Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays
to all of our wonderful students
at Ballet Petite and Youth Performing Arts School!


Fall session classes end this Friday, December 23rd and Winter
session classes begin on Monday, January 2nd.
If you want to dance over break, sign up for winter camp!
The Ballet Petite Office will be CLOSED
Saturday, December 24th,
Sunday, December 25th,
Saturday, December 31st,
Sunday, January 1st.
But you can register for camps or our winter session ONLINE,
even if we are not in the office!

Nursery School Nutcracker!

Every year, Ballet Petite travels to St Patrick's Episcopal School in NW DC to share an enchanted morning of Nutcracker with the nursery school students! We take costumes, props, music and read the story. Then, we get dressed up and perform the dance with the students! Kids can choose to be Clara or a toy soldier, and the teachers lead parts of the story.

Fun Online: Fancy Nancy

Hello Dancers! Today I stumbled across a wonderful site all about one of my favorite books - Fancy Nancy! If you haven't read any of these great books, pick one up at your local library. Fancy Nancy loves to dress up, use fancy french words, and dance whenever she can! There are also some fun, fancy games you can play on the site - including decorating your own Fancy Christmas Tree! Check out Fancy Nancy's world here: http://www.fancynancyworld.com/#/kids/

Congrats to BPC!

Congratulations to all of our wonderful
Ballet Performance Company dancers
on 8 beautiful shows!

Thank you to all of our parents, to American University &
the Greenberg Theatre crew, Miss Melissa, our
amazing production team, and all staff who helped
backstage and in rehearsal!

You all are fantastic!

Dance Video: Giselle

Enjoy the infamous Gelsey Kirkland as Giselle in the Act I variation! She was 23 years old, and had just left the New York City Ballet for the American Ballet Theatre.

Story Corner: Linus & Lucy

If you like to tap, come to one of our Tidings in Tap winter camps! One of my favorite songs they learn is "Linus & Lucy" by Vince Guaraldi. This catchy tune, inspired by the Charlie Brown comics and used multiple times in the Charlie Brown animated series, has become a popular holiday song! I love to play it on the piano, but I think it is even more fun to tap along with it!

Holiday Craft Ideas: Pointe Shoes

Its so much fun to decorate at this time of year! We've already got things up in our boutique, but I wanted to share some decorating tips for all of my dancers! First, check your closet, you may have a pair of ballet shoes that you've outgrown - these can become a beautiful ornament! Just paint (or spray-paint) the outside, then apply stickers, glitter, ribbon, and whatever else you'd like! A pair of used pointe shoes work well too!

Pointe Shoes also make a wonderful wreath! That is, if you have a few of them lying around:

Petite Boutique: Its Holiday Time!

We love decorating for any and every holiday around here! And we are always so excited when we get to celebrate the holidays! Right now, the boutique is full of Nutcracker presents, Christmas ornaments, and special toys! We only bring these out once a year! And my favorite, our pink feather Christmas tree! Only at Ballet Petite :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ballet Petite Studios will be CLOSED Thursday 11/24 - Sunday 11/27

Ballet Petite Offices will be CLOSED Thursday 11/24, Saturday - Sunday 11/27

But Don't Forget - You Can Register ONLINE for Winter Camp or Winter Session

At ANY TIME!

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Dances!

Hello Dancers!
Just because we'll be closed this Thursday - Saturday, doesn't mean you have to stop dancing! I found some wonderfully silly Thanksgiving dances (based on some favorite foods!) courtesy of The Home Teacher:
MASHED POTATOES: This dance exercises the upper body! Fist closeed, arms extended out in from & alternating up and down.
TURKEY: Flap wings and gobble like a turkey while running (carefully!) in the yard! This is an aerobics exercise
APPLE PIE: Dancers roll like a ball (apple) towards the center of the floor and sit together closely like apples in a pie. Rolling works on your flexibility and body management.
CRANBERRIES: Stomp on the floor to mash and puree the (imaginary) cranberries!
GREEN BEANS: Walk around on your tip toes, arms extended upwards, and do your best to be long and tall! This dance helps flexibility, balance, and body awareness.
THANKSGIVING: Walk around and shake hands, and give each of your family members a compliment! This is not really a dance, but it is a nice way to tell your family what you are thankful for about each of them!

Ballet Petite is Now Online!

Hello Dancers (and parents)! We have exciting news - after many months of hard work, we officially launched our new database on Monday, November 7th! Our new system allows you to view your current classes, keep track of your payment history, and register for classes online! Currently, all of our winter classes and winter camps are available for registration! If you have danced with us previously, just type in your name to retrieve your account - if you are new, you will need to enter all the required information.


We are so excited to be able to offer this feature for you! If you have any questions, please call the main office at 301-229-6882. Otherwise, enjoy!

Story Corner: Eloise At Christmas Time

Winter Camp is one of my favorite parts of the holidays at Ballet Petite! Our camps get to experience lovely holiday stories like Eloise at Christmas Time! The holidays are in full swing at the Plaza Hotel - what mischief will our friend Eloise get into this time? You can hear her singing:

It's absolutely Christmas
But I don't mind a bit
I give everyone a present
For that's the thing of it!

And in case you missed it, there was also an Eloise at Christmas Time movie released in 2003 starring Sofia Vassilieva as Eloise and Julie Andrews as Nanny!

BPC Nutcracker tickets on sale!

The Ballet Performance Company

presents

The Nutcracker

American University's Greenberg Theatre

December 8th @ 6:00 pm
December 9th @ 5:00 & 8:00 pm
December 10th @ 11:00 am, 4:00 & 7:00 pm
December 11th @ 2:00 & 5:00 pm

Call 202-885-2587
or
Visit american.tix.com
for tickets!

Last year's performance sold out in 3 weeks - so buy now!

Happy Halloween!

We've seen some BOO-tiful costumes this past weekend!
I hope everyone stays warm and has fun trick-or-treating tonight!
Here are some of our lovely dancers & teachers!

Spotlight: Caleb Teicher

Remember this, dancers - You're never too young to make a difference in dance! No one knows this better than Caleb Teicher, a tap dancer who plans to become a household name in New York City. He recently won the 2011 New York Dance and Performance Award for Outstanding Individual Performance! Check out one of his routines here. Caleb has been studying tap since the age of 10, and after graduating high school he began pursuing a full time career in dance. In 2011, he made his debut as an actor and choreographer in the NYCFringe production of The Seed of Abraham.

Would you like to try tap or learn from some of the best around DC? For our younger girls (under 5) make sure you try a combination tap class in addition to your regular full length class. If you are older (5 and above) we have full length classes up for ages up to 13 years. Our teachers have trained Broadway child stars and have had their choreography showcased in performances around the city, so take advantage of this opportunity to learn from the best!

Dancing with Degas

Hello Dancers! We've already done a spot light on a couple of Degas books in this blog, but with the upcoming Degas Tours of the Phillips Collection, I wanted explore some more! And in my explorations, I've stumbled across an AMAZING blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes! This blog is written by one of our Ballet Petite moms who has a background in dance and a love for children's literature! She just recently wrote about the Degas books she loves (some of which we already use in our curriculum) and mentioned another exhibition being held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Check out her blog here! And if you are interested to learn more about the exhibition in London, check out this video here.

Spotlight: Musical Theatre

Did you know that Ballet Petite offers more than just ballet classes? We also have a budding musical theatre program taught by phenomenal instructors who are active theatre professionals in the DC area. For children our lovely 3 and 4 year olds, we offer Storybook Theatre. This class is a perfect introduction into drama, music, and dancing through the exploration of a story. For our 4's and 5's, Broadway Kids helps develop our budding star's confidence in acting through improvisational games, singing, and dancing. For the Youth Performing Arts student, we offer various levels of musical theatre classes that continue to focus on developing acting skills, perfecting vocal techniques, and learning jazz combos to create the perfect Broadway star! Take a free trial of our classes today!

Observation Week

Hello Dancers! We are in the middle of our first observation week and Miss Natasha shared some lovely pictures of her beautiful students! We hold Observation week for all of our younger students who don't participate in recital to give our parents the opportunity to enjoy a whole class inside the studio, bring grandparents and friends, and take pictures! It is a great celebration for our girls and a wonderful week to dress up. Thank you for sharing, Miss Natasha!

Ballet Petite Tours Degas!

Calling all dancers and at lovers!
Ballet Petite is organizing TWO tours to see
Degas Dancers at the Barre: Pointe and Counterpoint
an exhibition at the Phillips Collection!

Dates:
Sunday, November 20th, 3pm - 4pm
(must register by October 19th)
Sunday, December 18th, 3pm - 4pm
(must register by November 20th)

Anyone is welcome to attend, and this event is highly encouraged for ages 7 and older!

Ballet Petite is booking the tour and collecting admission:
Adult: $15
Senior (62+): $13
Ages 18 and under: FREE

Reservations must be made one month in advance; registration dates will be strictly followed.
A parent or chaperone must accompany students.
Participants meet at the museum at 2:45 pm.
Reservations are non-refundable.
Minimum of 15 people, maximum 50 per tour.
Address: 1601 21st Street NW, Washington DC 20009

Petite Boutique: Costumes!

Every year we stock some fun Halloween items in our Boutique! If you're looking for funky tutus or puuurrrrfect cat ears - look no further than Ballet Petite! We even take custom costume requests (our production department is AMAZING at creating your dream costume at any price!) but act fast, because once we run out, we're out!

Halloween Week: Favorite Costumes

In anticipation of one of my favorite weeks at Ballet Petite - Halloween Week - I have been looking and thinking about Halloween Costumes! From October 25th - 31st, each dancer may bring and friend to class and wear his/her halloween costume! I love seeing the creative outfits every year - from our students and from our teachers! Here are some of our Ballet Petite past costume favorites from last year:

Miss Sally as Madeline

Miss Natalie as Peter Rabbit

Miss Kasey as Snow White

What are you going to dress up as?

Care for Kids

Hello Dancers! This year, our Petite Boutiques in Bethesda and McLean will be supporting the Children's National Medical Center's Care for Kids Campaign! Buy your Care for Kids card (for $50) then save 20% on DC area stores and restaurants October 21st - October 30th, 2011! You can use your card as many times as you want - 100% of the $50 purchasing fee goes towards the hospital. Check out their website for a list of vendors!

Deviated Theatre @ the Kennedy Center

Hello Dancers! If you have some time tomorrow evening, Deviated Theatre is presenting siGHt, a dance opera, on the Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center! The dance features amazing choreography involving folding chairs and aerial silks. Miss Natasha, Miss Katie and I will all be attending and the performance is FREE!

Petite Boutique: Finding Pointe Shoes

We do not sell pointe shoes in our boutique, but for our older dancers, here are some recommendations of stores in the area where you can get them:

Footlights in Frederick, MD: www.dancefootlights.com
If you can make it up to Footlights, they are one of our favorites!

Repeat Performance in Rockville, MD: www.repeatperformanceonline.com
Much closer to our Cabin John, Kentlands, and Bethesda locations, Repeat Performance carries pointe shoes and a wide variety of tap, jazz, and ballroom.

Heather's Dancewear Boutique in Manassas, VA: website
Heathers carries pointe, tap, and jazz shoes of every size. They have a great backstock!

If you have any questions about what brand to get, be sure to talk to your instructor! They will have great recommendations for styles and tips for fitting!

Miss Kristi @ Dock Side Dance!

Ever wonder what your wonderful Ballet Petite instructors are up to on their days off? Well, usually they are dancing! This Saturday, October 1st in Annapolis, Miss Kristi will be performing with her company DragonFly Dance Experiment at the Campbell Stage at the City Docks. The performance begins at 5 pm! The event is FREE but the company will be collecting food and clothing donations for the Lighthouse Shelter. Come out to watch Miss Kristi and donate!

Come Visit Angelina Ballerina!

Angelina Ballerina & Ballet Petite are visiting

Funville!

This Saturday, September 24th

10 am - 2 pm

White Flint Mall

hosted by Washington Parent!

Ten Reasons to Tap!

Hello Dancers! I'm sure you've seen some of our full length and add-on tap classes going on in the studio but have you ever wondered, what is the purpose of an add-on class? Why can't I take a full tap class as a 3-year-old? Well, I have some answers for you, combined with ten reasons to take tap!

1.) Tap is FUN! Your shoes make noise! It can be your parent's headache, but your joy!

2.) When you are younger, Tap class is a great addition to ballet! You need to learn your fundamentals of dance in ballet class, but adding on a short tap class will strengthen your legs and introduce you to a new genre!

3.) Tap gets you in shape! It definitely requires lots of leg muscle and control, which you will develop over the course of your class!

4.) Celebrities tap dance! Some of the most famous tappers are Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Gregory Hines! Not sure who they are? Ask your parents or your grandparents!

5.) You can take a tap class with some of the finest tap teachers in the area! They include:

6.) Miss Katie

7.) Miss Lori

8.) Miss Kelsea

9.) Miss Amanda

10.) Finally, you can tap dance for life! Once you learn and practice, you can take those tappin' toes anywhere!

RAD at Ballet Petite

You might hear our teachers talking about RAD Evaluations and RAD exercises for our Youth Performing Arts Classes. RAD stands for the Royal Academy of Dance, an international dance education and training organization, and education board that was established in London, England in 1920. It is one of the largest dance organizations in the world, with over 13,00 members in 79 countries, including over 7,000 teachers. Our teachers are specifically trained in RAD and love to get students ready for evaluations with lots of practice!

Story Corner: The Apple-Pip Princess

We've added some amazing new stories this year and I'd like to introduce you to one of them: The Apple-Pip Princess! It is the story of Serenity, a quiet young princess, who lives in a kingdom that has become sad and barren. Can she bring hope and life back to the land through the gift left to her by her mother - a precious apple seed? Come read with us and find out!

Join Our Fall Session!

Hello Dancers! Transitioning from summer break to the school year is a lot of work - and just in case you missed anything in the craziness - here's what has been happening at Ballet Petite!

- the Ballet Performance Company is completely cast! Look out for their production of the Nutcracker in December!

- Musical Theater Performance Company auditions are this Friday in Bethesda and Saturday in McLean!

- Fall session is 1.5 weeks in! If you haven't signed up for class yet - don't worry - we pro-rate! But make sure to call us soon because classes are filling up!

- We have some wonderful new teachers with us this year - Miss Amber, Miss Meredith, Miss Monica and Miss Kelsea!

- the Petite Boutique is stocked with everything you need! Stop by and check out some of our awesome products!

Happy Dancing! And we look forward to seeing you in the studio!

Degas' Dancers

The Philips Collection in Washington DC has an exciting new exhibit titled "Degas' Dancers at the Barre: Point and Counterpoint," opening Oct 1st. Eduard Degas was an Impressionist artist with a backstage pass to all of the Parisian ballet. From his vantage point, he was able to capture dancers not only in ther performance form, but in practice and in private. In our Ballet Petite curriculum, our book Bijou, Bon Bon, and Beau features Degas-inspired paintings of ballerinas and kittens while Marie in 4th Position features Degas himself sculpting a ballerina. If you can, take your dancer to this wonderful exhibit!

Meet Miss Amber!

We have some wonderful new teachers for this 2011-2012 year and one of them hails from from St. Louis! Miss Amber has been dancing since she was 3 years old, and she is trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and modern dance. She will be teaching at our Bethesda and McLean locations this year, as well as working in our Bethesda office. Previously, Miss Amber graduated with a Masters in Political Science from George Washington University. I sat down with Miss Amber to ask her some questions...

1.) What is your favorite genre to teach?

For the younger students I love to teach ballet, because it is the basis of all other styles! For the older students I like to branch out to other styles such as jazz.

2.) What is your favorite color?

Pink... and blue!

3.) What is your favorite dance routine that you have performed in?

The finale of my last show at GW was Ramalama Bang Bang. We got to wear really fun costumes and the choreography was great! It was really fun!

Dancing in the Rain

Hello, Ballerinas! Just wanted to update you on the situation with Hurricane Irene for this weekend! As it is our first weekend of classes for the fall session, we hope to be open! However, we realize that any power outages or severe weather might not make this possible. So, here are some steps you can take:

- check our voicemail to see if we are holding classes

- check our website to see which locations are open

- check WTOP.com if you cannot bring up our website

All Saturday classes are on for tomorrow, but we will be keeping a close eye on the weather for Sunday. Please - stay safe!

Earthquake Shake!

We are so glad everyone is safe and sound after Tuesday's earthquake! We felt a little aftershock at our studios in Bethesda and McLean, but thanks to our wonderful teachers and quick thinking staff, no one was worried! While we waited outside, Miss Melissa's Intensive performed part of their dance for us. Miss Melissa heads up our Ballet Performance Company, which will start rehearsals next week! Here is a sneak peek at a picture from their past performance:

Beware of Ogres!

I love some of the fabulous camp decorations! Miss Monica's class performed Shrek the Musical last week and created a special sign for their door! Great job, campers!

Dr. Seuss Week

Our last week of camp in the Kentlands - Aug 22nd - 26 - will feature an array of Dr. Seuss classics! I'm sure you've read some favorites like the Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham - but did you ever think you could dance to them? Well, thanks to Seussical (the Musical), you can! You can even check out some more fun things @ http://www.seussville.com/! Can't wait to see you in camp!

Ballet Around the World: Scotland

I found a very interesting article in the Stage News the other day that stated Ballet is more popular than football (soccer) in Scotland! There are many professional and community dance programs, and 9 secondary schools offer dance as a Higher Grade. However, dance afficianados and experts say that these numbers shouldn't allow the public to slack off on funding - as the economy tightens, it becomes more essential to support these programs that have such a great effect on the country.

The Scottish Ballet, whose home is now located in Glasgow, performs across Scotland and the UK. This month, they will perform at the Edinburgh International Festival with a double fill featuring Kenneth MacMillan's Song of the Earth and a new work by Boston Ballet choreographer Jorma El. Check out more about dance in Scotland here.

3 more weeks of camp!

Can you believe that are only 3 more weeks of camp? Where did the time go?

Join us for daily or weekly camp!
Or get a jump on fall and schedule a class - www.balletpetite.com!

Petite Boutique: Dance Bags

Hello Dancers! We are getting ready for our school year in the boutique, which is why you'll see many, many more dance bags hanging around! A bag is perfect for keeping all of your dance items together - shoes, tights, leotard, hair accessories - and it will decrease your chance of losing them! We have some pretty cute bags in our store that I wanted to show you. We have some wonderful small bags (if you like to keep things light):

Or some medium-sized bags, if you think you need a little more room to grow:

But if you need a great big bag, just like Mary Poppins:
We have some of those too!