Class time
I realize I tend to put up posts after events which can make it seem like all we do is get ready to perform or compete. This couldn’t be further from the truth! I have some of the hardest working students around who spend the majority of their free time in class. I have a nice group of high achievers at the STUDIO, many of them excel in much more than dance. All of them aspire to be the best they can be and I am truly lucky to be surrounded by young people who have such high hopes and bright futures. Those hopes weigh heavy on me as a teacher sometimes-it can be a great responsibility. When you run a small school you can run a danger of stagnating, dancers can at times get a false sense of how good they are, they can forget there is a whole world out there besides the 4 walls of our little studio! I make my best efforts to get them out there and see themselves in a different light. I love bringing in great teachers too. Last night we had the pleasure of hosting Valery Lantratov, he is the Artistic Director of the Russian National Ballet Foundation. He is from Moscow and had a career with the Moscow Stanislavski Ballet and was also named the “People’s Artist of Russia” in 1997 and spent some time as a guest teacher at Boston Ballet. He was an incredibly warm teacher, who stressed strong technique alongside expression.
It was a very rewarding class for my students.
Mr. Lantratov saying "hello" to his hand
Isabel, Mimi and Alston at the barre
Katie and Katrina
Happy dancers and teachers!
Always working!
I realize I haven’t posted in quite a while and I apologize that my last post inspired a firestorm of comments!
It seems like I have been working non-stop for the past few months and have had little time for much else.
We just got back from YAGP, but it’s back in to the studio today.
This year I didn’t ask any of my students to go, they all asked me. I feel it is a good experience for them and important for them to step outside of their comfort zone. It is one thing to be a big fish in a small pond and another to have the courage to put yourself out there and ask to be judged by some of the most distinguished professionals in the field.
The dancers that went all had their own inner demons to contend with, they rose to the occasion and gave some of the best performances of their lives so far. This in itself is amazing. I admire each one of them for the work they put in and for the personal results that they got.
When asked by Shelley King (regional director of YAGP) if my students were happy, I was honest and told that there was both joy and disappointment. She told me that it was me-or my job back in the studio to continue to guide them to greater heights.
I will definately do my best.
Amazing!
Alston Macgill, 12, 1st Place winner Junior Division at the Columbia, SC Youth America Grand Prix Regional…See you in NY in March:))
Our last Club Sweets!
Hard to believe that this is going to be our last performance of “Swingin’ at Club Sweets”! I decided that it is time to retire it and move on to some new creative adventures. The performance is coming up quick at the Lucas Theatre on December 5th. My students have been working very hard this past year and I am amazed with how truly fantastic they are!
This year we did our photo shoot at the new swanky Bohemian Hotel and feel so lucky to have Josh Branstetter photograph my dancers. He is an amazingly talented artist. Here are just a couple from the shoot.
Lola, Smokey and Minnie (Angela Novelli, Matt Agudelo and Alston Macgill
Angela Novelli, Siera Williams, Alston Macgill, Matt Agudelo, Linzy Flinn and Skye Cornwell
YAGP and Spring Fever
Winter seemed to take a long time to make it’s exit but finally, Spring has sprung, well here in Savannah it’s more like summer!
Here is a quick update on what’s been happening at the STUDIO:
I went to the Youth America Grand Prix NY finals in April with Alston Macgill, 11, who had won 1st place at the regionals and also with two younger students Karilena Barfield,9 and Isabel Macgill, 8, who were invited to the workshop. It was an interesting 7 days. We worked hard rehearsing at STEPS and also made some time to meet with Finis Jhung, who was so encouraging and helpful. All in all the time leading up to competition day was a great experience for Alston. When that day came, Alston really gave her best performance. We all felt as though she danced not only with great technique, but with artistry as well-not forced, but like she just loved every second of it. But when it came time for the awards ceremony-we were pretty surprised that she hadn’t made it into the top 12. Oh, well you think, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I was absolutely thrilled with what she has accomplished this year so it was not important to me, but I think Alston was pretty disappointed. Usually the boys are separated from the girls if there are a lot of them, and there were. But for some reason they didn’t separate them when they announced the winners. Anyway, I can’t even try to understand or explain any of that. It turns out that just a couple of days ago YAGP decided to put up the results and sure enough Alston’s name was up there in the top 12! She was one of just 3 girls from the United States to make it in there. I am just sad that she didn’t get to enjoy the moment at the awards ceremony after having worked so hard!
I brought my son Enzo with me on the trip, to get him back in touch with his roots:)
In the meantime, I would like to mention another student, Angela Novelli, 16, who has just gotten her first job! She is making a dance film called “Silence:dancing through fear” with choreographer, Vincent Brosseau. She was pretty excited about this, since she has had a rough year recovering from Mono.
I am, as always, super proud of all of my students!
The economy has really affected the studio, since it is so small. I had to cancel our Spring performance, partly due to that and partly due to low attendance. It has been quite frustrating. I think it is time for me to re-evaluate what I am doing and make some changes. It seems I am always in a constant state of wondering why I do this at all!
I also, very stupidly, tore my calf muscle! It is a real pain. I do not like it one bit!
Well, we are looking forward to our June workshop with Martha Faesi and Amy Uhl and then who knows what the summer will bring, other than some much needed time spent with my kids!
Fun in Orlando
Well, we are back from YAGP Orlando. I feel like we came away from this one with a definite gain in experience and the kids again I feel grew in so many ways.
I brought a different group of students this time. Congratulations to Karilena Barfield, Shakira Bell, Ansley Waters, Nina Newkirk, Linzy Flinn and Alexa Bridges on a job well done! It was not easy…Alexa top 12ed in the Junior Category and Linzy and Karilena were both invited to the intensive in NY. Alston Macgill performed non-competitively to prepare for the finals in NY in April.
They had a lot to deal with there. The stage was very slick and on the small side and the sound system skipped, sped up and slowed down the music randomly. We had a couple of falls and slips but the the kids handled it with lots of courage and grace. I am of course very proud of all of them. Here are a few pix of them. More to come soon.
Alexa Bridges 14, top 12 Juniors with her friend Alys Shee, 14, who won the Grand Prix
Nina Newkirk, 16
Karilena Barfield, 9
Linzy Flinn, 13
LOLASTRETCH ROCKS
I just wanted share the fantastic unitard that LOLAstretch made for us. A huge thank you to Candice Thompson for getting this to us so quickly. We love it!!!
And congrats to our beautiful Linzy Flinn, 13, who just received 2 scholarships for summer programs at the Rock School and Chautauqua! We are using this unitard for her contemporary piece at YAGP in Orlando.
YAGP Spartanburg
We just returned from the Youth America Grand Prix in Spartanburg, SC.
I like to bring students to YAGP for many reasons. One, is that it is very educational, students are exposed to so many wonderful talented dancers their own age and the workshop classes are also a great part of the competition. Another is performance opportunity, which always provides an opportunity to grow. One more is the possibility of a scholarship to a summer program. But mainly, I bring them to help them recognize qualities I already see in them myself, to inspire them and to give them something to reach for beyond the studio.
I do not spend the entire year rehearsing one variation in the hopes of “winning”. I think their work preparing is better spent in class, getting stronger, improving steadily. A month or so rehearsing their pieces is more like it.
With that said, I am so proud of all my students who participated this weekend. J’kira Hall, Isabel Macgill, Karilena Barfield, Alston Macgill and Angel Novelli, you all did a great job!
Congratulations to Isabel Macgill, 8 who finished in the top 12 of the PreCompetetive Catagory and to Alston Macgill who finished in 1st place in the Pre Competetive Category! Way to go!
Alston Macgill, 11, 1st place, Pre-Competetive!
Swingin’ at Club Sweets Dress Rehearsal
Just wanted to share a few pix from our dress rehearsal-which was a little rough technically………..The kids are going to be awesome!
Girl Power!
Wow! So much press for one little girl! this is one of 3 features on Alston Macgill, 11 year old Savannah sensation and STUDIO dancer. I couldn’t be more proud of her. She recently performed in Columbia City Ballet’s Nutcracker and continues on tour with them and this week she’ll be playing Minnie in the STUDIO’s “Swingin’ at Club Sweets” (which has gotten a lot of press of it’s own!)
