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!