Ballet Steps: First Position

First Position is one the most basic steps a ballerina will learn. Even from a very young age, dancers are taught to put their feet and legs in First. To correctly place feet in first position, bring the heels together so they are touching. Then, rotate the balls of the feet so your toes are pointing outwards from your heels. Sometimes, you'll hear instructors describe it to the little ones as "making a pie slice with your feet" or "point out your toes and kiss your heels together!" First position should look like this:
Don't worry if you're struggling in the beginning! Practice will help you! This little ballerina struggled with first position too: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdylQeg5B9I. But by the time recital came around, practice had helped her to master it!

Musical Theatre Performance Company Auditions!

Ballet Petite & Youth Performing Arts School
is excited to announce the

Musical Theatre Performance Company's

Season One Performance

of

Annie!

Auditions will be held in Bethesda on Friday, September 9th
For students ages 5 & up by August 27, 2011
Sign in at 3:45 pm, Audition 4 - 5 pm
For students ages 7 & up by August 27, 2011
Sign-in at 4:45 pm, Audition 5 - 6 pm
For students ages 9 & up by August 27, 2011
Sign in at 5:45 pm, Audition 6 - 7 pm

Auditions will be held in McLean on Saturday, September 10th
For students ages 5 & up by August 27, 2011
Sign in at 4:15 pm, Audition 4:30 - 5:30 pm

Please direct any inquiries to Miss Kasey: kaseyl@balletpetite.com

Summer Intensives

For dancers who are serious about a future career in the field, or for dancers who want individualized attention in order to improve their skills, taking a summer intensive can reward their goals. Intensives are exactly that: intense. They give an instructor and student hours of unbroken time together, allowing students to benefit from the almost one-on-one critique given by the teacher. Every summer, hundreds of dancers from across the country flock to New York City for renowned summer intensives from companies such as Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Check out more information in this New York Times article.Ballet Petite will be holding summer intensives with our Ballet Performance Company director, Miss Melissa on the following dates:

August 15th - 19th McLean ages 5 & up

August 22nd - 26th Bethesda ages 9 & up

Backyard Theater at Strathmore

Every Thursday in July at 9:30 and 11:30 AM, Strathmore presents Backyard Theater, an outdoor arts experience for children. Situated under a big tent on the lawn, tomorrow CityDance will be performing The Warrior Princess of Manipur. Each $8 ticket comes with a free snow cone! What a wonderful way to spend a Thursday morning!

Summer Fun: Coloring Pages

When we need to take a break from dancing during camp to catch our breath and gather our energy, many teachers turn to coloring pages for a few minutes of quiet but creative fun! I don't think I've met a dancer who didn't want to color, and its especially nice when teachers post them on camp doors for parents to see! If you're at home today trying to beat the heat, here are some coloring pages for you to work on! (Just click on the image and save it to your desktop before you print!)

Annie Camp!

Here are some pictures from Miss Lori's Broadway Bound camp! They performed "It's the Hard Knock Life," "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," and "Tomorrow."

Saturday Summer Classes at Ballet Petite

This past Saturday we had our second week of Summer Classes at Ballet Petite. Summer classes are a great way to keep technique up-to-snuff outside of the school year. A lot of students also use summer classes as an opportunity to try out new genres. Because the sessions are so short (4 weeks a piece) students can try something new for long enough to really get their feet wet without committing to a full school year. For instance, I have 9 little girls in my Add-On Tap class Saturdays at 10:30! Some have tapped before, but most have not. They are having such a wonderful time stomping around in their shiny tap shoes, and learning a thing or two in the process!

Musical Corner: Annie

Our Broadway Bound campers are working on one of my favorite musicals this week - Annie! The musical is actually based on a comic strip called Little Orphan Annie, a Harold Gray which was popular during the 1920s and 30s. The original Broadway production opened in 1977, but most kids remember the movie from 1982, starring Albert Finney (as Daddy Oliver Warbucks), Carol Burnett (as Miss Hannigan) and Aileen Quinn (as Annie).

Our campers will be working on some of the most popular songs from the musical - "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard Knock Life." They'll be learning the lyrics, dancing in costume, and even choreographing some of their own moves! Look out for some pictures later this week!

Summer Vacation Travel Activities

One of Ballet Petite's biggest sellers during the summer months are Usborne's Sticker Dolly Dressing Books. An excellent activity for the car, the little dancers in our Boutique can't tear themselves away from the glittery covers of the Ballerina, Fairies, Popstars, Dancers, Movie Stars, Sports Girls, and even Fashion Long Ago! The only trouble is getting the excited recipients of this dazzling gift to wait until they get into the car to open up the book!

Ballet Petite's "Got Hip Hop!"

With a name like Ballet Petite, it's hard to imagine anything but pink tutus, fairy dust, and magical castles. When our Hip Hop program began in the Winter of 2009, however, it was an instant success! With dynamic teachers for this high-energy genre, we have consistently had to add additional classes to meet the needs of our customers.
In order to continue this dance craze during the summer months, Miss Lori wrote the curriculum for our "Got Hip Hop!" camp. With favorite songs like Hannah Montana's "Party in the USA," Justin Bieber's "Somebody to Love," and Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair," these camps are an exciting and energetic way to keep hip hopping or even to try out a new genre over the summer!

Creative Uses for the Ballet Barre

I picked up the Express on the way to Ballet Petite this morning and found an interesting article about a comparatively new way of exercising using the ballet barre. Check out Tone Without a Tutu: Work Your Muscles at the Bar Method!

Stars & Stripes

In honor of the 4th of July, let's take a look at one of George Balanchine's patriotic ballet pieces: Stars and Stripes! The ballet includes baton twirling, military marching, and even some rifle-bearing ballerinas! It was first performed in 1958, but enjoys many revivals as tributes to Presidents like John F. Kennedy and an annual 4th of July performance by the New York City Ballet.

Happy 4th of July, Dancers!