Jessica and Sirina in preparation for RAD test

The RAD, Royal Academy of Dance, testing was held last month and two of our ballet students, Sirina Law and Jessica Chern, have been working diligently with our Ballet Director Ms. Karen Millar since last summer to master the material required to pass the test.

This is an International Program and students from all over the world are evaluated.  Many students do not pass at all.  However, our two girls passed with flying colors!  Jessica was awarded a Pass with Merit and Sirina awarded a Pass with Distinction.

Jessica and Sirina prepare for the RAD testing

The both did an outstanding job, and we are very proud of their accomplishment!

Please click on the link below for the flyer with more details.

And as always, contact the front desk if you need additional information!

Parents Night Out

Here is a picture of the Beginning/Intermediate Master Class with Anne in the center:

EWMD contemporary dance master class

And here’s the Intermediate/Advanced Master Class with Anne in the center again:

Anne Zivolich with EWMD dancers

Thanks to Anne for a great workshop, and thanks to our students for taking the time to come to the class and for dancing so well!

Anne Zivolich of ODC

We are very excited to be able to host such a tremendous dancer and master class.  Please take advantage of this opportunity!!

We are also excited to remind people that Daria Keidar - EWMD student – will be performing in the upcoming musical, “Starmites.”  If interested in attending the musical, please go to the Seat Yourself Website and look for the “Starmites” performance.  Additionally, if you or your child have an upcoming show, please let the front desk know so we can hopefully share the information with the rest of the studio!!

Have a great weekend!

Dominic Duong, Erin East, and Mike Saenz, had  very successful performances this weekend for the sjDANCEco ChoreoProject!  Thank you to all of those who came out to support these talented choreographers, and hopefully were inspired by some of the impressive dance pieces!

We are proud to announce that Erin East won the sjDANCEco’s People’s Choice Award for her work!  Congrats!!!

For more information about San Jose’s modern dance company, go to  www.sjdanceco.org.

Here is a video of one of the exercises they will present at the examination:

The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) offers an internationally recognized portfolio of examinations and assessments designed to encourage students of all ages and levels of ability to participate.  Examinations are administered by the RAD Examinations Board.  Each year approximately 230,000 candidates take part in these examinations and assessments worldwide.  RAD was founded over 80 years ago and is the largest and most influential dance teacher training and examining body for classical ballet in the world and its method is taught in over 70 countries throughout the world.

There are six levels of the Vocational Graded Examinations.  Jessica and Sirina are preparing for the Intermediate Foundation Examination.

Check out the RAD website, and contact our front desk for more information!

ODC is a contemporary arts institution with longstanding roots in the San Francisco community. ODC is the first modern dance company in America to build its own home facility in 1979.  In September 2005, they opened a 33,000 square foot performing arts training center, the ODC Dance Commons, half a block from their cornerstone facility, the ODC Theater. In Fall 2010, the completion of ODC Theater culminated a successful two-year, $9 million renovation and expansion campaign that concludes ODC’s extraordinary, decade-long effort to realize a national center for contemporary dance and performance on the West Coast.

Anne Zivolich was born in Los Angeles, CA and  has been a featured dancer in ODC since 2003.  She studied on scholarship at Ballet Met, The Joffrey Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet.  She graduated from The Juilliard School with a BFA in Dance.  Zivolich has also danced with Hubbard Street dance company, and was an Isadora Duncan Dance Award (Izzie Award) finalist in Best Individual Performance, has been nominated for a Princess Grace Award, has performed on television for the Academy Awards Show, and is in the movie Toys.

Please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!!

Please come see the inspiring pieces they’ve created!

Performances are Friday 2/17 at 7:00pm and Saturday 2/18 at 2:30pm and 7:00pm at San Jose State University.

Dominic Duong, Erin East, Emily Harter, Mike Saenz

Please visit the sjDANCEco website for more information.

PHYSICAL BENEFITS: The physical benefit of dance might be obvious – getting an hour of exercise.  However, there are lots of ways to get the heart rate up, so why dance?   Looking through the article “The Benefits of Dance for Kids,” written by Rebecca Lake, she noted that dance classes increase:

• flexibility
• range of motion
• physical strength
• balance

And this all happens at the same time as you’re enjoying some music!  What could be better?

EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS:  Dance requires discipline, practice, focus and creativity, and these important skills transfer into other areas of our lives.  Rebecca Lake’s article also mentioned that students who regularly participated in dance classes:

• have enhanced creativity;
• tend to develop an appreciation for the arts; and
• tend to perform better academically than their non-dancing peers. Who knew?

All the more reason to keep dancing, and maybe add a class or two!

Read more at http://www.livestrong.com/article/214791-the-benefits-of-dance-for-kids/#ixzz1jGzynqyh.

Dancing with the Stars

Here’s a clip of Savion Glover tapping on the show, my love for tap is even greater now!!!

Glee

So You Think You can Dance

The first season’s winner, Nick Lazzarini, is from the bay area – Mountain View to be exact. What a talent…

Then of course there’s Dance Moms.  I’m a little afraid to watch it.  However, at least these girls have a passion and get great exercise.  I’ll have to see the show so I can get a better idea of what’s going on…

Also, with all of the competition shows like The X Factor, American Idol and America’s Got Talent, etc., there are dancers and musicians on TV all the time it seems.

Dance on, sing on,

Amber