News

May 2017 Newsletter

We are racing towards our performance in a few weeks: cleaning dances, altering costumes, embellishing headpieces, making props, and so much more to prepare.

We are so excited to share two shows this year! Next week we will be sending home a performance guide with everything you need to know about rehearsals, performance schedule, etc.

Tickets

Tickets will be for sale starting at 8 a.m., Monday, May 1! Tickets will only be available online and are $10/adult, $5/children (two and younger are free). Thanks for being so supportive of our students. Invite friends and family and help us fill the auditorium for BOTH shows!

Giveaway

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is currently featuring a circus-themed exhibit, and will be featuring an exhibit all about dance this summer! So, if you purchase a seat for the Saturday show and find the Golden Ticket you will win a free family pass to The Children’s Museum! We are also giving away two passes (one adult and one child) to the museum on our Facebook or Instagram pages in the morning. Be sure to check it out!

Costumes

Costumes will be sent home the last week of classes in studio (May 15-20). A lot of work has gone into selecting and fitting these costumes and headpieces, so please take good care of them! Please hang them in a closet and do not wear them until the dress rehearsal.

Unless specified otherwise by Miss Emily, please wear with your costume (for dress rehearsal and performance only):

  • Tights – pink, footed tights (clean and no holes!)
  • Hair – tidy bun
  • Shoes – pink ballet shoes
  • No black leotards under costumes

Memory Packages

Thank you for making memories at The Children’s Ballet! Each year’s performance is a special time for our students, teachers and parents. This year, you may pre-order a variety of photos, as well as student tributes, performance DVDs, and flowers.

Pre-order your photos before May 14 and save with our early-bird pricing!

New this year: Student Tributes! Publish a special note of encouragement for a student in the printed performance program of A Magical Lesson. The last day to order student tributes is May 14.

Rehearsal Schedule

Tech rehearsals are essential to a successful performance! During these rehearsals students will practice on stage, figure out spacing, dance with props and sets, and get used to dancing in a much bigger space. To help us run smooth rehearsals and create a great show, punctuality is expected and appreciated, and attendance is mandatory. Please arrive at least five minutes before your rehearsal time. All tech rehearsals are held at Danville High School Auditorium.

Upon arrival at Danville High School (100 Warrior Way, Danville), enter through the front doors and go to immediate right hallway. The auditorium is directly left. Enter the auditorium and find your class’s row, where students will sit until called on stage. Parents are responsible for watching their own students during rehearsals. To be respectful to the auditorium space, no food or drink is allowed. Take all snacks into the cafeteria off the auditorium, being mindful of your call time. For Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday rehearsals, please dress in class attire (leotard/tights).

Monday, May 22
5:00-5:20 pm :: Critter Feeders (Monday 4)
5:20-5:40 pm :: Park Dancers (Monday 5:15)
5:40-6:00 pm :: Park Dancers (Monday 6:45)
6:00-6:20 pm :: Strongman’s Assistants (Wednesday 4)
6:20-6:40 pm :: Sorceress & Apprentices
6:40-7:00 pm :: Solos (Sarah, Julia, Abby)
7:00-7:40 pm :: Zebras (Wednesday 5:15 & 6:45)
7:40-8:00 pm :: end of Act II (zebras, sisters, mother, apprentices, sorceress)

Tuesday, May 23
4:50-5:30 pm :: Monkeys (Tuesday 3:30)
5:10-5:50 pm :: Popcorn (Tuesday 5:30)
5:30-6:10 pm :: Tightrope walkers (Thursday 4:30)
5:50-6:30 pm :: Wildcats (Friday 4:30)
6:10-6:50 pm :: Clowns (Thursday 5:30)
6:30-7:30 pm :: Critters (Thursday 3:30)
6:50-7:30 pm :: Cats/Poodle/Dalmatians (Tuesday 4:30)
7:10-7:50 pm :: Kite Flyers (Tuesday 6:30)
7:30-8:00 pm :: Balloon Sellers (Thursday 6:30)

Wednesday, May 24 Full Cast Rehearsal
You are free to leave once your dance is over, and you are released by Miss Emily. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early. Each class will have an assigned row to sit in.
Grand Finale: 5:00-5:20 pm
Show Run: 5:30-8:00 pm

Thursday, May 25 Dress Rehearsal — Full costumes and make up.
Warm up class for M/W classes: 4:30-5:00 pm
Rehearsal: 5:00-7:00 pm
Notes/Tech fixes: 7:00-8:00 pm

Friday, May 26 PERFORMANCE
Photo Times for M/W classes and soloists from 4:00-5:00 pm
Warmup class for M/W classes: 5:15-6:15 pm
Call for all dancers: 6:30 pm
Performance: 7:00 pm

Saturday, May 27 PERFORMANCE
Photo Times for all other classes 9:00 am-12:00 pm (see below)
Call for M/W classes: 12:00 pm
Warmup class for M/W classes: 12:15-1:15 pm
Call for all classes: 1:30 pm
Performance: 2:00 pm
Strike: 4:00 pm

Photo Schedule

We are so grateful to Sarah Crail for taking wonderful photos to capture this special event and our wonderful students. M/W students will have photos taken on Friday, and T/R students will have photos taken on Saturday. Please be punctual to your photo time and arrive in costume so we can keep things moving smoothly!

Friday
4:00 pm :: Critter Feeders/Strongman’s Assistants (Monday/Wednesday 4:00 class)
4:20 pm :: Villagers/Sorceress’s Apprentices/Zebras (Intermediate class)
4:45 pm :: Soloists and Advanced class

Saturday
9:30 am :: Kite Flyers (Tuesday 6:30 class)
9:50 am :: Squirrels/Skunk (Thursday 3:30 class)
10:10 am :: Poodles/Dalmatians/Cat (Tuesday 4:30 class) + Ellie Burns, Emma Carew, and Lilianne South
10:30 am :: Balloon Sellers (Thursday 6:30 class) + Sila Porter
10:50 am :: Monkeys (Tuesday 3:30 class) + Toby Kult
11:10 am :: Popcorn (Tuesday 5:30 class) + Claire Baker
11:30 am :: Wildcats (Friday 4:30 class) + Sarah Weddle
11:50 am :: Tightrope Walkers (Thursday 4:30 class)
12:10 pm :: Clowns (Thursday 5:30 class)

Summer Plans

Thanks, in part, to the generosity of Jerry Vornholt and the Downtown Danville Partnership we will begin our studio expansion project in early June. This means we will not have summer classes, but we will still be teaching and performing in the community through the summer. Miss Emily will be teaching a ballet class at GetRealInC’s summer camp in Avon, and some of our students will be performing at Play’nfield in the Park in July.

How to Help

Interested in getting involved? We are always looking for volunteers for the performances. Or serve on our Board of Directors! Our next meeting is this Friday, May 5 at 6:30 pm at the studio. And if you are handy with a paint brush we could really use your help finishing the studio space this summer. Please contact anne@thechildrensballet.com for more information on any of these opportunities.

Note from Miss Emily

Thank you so much for being part of The Children’s Ballet family. Our 2016-2017 was a great year full of growth and new opportunities. Dance is everything to me and teaching our students is an incredible privilege I do not take lightly. Students, thank you for your hard work, focus, and enthusiasm in class and rehearsals. I’ve seen so much improvement this year – learning and teaching dance is all about discovery!

I’m so proud of our students – they are talented dancers and performers, but more importantly, they are wonderful people. Parents, thank you for supporting and encouraging your students, as well as the studio; we would not be able to survive without you. Anne, thank you for all your incredible work; it is often unseen by most, but always incredibly appreciated and vital to our studio.

In almost 20 years with The Children’s Ballet, I’ve learned this particular dance community is a magical place. This year was no different, and I look forward to sharing our community and our art with Hendricks County in A Magical Lesson and future seasons.

In Class

Last month in Miss Emily’s classes, we had so much to do! We finished watching, reading about, and dancing Giselle. We also danced full steam ahead to prepare for our performance as students finished learning their dances and excitedly tried on costumes!

Terms

Break A Leg is an idiom in theatre used to wish a performer “good luck”. Well-wishers typically say “Break a leg” to performers before they go on stage. While the origin of the phrase remains obscure, the expression reflects a theatrical superstition in which wishing a person “good luck” is considered “bad luck.”

Did You Know?

There are around 100 students in A Magical Lesson, and around 150 costumes!

Upcoming Events

Tuition Due

May 1

Memory Packages

Early bird specials end May 14

Tech Week begins

May 22

A Magical Lesson at DCHS

May 26 at 7:00 pm & May 27 at 2:00 pm

Shows To See

The Pirates of Penzance: Our friends at the Hendricks Symphonic Society will be presenting this classic comedic work May 5 and May 7. Support the symphony and find out more at www.hendrickssymphonic.org.

Relative to Ransom: You have one more weekend to see this humorous show by local playwright Ron Schnitzels performed by our friends at Hendricks Civic Theatre May 5-7. Find out more at hendrickscivic.com.

Riverdance: The world-famous Riverdance is bringing its 20 year celebration tour to Clowes Hall May 9-11! Find out more here.

OUR MISSION

We are a non-profit organization dedicated to providing high-quality dance instruction while instilling in students self-discipline, dedication, positive self-esteem, and an appreciation for the art of dance. We value and nurture each student's unique gifts of talent and creativity in a safe studio environment in order to educate, enrich, and inspire.