By: Artistic Director, John Byrne
First off, I cannot write a new blog post without acknowledging all of the hard work, creativity and brilliant talent that went into our holiday show, “Scones and Crackers.” From the actors, volunteers, the student crew from South Side High School and of course the dancers; everyone came together in camaraderie to make a special moment in time that I hope will leave a smile on the faces of our audience for years to come!
So as you begin to plan your New Year, I hope that you consider investing in your training and dance life. Jarin, Cassie and I are working hard to create opportunities for our community to perform more, and maybe even take our gifts outside of Indiana. But we cannot fulfill these opportunities until we have a solid ensemble of performers to carry our mission. We must build the foundation and that starts by encouraging our community to invest in themselves. Enroll in Ballet. Enroll in Modern. Ballet and Modern dance are essential to building a strong awareness of body and self and will help inform all of your other dance styles in a positive way.
In keeping with our mission to serve and encourage every BODY in movement, I know that we can break a long-time stigma in dance about performance.
We can create an ensemble of dancers that breaks the mold and is inclusive of all walks of life and ability. But this ensemble will also be capable of delivering passionate and powerful projects that are polished and at a level of excellence. Let’s do this! Let’s come together and be a meaningful organization that is known globally. There is an initiative to put Fort Wayne, Indiana on the map as a cultural destination and I will be bold enough to say that the Fort Wayne Dance Collective can lead the way! FWDC is on the brink of being a thriving, vibrant workshop where emerging dancers, choreographers, and artists of all genres will blossom and give a voice to the many beautiful stories that come from the heartland.
Having said the above, I want to emphasize that we continue to open our arms and welcome those that find the joy in dance and movement in a casual way, or as a hobby. Our studios continue to be a safe space that invites you to explore and celebrate your uniqueness. You will find an abundance of class choices to experiment with and find joy in.
Now, on to giving you some inside tips to the re-imagining of our class schedule for the Winter/Spring 2016 season!
- We have modified classes to serve students based on experience level rather than age. We found that programming classes around experience will help students to continually be in the right place where they are engaged and challenged appropriately. This will diversify classes so that you will see a broader range of ages in the room, but each dancer should be growing at their own pace and ability, appropriate to the level
- The former “Dance Sampler” classes have been replaced by “Ballet Basics” and “Modern Basics” classes. New dancers who are ages 5 to 12 will be encouraged to enroll in both ballet and modern basics. There are two age groups, AND the classes are offered twice a week, both on Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons!
- We now have 3 levels of both ballet and modern that are open to all ages. Plus, we are offering these levels twice a week so you can invest in taking the same class more frequently, solidifying your technique and movement foundation. There is a discount offered for those who enroll in more than one class in a semester.
- Due to popular demand, we have included HEELS with Albert in the new schedule, on Thursday evenings.
- We are now offering “Sacred Sunrise Yoga” on Thursday mornings at 9am. This is an incredible way to renew your week and revitalize your mind and body.
- We are so excited to now offer “Theater Jazz” on Thursday evenings. This class will offer training and choreography inspired by iconic musical theater shows.
- Something that is personally close to my heart, and for which I feel is imperative to a thriving movement school, is an improvisation class. We are now offering “Open Improv Jam” on Tuesday evenings, and “Friday Night Dance Gathering,” both of which are classes structured around movement research and improvisation.
- Our Taiko program is stronger than ever and making waves across the country. Our Taiko program schedule will remain the same as last semester.
- You will have two opportunities to experience “Feldenkrais: Awareness Through Movement” with Liz Monnier. This class is offered on Mondays and you can get more information on this wonderful practice by calling or stopping in the office.
- We now have a DAYTIME modern class. We realize we have many students who are homeschooled and this is an opportunity for them and the general community to take a regular class with our exceptional instructor, Ashley Benninghoff on Wednesday’s from 1:30 to 3pm.
- “Belly Dance” is also stronger than ever, as you could see from their performance in the holiday show. Register sooner than later to claim your place in this fantastic class.
- “Pineapple Project” is growing with a new director, Ashley Benninghoff. Speak with Ashley or John about joining this teen ensemble.
- We are now offering “Dance for Seniors” on Thursday mornings at 11am. We encourage you to bring your family members and join them in this class, which aims to increase range of motion and offer relaxation to those with a desire to enhance their mobility and feel their best.
- We continue to offer our very successful classes including Yoga, Groov3, T’ai Chi, and Hip-Hop, which are open to all ages. For young dancers, ages infant to kindergarten we still offer Music Together and for ages 3-5 we continue to offer Creative Movement (and now twice a week!)
So, these are just some of the highlights of our new schedule. I can’t emphasize enough how important repetition and redundancy are to a dancer’s growth.
On a final note, I think I am most thrilled to announce that we have designed the schedule to allow you to “stack” your classes. By this I mean, you can come one day and take up to 4 consecutive classes that are different dance forms, but at the same experience level. For example, you could come on Thursday afternoons and dance straight through Modern, Theater Jazz, Groov3 and finish off in HEELS!
I hope this increase in variety and options will help you dive further into your dance life. So many of you have been stopping by and talking with me about your goals and hopes for the next year. I have enjoyed getting to know you and learning about your interests and dreams, and I encourage you to continue the dialogue. The communication between you, the teachers and myself is essential in offering you the best possible experience here at the Collective.
Thank you for your loyalty and trust, and we look forward to dancing, sweating, laughing, creating and making magic with you in the New Year!
With Warmest Thanks,
John