Thanks for Recital!

Remember recital? Remember all the costumes, props, lights, rehearsals? Remember the excitement? Believe it or not, the teachers and production team are as excited for recitals as the dancers are; there is no greater measure of a successful year than seeing the Ballet Petite dancers perform at recital! We couldn't be prouder of you all! So congratulations on a fabulous show!

Though recital is the most exciting part of the school year for all involved (teachers, students, audience!), it takes a lot of behind the scenes work. So a big thank you to all the staff that helped make the shows so spectacular, including the teachers, the production team, the managers, the lobby crews, the set-up teams, the clean-up crews.

So what happens backstage at the end of the show, you ask? Well, first we jump and skip and hug for joy, then we jump and skip and hug all of our performers, and finally we clean up and go home to brag to all of our friends and family about Ballet Petite's fantastic dancers!

The lovely teachers leaving after a proud day's work!

Ballet Petite's fantastic Production team!

Lobby crew!

So many flowers!

And we can't forget to thank the Queen of Backstage, Miss Debbie!

CONGRATULATIONS, EVERYONE! CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR'S!

HAPPY DANCING

End of Spring Session, Happy Summer, and Goodbye Teachers!

On the last days of the Spring Session, the effects of Summer are really showing. The studios are a little less packed than usual, but it's just as loud as the excitement of all present dancers makes up for the absence of our already Summer-vacationing friends.

And though there's always more fun and more dancing possibilities waiting right around the corner,the end of the Spring Session does mean transitions and changes, no matter what adventures are waiting for us in the coming months. Right now, it's time to say "Happy Summer!" to our friends as well as "Goodbye!" to three of our favorite teachers! 

Miss Mallory

Miss Mallory Duff is from Lynchburg, Virginia, and is a graduate of Sweet Briar College '06.  She received a  BA in Dance and has choreographed plays and instructed dance classes for many schools in her community.  She fell in love with dance at the age of 8 and found her joy in Tap, Jazz, and Ballet.  Mallory began teaching at Ballet Petite and Youth Performing Art's School in March 2012 and enjoys teaching children of all ages, in all genres.  

 

She is  leaving Ballet Petite in order to move closer to her family!

Miss Sarah

Miss Sarah Gonzalez began her dance training at the School of Music and Dance in Hanover, Pennsylvania. She studied Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, Hip-Hop, and Modern, and she went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance. She has trained at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, at Shenandoah Conservatory, and with the River North Chicago Dance Company. She has performed all over Pennsylvania and the Washington, DC area. 

Miss Sarah is moving to Colorado with her husband!

 

Miss Sarah Elizabeth

Miss Sarah Elizabeth Lahoud has studied dance and music from the age of five and has been teaching for four years. She received her BA in English, with minors in Music and Irish Studies, from Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. She performed as part of Fordham Flava Hip-Hop Dance Company for two years. She studied classical piano for nearly 17 years and and also plays the Irish whistle.

Miss Sarah Elizabeth is moving to Cork City, Ireland to pursue her Masters degree in Ethnomusicology.

Recital Day!!

Three weeks ago, Ballet Petite and Youth Performing Arts School started it's busiest weekends of the year: RECITAL!! As Saturday, June 1st dawned, Ballet Petite's staff and teachers were up with the sun, pulling the tutus and taping the stage for the big shows. A year's worth of hard work comes together these big weekends in June to show off our dancers' incredible hard work! And as the excitement builds, a lot goes into the set-up of the perfect show. Check it out....

Unloading the trucks!

Miss April's carting tutus

Miss Sarah's taping the stage

Miss Erin's checking costumes

Miss Carmen's stopping the cascade of tutus

Miss Sarah Elizabeth and Miss Stephanie have a tutu assembly line

Setting the stage...