The DVD’s of the live performance of our Halloween concert, Phantoms & Phobias are ready for pick-up! If you ordered a DVD you may stop by the FWDC and pick-up your copy between the hours of 9 am-5pm, Monday-Thursday or 9-3 pm on Friday. If you still need to purchase a DVD you may do so by calling 424-6574, or stop by our office during the above hours. We hope you enjoy it. You may not want to watch it alone!
Hello everyone! We hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving! The holiday season is upon us, what a perfect time to treat the ones you love (or yourself) to dance and wellness classes this winter/spring! We have a vast array of classes to choose from and our new Winter/Spring 2012 schedule is available online! Call (260) 424-6574 for more information on classes, etc., or to register. In a few weeks we will have our website re-vamped and you may register for all classes online. Check out the new schedule and see for yourself that FWDC has something for every-BODY! Our gift certificates make a perfect stocking stuffer!:)
Fort Wayne Dance Collective is proud to offer Orff Schulwerk -Music-Making for Children this fall for the first time!
What is Orff Schulwerk? 
Orff Schulwerk is a way to teach and learn music. It is based on things children like to do: sing, chant rhymes, clap, dance, and keep a beat on anything near at hand. These instincts are directed into learning music by hearing and making music first, then reading and writing it later. This is the same way we all learned our language.
Orff Schulwerk happens in a non-competitive atmosphere where one of the rewards is the pleasure of making good music with others. When the children want to write down what they have composed, reading and writing find their moment.
Orff Schulwerk uses poems, rhymes, games, songs, and dances as examples and basic materials. These may be traditional or original. Spoken or sung, they may be accompanied by clapping and stamping or by drums, sticks, and bells.
The special Orff melody instruments include wooden xylophones and metal glockenspiels that offer good sound immediately. Played together as in a small orchestra, their use helps children become sensitive listeners and considerate participants.
With Orff Schulwerk, improvisation and composition start students on a lifetime of knowledge and pleasure through personal musical experience. Learning is meaningful only if it brings satisfaction to the learner, and satisfaction arises from the ability to use acquired knowledge for the purpose of creating. For both teacher and student, Orff Schulwerk is a theme with endless variation.
The title “Schulwerk” is an indication of the educational process taking place: Schulwerk is schooling (in music) through working, that is, through being active and creative.
Composer Carl Orff and his associate Gunild Keetman evolved the basic texts for the Schulwerk as models for teachers worldwide. Now translated into eighteen languages, Orff Schulwerk is based on the traditional music and folklore of each country in which it is used. At present more than 10,000 teachers in the United States have found the Schulwerk the ideal way to present the magic of music to their students.
Why is Orff Schulwerk so great for kids? 
Orff Schulwerk is total, active involvement in music making that incorporates speech, singing, movement, and instrument playing in a creative environment. It develops the whole child with a balance of emotional and intellectual stimulation.
Orff classes are offered on Wednesday from 5-6 p.m. at the FWDC studios with Certified Instructor, Allison Ballard. Orff classes begin January 11,2012 and are for children ages 6-11. Register your child by calling 424-6574 or email info@fwdc.org today.
More information about Orff and all of our classes can be found online at fwdc.org/classes and be sure to visit www.aosa.org to learn more about this amazing practice!
This is a reminder to all there will be no class this week, November 22-26 in observance of Thanksgiving. Classes will resume Monday, November 28. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the FWDC! We hope to see you all next week. Have a wonderful and safe holiday!
In this annual holiday-themed performance, students from FWDC’s School for Movement Studies and Creative Process showcase what they’ve learned in the Fall semester. This year the performance will be held at the South Side High School Auditorium, and instead of having multiple shows, we will only be performing Sunday, December 18. We hope you will join us in some alternative holiday fun!
Performance:
- Sunday, December 18 @ 2 p.m.
Tickets are $12 adults and $10 children
Tickets will be available for purchase November 28. Email info@fwdc.org or call 424-6574 for more information.
Thank you to everyone who dared to come and watch the frightening, “Phantoms and Phobias” show this weekend! We had two sold-out performances and fantastic matinee crowds as well! We sincerely thank our choreographers, dancers, staff, and volunteers for their help and hard work! Great show everybody! Special thanks to Rebecca Stockert for the cover art and Larry Kenner for his amazing photos! Be sure to check those out! The DVD of this performance will be available in a few weeks for just $20. Call 424-6574 or stop by the FWDC to pre-order yours today!
FWDC will be having a Bring a Friend Week, October 19-26. During this week if you bring a friend to the FWDC they get to take a class with you for FREE! In return, IF THEY SIGN UP for classes, you receive 10% off your next session of classes! What a deal! Limit for the amount of friends you may bring to class is one per student. This includes ALL of our classes: teen/adult, parent/child, and child. So please, bring a friend to Yoga, Pilates, Ballet, Belly, Modern, Creative Movement, etc. Lets introduce as many people as we can to the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, and the wonderful things we do here!
Fort Wayne Dance Collective is looking for a high-energy, hard-working intern who isn’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get down to business. We are seeking lovers of the arts, dance, wellness and the wonderful work we do here at the FWDC. Some of the responsibilities for this position will include: event planning and management, marketing and public relations in the non-profit sector. This person will work closely with Liz Monnier, Artistic Director, Alison Gerardot, Outreach Director and Jarin Hart, Managing Director in continuously growing and developing this unique organization.
Our mission at the FWDC is to provide people of all ages and abilities a respectful environment to learn, collaborate and perform using movement, rhythm and language. If you share our passion, please apply at http://www.indianaintern.net/ today! You must apply at Indiana INTERNnet for this position. Applicants must be currently enrolled in college.
The internship will last October-May and will require 10 hours per week. This position will require daytime, some evening and weekend commitment. Oh, by the way, did we mention this internship is PAID? You will receive $10 per hour, while working in a fun, friendly, artsy environment and you can have all the FREE buttery, popcorn you can digest! (Fort Wayne Cinema Center is located in the same building). So what are you waiting for? The Deadline for applications is Sunday, October 2.
Fort Wayne Taiko, a program of Fort Wayne Dance Collective is pleased to present the fifth annual Knock on Wood performance on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at 7 p.m. The performance will be held at the Allen County Public Library’s Auditorium, located at 900 Library Plaza in downtown Fort Wayne.
Knock on Wood will feature a thunderous performance performed by a passionate, diverse group of local talent. The collection of songs will include traditional and contemporary taiko drumming pieces as well as original compositions featuring chants, body percussion, language and dance. Don’t miss this teeth rattling, one-of-a-kind performance!
Call (260) 424-6574 or email info@fwdc.org for more information or to purchase tickets.
Music Together® is an internationally recognized early childhood music program for infants, toddlers,
preschoolers, kindergartners, and the adults who love them. First offered to the public in 1987,
it pioneered the concept of a research-based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music
curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement.
Music Together classes are based on the recognition that all children are musical. All children can learn
to sing in tune, keep a beat, and participate with confidence in the music of our culture, provided that
their early environment supports such learning. By emphasizing actual music experiences rather than
concepts about music, Music Together introduces children to the pleasures of making music instead of
passively receiving it from CDs or TV.
Central to the Music Together approach is that young children learn best from the powerful role models
of parents/caregivers who are actively making music. The program brings families together by providing
a rich musical environment in the classroom and by facilitating family participation in spontaneous
musical activity at home within the context of daily life.
Just a reminder to all that our 10- week fall session of Music Together starts September 7 and 8 and takes place Wednesdays from 6:15 – 7 p.m. and Thursdays from 11-11:45 a.m. with Allison Ballard. Classes are held at the Fort Wayne Dance Collective in the Tyler Studio.
Prices are $135 for 10 weeks for a parent with one child*
$90 for each additional child (Additional children who are younger than 8 months are free.) 
Registration fee is $10 per family new to FWDC.
*Includes materials: a book, 2 CD set, Music Together guide and newsletter
Call the Fort Wayne Dance Collective at 260.424.6574 for more information and to register, or email info@fwdc.org. Check out the web at www.musictogether.com to learn more about this internationally recognized program.
