2008-2009 Registration

It's that time again!

Here are the dates for Fall Registration:

Auburn Studio
August 5, 6, 14, 19, 20 4:00-7:00pm

Charlton Studio
August 7, 12, 13, 21 4:00-7:00pm
Hope to see you there & back in the Fall!

Auburn 2007-2008 Registration Dates

Auburn Registration Dates:

Saturday, August 25th from 11:00 - 4:00 at our new facility!

• Register for Fall classes
• Hard hat tour of new facility
• Have your family photo taken for our website
• Refreshements

Addtional registration dates:

• Tuesday September 11, 4:00 - 8:00 pm
• Wednesday September 12, 4:00 - 8:00 pm
• Thursday September 13, 4:00 - 8:00 pm

It's official... The New Auburn Studio

Hello All. It's finally official. The new studio in Auburn is located at 421 Washington Street (that's Route 20). Here's a link to a Google Map to give you a better idea of where it is: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=421+Washington+St,+Auburn,+MA+01501,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title

Also, here are some of the amenities that will be part of the new place:

• 6,500 square feet of studio space (3 dance rooms)
• WI-FI web access (for Mom or Dad to finish their work)
• Student study areas (finish your homework kids!)
• Central air (no more window units)
• Huge waiting rooms (lots of room for all to spread out)
• Children's play room (a unique space... not toys to trip on in main lobby)
• Closed circuit tv's for all 3 dance rooms

Be sure to check out the main site for more updates!

Adding comments to posts here

Hello All. I've had a couple of people ask how they can add comments to my posts here. What happens is when you click on the option to comment, you get prompted to setup a Blogger account. I've done this on purpose so that people don't make goofy posts or post nasty things here. This way, there's a little bit of governance to making replies. It's free and it's really simple to setup a quick account. It ought to just take you a few minutes. I look forward to hearing from you!

New Auburn Studio

Wow. I believe the 'official' announcement will be going out this coming week (along with some photos) of the new Auburn studio. My wife and I just got a preview of the place by Sally. She gave us a tour along with her plans for how she's going to utilize the space.

I believe that it is going to literally double (if not more) the capacity of the previous Auburn studio. Additionally, she's planning on a lot of extra amenities for parents and children alike. This year happens to be Sally's 30th anniversary teaching dance and this will be an incredible event to kick it off.

Stay tuned for an online 'virtual walk-through' as well as a list of the new amenities she'll be offering. The new schedules and new classes will be posted soon too!

PS- So that not only Auburn catches all the glory, the Charlton studio is also expanding with a second dance room!

It's a wrap! (I know... that's a bit of a corny title)

I think that this post is going to be a bit all over the place as I try to cover a few things, so bear with me.

Yesterday was the recital, and yes, I am a bit biased as my three children and wife all performed, but I think it was among the best I've seen in five years. I blogged a bit yesterday about Friday's dress rehearsal and how amazing the dances were. Well, take that and triple it for the actual show. There was an obvious uptick in everyone's performance yesterday... kicks were higher, smiles were wider.

At the recital, in addition to the performances, there is an opening and closing number. I think that this year's was the best yet. I heard this afterwards from other people in the audience as well. There were kids from all age levels involved and it was one ensemble after another as part of an up-tempo/rock version of 'Mother Goose'.

One other observance I had that was also shared by some other parents I spoke with was the talent among the younger kids. There were groups of kids that I'm guessing were five and six and up through thirteen and fourteen that were truly amazing. 'Jack be Nimble' from the opening act was incredible not only in the opening, but in every dance she was in.

Being a 'Dance Dad' has been a great experience. I never had any exposure to children's instructional dance prior to this. This year my oldest daughter celebrated five years and it was an interesting milestone. This year was her second year of competitions and her love of dance is quite obvious. One of my absolute favorite things is to watch her unconsciously be tapping a dance sequence as she makes her way through the kitchen. She'll be talking to you about her day and instead of standing still, her feet are busy in a flurry of steps.

One of the best decisions we made too was getting our son involved in dance as well. He's turning out to be a natural in just about every sport he tries and he is a great dancer. He's got this amazing spring in his step that propels him across a room. I honestly hope that he sticks with dance. He's been having a great time so far.

My youngest daughter just completed her second year. Watching her on stage brings back memories of my oldest daughter. It's a lot of fun to watch her try to emulate her brother and sister... especially since she's learned the words to the songs and a lot of the steps.

I'll be writing more soon too about how getting the kids involved in dance has gotten my wife dancing again as well!

Recital Day

It's Recital Day today! Last evening was the dress rehearsal. It's always great to watch the entire dress rehearsal because as a parent with three kids in the show, on Recital Day, you don't always get the opportunity to see every performance. Plus, during the recital, performances come out one right after another. During the rehearsal, there are some pauses in between acts to finalize positioning and what not. What's great too is that the kids in the show get to see the other classes perform in full costume on stage.

My kids woke up this morning talking about two performances in particular: 'Jock Jams' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. 'Jock Jams' was a performance by the Senior Tap Company where the girls were dressed as team members from the Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins. The girls performing were obviously having a great time doing it and it was contagious to the audience of friends and relatives at the rehearsal. I'm sure it's going to be a hit today. My kids were in the living room this morning attempting to emulate them by locking arms and doing kicks.

Next, 'Pirates of the Caribbean'... a huge number complete with a ship and Davy Jones' locker. All of the girls in the production were phenomenal. Two in particular I wanted to mention were the girls who played Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones. If you've seen them perform before, they are always terrific. 'Jack Sparrow' managed to emulate Johnny Depp's performance as the oddball pirate while pumping out tap sequences effortlessly. 'Davy Jones' was equally amazing. One thing I found terrific about her performance was in order to replicate Davy Jones' walk with a limp, she was on pointe with one foot. Plus, she performed amazing sequences while wearing a full mask!

The entire company did an outstanding job. The show is the culmination of a lot of hard work all year long by the kids and teachers. It's a lot of fun to see the kids and how excited they by getting up on stage and performing. It is going to be a stellar show as usual.