett, not the studio, and our shows are open to the public.  Why is this important?  1. Because tickets are already going fast! Therefore, everyone needs to buy their important tickets ASAP (like this week!).  I want to make sure that all of my DanceStation families can come see their own kids perform before the shows sell out to other people in the community.   2.  It is assigned seating, so when you order online you can choose your seats. Or you can call the box office and they will choose best available for you.  I cannot stress enough that if you wait until November or December to buy tickets – they will be gone.  In 2019, we sold out in early November, and they had to open their overflow seats in the back to accommodate people that waited until it was too late. 

Attached to this newsletter is your child’s performance day or night and casting.  We have 3 shows: Dec 10th, 11th, and 12th.  All dancers are cast in one performance. Older students, Ballet 5 and up, are in all 3 shows.  If you opt out of the Nutcracker performance – please tell your child’s teacher immediately as we are already measuring for costumes these first two weeks.  Each child will have a $40 costume rental/participation fee to perform in the show.  It is going to be an amazing weekend for our children and for the community to come out and view a holiday classic.  I’m so excited for our dancers! We will begin rehearsing their specific dances in November and there are two mandatory Dress RehearsalsOn Saturday, Dec 4th, we will have a dress rehearsal and group pictures taken here at the studio.  The Dress Rehearsal at the Hett is on the evening of Thur Dec. 9th.  We will have 3 performances:  6:30pm Friday, Dec. 10th, 6:30pm Saturday, Dec. 11th and 2pm on Sunday, Dec. 12th.  Purchase tickets through The Hett box office 618-537-6863 or online at McKendree.edu. I will also post the direct links to purchase tickets to each show on the app this week.

On to a few reminders for the month:

Pictures and DVD’s are in! You may pick them up in the office/waiting room.

September is evaluation time. We will be making sure every student has been placed in the best class for her/his abilities. For the most part the schedule is set now, but some rearranging may be necessary. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Parking:  make sure to park in our lot or use street parking.  The ice cream lot is small and is reserved for their costumers only.  Also, when dropping children off, please pull into a parking space so you aren’t idling in the middle of the parking lot blocking others.

Dress Code:  Students are expected to follow the dress code (it is posted on our website and was in the last newsletter).  Older students please set a good example in this respect.  .

Dancers in Ballet 2 and up:  Hair – Your child’s hair is part of the studio’s dress code. Just like pink tights and ballet shoes are required, so is providing your own hair-ties, bobby pins, hairnets, and putting their hair in a bun. My advice is to keep a baggy in their dance bag with lots of extras in case they come straight from school. One of the desk girls can help with buns if you arrive with enough time before class begins.

We are running an Adult Ballet, Tap, and boys hip hop class this year again! 20% off tuition for 2nd family member, 50% off for third! Take advantage if you can!!! Adult classes are pretty big this year, if you want to join this month still.

Calendar:  Sent home with this newsetter is DanceStation’s yearly calendar and Studio Policies.  Please read both. I know many of you plan your vacations around (and hopefully after!!) the recital, so mark your calendars now! June 1-3 is dress rehearsal and June 4 is the recital at McKendree University.  If you end up taking a vacation before the show, please realize that this will affect not only your own child, but also those students that dance around them.  Missing an entire week of classes before recital weekend is highly, highly discouraged and your child may not be able to participate fully as there are mandatory rehearsals throughout that last week.

DanceStation has an App and a Facebook page. For easy access to reach many of you at once, please download the app and allow notifications to see newsletters and updates throughout the year.  I will also post weather cancellations or make-up classes, as well as reminders about different events throughout the year, including reminders about Nutcracker rehearsals and events. If you don’t have the app you will be missing important information, plus it’s free to download! Facebook is more for pictures, videos, and bun tutorials etc. But I do post on there occasionally.

Tuition:  Tuition is due the first week of every month.  After the 15th of each month a $10 late fee will be added to your bill.  If you have a special circumstance and need to pay after the 15th every month, just come talk to me or email me.  If the last name on your check differs from your child’s last name – please indicate the child’s name on the memo of the check.

Please bring a mask and a water bottle to every class.  The lobby is open on a limited basis for now, we expect it to open more fully later this fall.  Please do not send your child to class if they are sick – this is how we managed to stay open last year without constant quarantines.  Please email me or call the studio if you are sick or home due to Covid quarantine.

Front Desk Hours:  Mon-Thur 3:30-5:30pm

Have a great year!!! Thank you from all of our teachers—Elizabeth Conway, Monica Woods, Sonya Doerr, Jennifer Fischer, Jenny Battenberg, and our front desk staff—Dominic, Kasey, and Faythe.

Nutcracker Casting 2021:   DanceStation classes

I know many of you may have children in different shows.  There was no way around this as I have soooo many siblings at this studio. The studio needs to have 3 different casts to spread out our numbers of dancers in each show, and even doing that the performances sell out.  Please get your important tickets ASAP through the Hett box office.  If you wait until December, the seats will most likely be gone.  Last time, all three shows sold out by the beginning of November.  It truly is a beautiful performance!

 

Pre/K  A  3-4 yr olds                        Mon 6-6:45pm                                 Bubble Gum       Fri. Dec 10th 6:30pm

Pre/K  B  3-4 yr olds                        Tues  5-5:45pm                                Bubble Gum       Sat. Dec 11th 6:30pm

Pre/K  C  3-4 yr olds                        Thur  5-5:45pm                               Bubble Gum       Sun. Dec 12th 2pm

Pre-ballet/tap 5-6 yr olds              Mon 5-6pm                                       Gingerbread        Fri. Dec 10th 6:30pm

Preballet/tap 5-6 yr olds               Wed 6:30-7:30pm                           Lemon Drops      Sat. Dec 11th 6:30pm

Preballet/tap 5-6 yr olds               Tues 6-7pm                                       Gingerbread       Sat. Dec 11th 6:30pm

Preballet/tap 5-6 yr olds               Thur 6-7pm                                       Gingerbread       Sun. Dec 12th 2pm

Combo Ballet/Jazz/Tap  1A           Mon 5:15-6:30pm                          Mice                     Fri. Dec. 10th 6:30pm

Combo Ballet/Jazz/Tap 1B            Tues 4:30-5:45pm                           Mice                     Sat. Dec 11th 6:30pm

Combo Ballet/Jazz/Tap  1C           Thur 7-8:15pm                                Mice                     Sun. Dec. 12th 2pm

Ballet 2/Ballet 4                              Mon 6:30-7:30/Wed 6:30-7:30   Angels                  Fri. Dec 10th 6:30pm

Ballet 3                                              Wed 5:30pm                              Angels                  Sat. Dec 11th 6:30pm

Ballet 2                                              Wed 4:30-5:30pm                      Angels                  Sun. Dec 12th 2pm

Ballet 5                                              Tues 5-6pm                               Candy Canes          all three shows

Ballet 6                                              Mon 5:15-6:30pm                        Arabian                   all three shows

Ballet 7                                              Tues 6-7:15                                 Mother Ginger        all three shows

Int Ballet                                           Mon 6:30-8pm                              Snow                       all three shows

Adv Ballet                                         Mon 8-9:30pm                             Flowers                    all three shows

 

 

 

 

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