Penn State Cancer Dance Marathon!

Doing what you love, and doing it for a good cause.

That's what students at Penn State University did this past weekend as 700 people participated in the college's annual Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, also known as THON this past weekend.

It was a marathon indeed! Forty-six hours of nothing but dancing!

The dance marathon tradition started in 1977. Since then, the event has raised more than $114 million, which goes to the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. This year alone, the THON event raised more than $13.3 million, which a record amount! The funds support the fight against childhood cancers.

Despite not sleeping, eating, sitting, or ingesting any kind of caffeine for forty-six hours, the participants in THON all come out with a smile on their face.

Penn State's dance marathon has inspired others to participate in similar activities:
-Last year, 100 schools across Pennsylvania raised more than $2 million for the Four Diamonds Fund.  This year, the numbers grew.
-UCLA's version of THON raised more than $3.5 million towards the fight against pediatric AIDS.

Feeling inspired? Start your own dance marathon! Take something you enjoy doing, and turn it into something you can do to help others.

To watch ABC's video on THON, click on this link: www.abcnews.go.com

For more information on Penn State's THON event, click on this link: www.thon.org

Happy dancing!

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

Olympics Closing Ceremony - Ballet!

I heard that there was going to be a ballet section of the Sochi closing ceremony, so I glued my eyes to the television just to watch it.

And, it was beautiful!

Actually, the whole closing ceremony itself was very artistic and beautiful. Some of the choreography was very simple, but eye catching and lovely to watch.

Of course, my favorite part of the ceremony was the ballet! Like, I said in my last post, ballet has an important history in Russia. To show this, performers from the two rival Russian ballet companies came together and put on a fantastic show: the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky Theatre.

The ballerinas paid tribute to dance giants like Anna Pavlova, famous for her performance of "The Dying Swan."

Many famous ballets were also composed by Russian-born Peter Tchaikovsky, like The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty.

After watching the short performance, I just had so much more appreciation for the history of Russian ballet and all the wonderful things ballet and dance has brought to my life!

If you haven't watched the closing ceremony yet, try to find it online. There are some spectacular things to see!

 

 

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

Figure skating and ballet

I've been religiously watching all the figure skating competitions for the Olympics this past week and every time, it thrills me. As a dancer, I am already amazed at these athletes' incredible dance ability, but putting it on ice makes it seem so much more majestic.

(Trankov and Volosozhar of Russia)

In between performances during the figure skating competition, NBC did a little short story on Russian figure skaters and how they attribute their artistry and skill to training in ballet. Ballet has an important history in Russia and has just as much significance as figure skating. Russian figure skaters who are serious about their art often train with some of the best ballet schools; some even dance with the prestigious Mariinksy Theatre.

Why is it nescessary for skaters to have ballet training?

For figure skaters, off-ice training is just as important as on-ice. Ballet teaches dance technique and control of the body. Skaters must learn how to use their legs, arms, and head, which ballet covers in its classes.

(Savchenko and Szolkowy of Germany)

(Pang and Zhang of China)

Figure skating also uses a lot of the same terminology as ballet. Knowing these words and how to do them properly can be really helpful. Double and triple loop jumps that skaters perform are similar to ballet pirorettes. Arabesques and attitude positions are also very popular in figure skating. All the proper positioning and strength are learned in ballet.

Next time you watch an ice-skating program, pay close attention and see if you can recognize some ballet moves in there!

Happy dancing!

 

 

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

Being a versatile dancer

The studio I danced at during my childhood fortunately offered different dance genres. I was able to learn ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop all in the same place!

When I was in high school, I went to an audition for the Virginia Governor's School for the Arts. The first part of the audition was a dance class and the second part was a performance of your own composition. I walked into the audition feeling a nervous. There were a lot great dancers in there.

The first section of the audition went great. It was a normal ballet class, and I was feeling super confident. After ballet was over, the instructors said that we were now going to have the modern portion of the class. The other kids got excited, but I just stood there for a second a little puzzled thinking, what is modern?! I've never done modern before! I got through the rest of the class okay. With my versatile dance background and years of experience, I was able to pick it up, but I felt a little awkward and thought I looked funny. I wished I had taken a modern class so that I could feel more sure about what I was doing.

Having a wide variety of genres in your dance background can definitely help you out for auditions. You never know what they might throw at you. If you have ever watched the television show So You Think You Can Dance, you can see that dancers who only stick to one genre have a difficult time adjusting and learning new ones, especially dances that are more technical, like ballet or contemporary.

Knowing more than one dance genre not only makes you versatile, it also makes you more marketable. If you are ever looking to teach, the ability to teach many genres will give you an advantage. It shows that you are very knowledgeable in the world of dance, and that you also have a passion for it.

For dancers who are serious about going into the dance industry, I would personally recommend trying out as many genres as possible! You'll discover your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to dance, but you'll never know what you can do if you don't try!

I think "trying" is the key word. When giving a new dance genre a go, you can't just walk in and give a mediocre performance; you have to give it your all! My first hip hop class that I ever took was awk-to-the-ward. My ballerina body had hardest time adjusting to the rapid movement and synchronized beats, but I kept trying and trying, and now I love hip hop!

It's okay to have your favorite! (Mine is tap dancing.) But think about all the amazing things you can learn and discover when trying something new!


So, go out there and test out a pair of tap shoes or get funky with some hip hop. You'll never know unless you try!

Happy dancing!

 

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

"Dance in the middle of the fighting."

“Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free.”- Rumi

In addition to Ballet Petite's Valentine's Bring a Friend week, we are also pleased to announce that we are holding a fundraiser for St. Baldrick's Foundation, an organization that supports the fight against childhood cancer. You can donate online or drop some money off in one of our little red boxes in front of each studio.

One of Ballet Petite's very own little dancers has benefited from the work of St. Baldrick's Foundation! Please take the time to read Abby's story below as told by her mother, Patty!

"Abby started dancing at age three, as many little girls do. She looked forward to her dance classes each week, and reveled in how she looked for her recital. 

Abby's life abruptly changed just before she turned four and a half. She was diagnosed with a rare childhood leukemia, PH+ ALL, with an approximate 20% survival rate. When all she wanted to do was to play, be with her friends and dance, she spent months & months in and out of the hospital getting high dose chemotherapy. On her "good days," she would attend school & dance, totaling about one or two days a month for the first eighteen months of treatment. She was there when she felt up to it and loved every moment. When Abby heard the music, you could see in her eyes that she went to a different world. I never asked or pried, I let her enjoy. But I can imagine a world that was filled with no needles, no medicines and no doctors and filled with all the things a four or five year old would love, including joy, love & music. This girl had such determination. With absolutely no hair and often little strength, she learned her routine for her recital and got up on that stage and danced her heart out.

In Fall 2012, Abby started first grade here in Washington DC, along with a "lighter" chemo regimen. Abby was able to start dance at Ballet Petite. Even with her often sore & stiff body, she told me, "Dancing just feels so good." Abby missed her share of dance classes due to not feeling well or hospitalizations, but was able to attend so much more than before. 

On October 9, 2013, we can proudly say that Abby has completed chemotherapy is cancer free!!!  What a celebration we had. Abby is now able to attend school and dance full time. She has decided her legs are "strong enough" to start tap, and she is loving it.

Along with Abby's love of dance, school and friends, there is truly one thing that brought her through this. We are so ever thankful for childhood cancer research funded by St. Baldrick's Foundation. The research funded by them changed Abby's life expectancy rate from an approximately  20% to 70%!  Abby successfully completed chemotherapy, is in full remission, and we hope that we can say goodbye to cancer forever. 

Continued research for Abby's type and all other Childhood Cancer types is necessary to provide this fairy tale ending to all children that are suffering from this terrible disease and those not yet diagnosed. We thank you for your support on behalf of Abby and thousands of other children."

- Patty

Thank you so much for taking the time to read Abby's story. To see Abby's video and see her story, click here!

If you are interested in donating to St. Baldrick's, click on this link here!

Ballet Petite, St. Baldrick's and Abby's family really appreciate all your time and donations!

Thank you!

 Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com