Beat the Heat with Ballet Petite

The DC Metro area is experiencing an extreme heat wave, and Ballet Petite has cool camps that your children are sure to enjoy ! We are offering camps at our Bethesda, McLean, and Potomac locations, with options that are sure to fit your schedule. Here are a few shots from our Bethesda location's Petite Princess Camps:

Miss Meghan captures the attention of our young campers

Miss Mallory and her attentive students

Goodbye Baby Bee

Miss Natasha has been a dedicated employee at Ballet Petite, and we are very sad to see her leave. She has accomplished many feats during her time at Ballet Petite and brought the magic and grace of dance to our students. Miss Natasha’s last name means “baby bee” in Russian, and we are very sad to see our baby bee leave. We wish Miss Natasha all be the best, and thank her for all that she has done. We’ll miss you!

"Every class needs a Prince"-Miss Natasha

        

Pretty in Pink: Miss Natasha with her students

    

Hip Hop Class in Tutus!

If any of you have seen the Ellen show recently then you know Sophia Grace and Rosie - two precocious girls from England who love tutus, dancing, and generally saying whatever comes to mind! Ellen recently sent them to take a hip hop class with her friend tWitch, and here is the result! Enjoy!

Tap isn't dead and Anything Goes

After reading an interesting article highlighting famed tapper Brenda Bufalino, the idea of tap being dead was discussed. Bufalin explains, "First of all, the venues dried up. (Circa late 1950s-1960's with the advent of rock and roll) The music halls and other concert venues started to close so the places where tap dancers worked were limited. Broadway changed its style to modern and movie musicals ..."

Times have changed and tap dancing is more alive than ever!  Ballet Petite's very own Youth Performing Arts School Musical Theater Performance Company are in the birthplace of Tap -- New York City, seeing a wide array of Broadway Musicals including the classic Anything Goes. This wonderful musical showcases the grace and upbeat nature of tap and is sure to excite our young performers. If your child is interested in learning Tap, Ballet Petite is offering a variety of Tap classes and camps this Summer and Fall. Registration is now open, click here.

Fun with Floor Tape!

It's the last week of our spring session - and we are getting very silly in anticipation of summer camp! Check out these beautiful pictures of Miss Natasha's floor! She used floor tape to create a rainbow, a bright sun and a field of flowers for her students to dance in! 

Big Dance and the 2012 Olympics

Young dancers from around the world are going for a record breaking performance before this year's Summer Olympics. Big Dance, an organization that celebrates dance in the UK annually, plans on having 680,000 children worldwide performing the same routine! The website states: "Everyone is invited to join in and make dance a part of their lives in 2012 and beyond." How will you make dance a part of your life this summer?

Recital 2012

Congratulations to all of our Youth Performing Arts School dancers for 6 wonderful shows this weekend! We saw sparkly costumes, creative choreography, and terrific technique! Here are some pictures for you to enjoy! 

RECITAL UPDATE

RECITAL UPDATE: Due to construction on the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center, the dress rehearsal drop off area has been changed to the LEFT side of the building. Please follow the new signs accordingly. Dress rehearsal times have not changed.

Also, please remember to purchase all tickets over the phone and pick them up BEFORE recital! They may be picked up at dress rehearsal, but we will NOT be selling tickets in the lobby or have a will call.

Break a leg, everyone!

Story Corner: Thumbelina

Next weekend, the Youth Performing Arts School will present their end of the year recitals! It's one of my favorite times of year, as each class gets to perform part of a wonderful story and show their family and friends what they have been working on all year!

Our Primary Ballet II classes present Thumbelina, the story of a girl no larger than your thumb. One night, she is taken away from her family by an evil toad who wants Thumbelina to marry his son. With the help of a friendly fish and butterfly, she escapes the toad and drifts on a lily pad until she is found by a stag-beetle. However, his friends don't approve of Thumbelina, so she is again left alone against the cold winter. She finds shelter with an old field-mouse, with whom she helps clean house. The mouse suggests that Thumbelina should marry her neighbor, the mole, but Thumbelina would rather not. She slips away from the field-mouse with the help of a swallow who she nursed back to health. She and the swallow find comfort in a sunny field of flowers, where Thumbelina meets the flower prince - who is just her size! The story ends with Thumbelina marrying the prince and traveling with him from flower to flower.
Thumbelina was originially a fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson. However, it was also made into a movie! But I prefer watching our girls dance the story on stage. Come see them Saturday, June 9th, at 11:30 am and at 4:00 pm at the Parilla Performing Arts Center in Rockville!