Competition Team Notes Jan. 12, 2010

Competition Team Notes for January 12, 2010
We have the hard part of competition season almost over!! As with any competitive activity times can get a little tense but we appreciate all that each of you are doing to make this a great year!! Here’s to a great 2010!!

DECEMBER
All of the Holiday performances went great! Thank you to those of you that could participate in them. These are great fundraisers and are very fun for everyone involved.
Buchroeders – 300
Nursing Home – 500
AFA Staff Party – 500
Breakfast with Santa – a little shy of 1000
Women’s Luncheon – 200?

January
Thursday, January 14th: Competition rehearsal
Winter Competition Schedule

Friday, January 15th - Sunday, January 17th: LA Dance Magic in St. Louis

Monday, January 18th: Instructional Classes Resume

Competition Showcase
The showcase went very smoothly. Thank you for everyone that came with hair and make-up complete. As teachers, we have watched the video and are working on things that can be improved upon. Please keep in mind there are a lot of people putting in many hours to make our competition team the best it can be. We ask that you do the same when it comes to preparation for performances and competitions. The total cost for the Showcase is $350 for the building and heat.


Costumes
Shoes
All correct shoes will be worn for every competition. Practice shoes of each style should be in the dancers bag to for practice
Make Up
All make up including eyelashes and rhinestones are to be worn for every competition and performance.
Costume Fittings:
Wanda is working as hard as she can to have everything finished for Saturday.
We might need volunteers to help with bow making for Bingo and Itsy
Wanda’s Contact: 573-874-1747
Stoning:
The costumes left to stone are Miss Invisible, Shake and Pop, Life Goes to a Party, Tiny Dancer and Work me Down. Please be sure you are working and these and will have them done by Saturday.


Props:
Prop Parents:
· Itsy Bitsy Tent/Cirque Tent: Fuller and Griem
· Cirque curtain and tight rope poles: Jenkins
· Cirque Trampoline: Arey
· Cirque ball and bike: Singletary
· Cirque Stage: Edmiston
· Cirque Batons and twirl flags: Fenton/Alexander
· Elephant Head: VanEaten
· Mothers Prayer Bed: Edmiston
· Miss Invisible Stage: Alacabasa and Killday

Trailer loading
The trailer will load at 6:30 on Thursday and unload at 6:30 on Monday. We need volunteers to unload the trailer at the competition and reload after the competition.

Group Moms
Moms are to check the dancers to be sure they are appropriately dressed. Make-up and hair should be professional and accessories checked before going backstage.
Cirque –Carr, Dinwiddie, Griem, Kjellberg,
Let it Rock – Marso
Hokey Pokey – Carr and VanEaten
Mother’s Prayer – Deaver
Cha-Cha Heels- Murray
Don’t Go – Edmiston and Alexander
Butterflies – Dent and Martin
Girlfriend – Fenton
Tiny Dancer – O’Keefe
Life Goes to a Party – Hollrah
Do Your Thing – Farmer
Shake and Pop – Baker and Singletary
Get Up – Fuller
Work me Down – Wainscott and Singletary
Sea Cruise – Olson and Zacharias
Miss Invisible – Killday and Alacabasa
Itsy Bitsy – Kjellberg, Dinwiddie and Morris
Bingo – Arey and Sonksen

Snowflake Twirling Contest
Dancers will perform that morning at 7:30 and again at lunch at 11:30. More detailed information to come.
8:00-11:30
Clerks: Alacabasa, Marso, Murray, Okeefe
Starters: Carr/Olson, Deaver/Zacharias, Dinwiddie/Dent, Singletary/Kjellberg
12:30-4:00
Clerks: Baker, Killday, Reese, Wainscott
Starters: S Hollrah/VanEaten, G Hollrah/Morris, Sonsken/Fuller, Arey/Farmer

Reminders 2010:
*Please be sure you have hotel reservations for all competitions.

Extra Wednesday Practice & Parade Practice Schedule

After practice this week we decided that it will be very important for a few dances to meet this Wednesday since we are out on Thursday. Please understand we are doing this to help the students and make sure they know all there dances. Missing a week can be very tough on them. Schedule for Oct.

Wednesday, Oct. 7th
4:30 Butterflies
5:00 Hokey Pokey & Do your thing
5:30 Sea Cruise
6:00 Girlfriend & Let it Rock
6:30 Don't Go
7:00 Shake & Pop
**If you are a twirler you are excused from twirling during these practice times

Parade Practice Weeks
We have parade practice the 2 weeks before homecoming. We are trying something new this year to help us make sure all dances get practiced and allow us to not run later than already scheduled on Thursdays.. The dances during parade practice we are moving to Wednesday or up a time on Thursday. Please note for these nights we are moving Butterflies up due to their age and parade practice is a lot for them.** We do have fittings on these days and we did work around major conflicts. Some may be out for a few quick minutes

Wednesday, Oct. 14th & 21st
4:30 Butterflies
5:00 Hokey Pokey & Bingo
5:30 Cirque
6:00 Work me Down
6:30 Let it Rock
7:00 Shake and Pop

Thursday, Oct. 15th and 22nd
4:30 Itsy & Mothers Prayer
5:00 Stays the same as shown on schedule
5:30-7 Parade Practice ** All students participate
7:00 and on Stays the same as shown on Schedule

Thanks!!

Booster Meeting Agenda
October 1, 2009

1. Blog

How is it working? http://afacompetition.blogspot.com/


2. Fundraisers

Current fundraisers scheduled..
Oct- Pasta Fun (I)
Nov- Christmas wreaths (I)
Dec- Breakfast w Santa (December 12, 2009)
Dec - Holiday performances
Jan/Feb - Snowflake twirling contest

· This list can be added to…we are always looking for new fundraisers.

3. Dance Competition Videos

* At dance competitions, Boosters buys the team video and each family can purchase a
copy of the video (cost will be determined by the cost of the video divided by those that
participate.) This cost will be applied directly to your booster bill.

* Generally the cost will be between $10 to $30 per competition. For instance, if a video
costs $250/25 families = $10).

Solos Discussion

4. Luggage

5. Avon Wrap up

6 . Eyelashes (Eyelashes before discount $3.99 each; Glue before discount $3.49)

7. Treasurer’s Report

8. Bag Check

9. Other Business

Competition Team Notes Sept. 3, 2009 Booster Meeting

We are off to a great start for this year! We appreciate all the positivity and energy from all the families and kids. We would not be here without all of you! We encourage you to continue embrace any new changes with us…open minds will lead us to new places!! This will be a great year!!


Costumes

Costume Exchange:
These are all done between you and the person on the list. Please make payments directly to that person

Costume Fittings for recycled Costumes:
These are done on an individual basis. Please make appointments with Wanda directly. These fittings will take place by appointment at Wanda’s home.
For all costumes need a volunteer to take her a completed costume
Please be sure to try on all costumes that you will wear for this season and be sure they fit with enough room for the entire season

Wanda’s Contact: 573-874-1747

Stones for all Costumes:
Stones will no longer be ordered by the Academy or Boosters.
Ordering of stones is each person’s responsibility.
The costume list will include what type of stones and how many will be required.
We will offer a few order sessions, the dates TBD
Sites for ordering Stones: http://www.dreamtimecreations.com/

AFA Competition Apparel
Luggage
This year we would like to suggest Academy Competition Luggage. Refer to luggage handout for more detail. This is optional. The site is under construction so order now you save 15%.

Warm Ups
We will use the same warm ups as last year!
We will be placing an order for anyone that needs a warm up


Competition 2009-2010 T-Shirts
We are in the process of finalizing our new design. Keep a look out for these order forms.
We do ask that all competition students order a t-shirt

Competition Black Leotard
Order form is out if you need a new black leotard
All competition girls need to have a Competition Leotard that fits and is still in great shape

Booty Shorts and Half Tops
This year we are offering some new products!! Great for class and conventions!!
The Booty Shorts will have an A with a crown in white on the right back side
The Top will have Academy printed across the front in white

Big/Little Buddies for 2009-2010
We will have each buddy fill out a get to know me form tonight
The Bigs are those who are 10 by January and then Littles are those that are 9 and younger in Jan.
More details will come the week of the September 14th when they are rolled out
We will have themes for each competition to help balance the gift giving and we will have each buddy bring the gift on the Thursday before competition and teachers will be in charge of bringing to competition


Dates to put on your Calendar
Thursday, Sept. 10th: No Competition Class
October 8th: No Competition Class due to the MU Football Game
November 13 and 14 is State Cheerleading. Isty Bitsy, Bingo, Work Me Down, Get Up, Hokey Pokey and possibly some twirling numbers will perform at this. It is Friday evening around 7:30, Saturday around noon and Saturday evening around 7:30 again. Not all numbers will perform at all awards ceremonies.
Wednesday, November 25 we are performing at the Volley Ball game. Carlee, Jacy, and Hokey Pokey will be performing at this. Time TBA.
January 5th : Costume Check
o Please plan to have all costumes completed by this day. Bring each costume with you to the start of each competition class and get the teachers approval.
o Any changes that are necessary will then be completed by the Showcase, January 9th.

Important Note Regarding Next Thursday, Aug. 20th

We hope your summer is wrapping up on a great note. Can't believe its school time again! Our competition practice for next Thursday, Aug. 20th has been canceled. When setting this date we were not aware of back to school night at the Columbia Public Schools or that the private schools were already back in session. We think its important to focus your time this week on getting back to school. We hope this makes all your lives a little less hectic.

Our next Competition practice will still be Thursday, Aug. 27th. This schedule will be sent out this Monday.

Since we will be missing practice this week we will be using Sept. 26th (one of the extra practice days given) for competition classes. Please mark this on your calendar. A schedule will be given when the date gets closer.

Please email AFAcompteam@yahoo.com if you have not already made us aware of any major conflicts you have for this year.

Enjoy the last few days of summer!!!

Academy of Fine Arts Competition Team Policies

We understand that being a member of our competition dance teams is a commitment and a dedication – that’s why we are working extra hard year after year to make our competition program the very best! If you have additional questions please let us know.

With all of your hard work and dedication, we will meet the following goals:
To share our passion for dance with our community
To achieve excellence at competitions and conventions
To display superior dance technique, style and stage presence at all events
To work hard, be dedicated and fulfill all commitments
To maintain and even improve our skills throughout the year
To be good role models and set good examples for all dancers
To have fun and enjoy every moment of our season!
All of the Academy teaching staff is very excited about the upcoming competitive year. Questions and concerns may arise so please feel free to contact Whitney or Suzanne for further information.

Email:

Our primary method of communication with competition team parents is by email. We communicate often regarding upcoming events, announcements, scheduling, etc. Accordingly, all competition team parents must provide an email address to us that they check regularly for emails from The Academy Competition Team. Please be sure that this is an email that you can receive non-work related emails on.

All AFA dance competition emails will come from AFACompteam@yahoo.com. We will ask that if you would like to send out a group announcement that you send an email with the announcement to AFACompteam@yahoo.com. We will then take care of sending out the announcement. We will try to send no more than one email a day and try our best to at least give 24 hour notice on turn around.

All correspondence about the Academy of Fine Arts Dance not related to competition will come from the academycastle@aol.com . We will follow the same process as stated above.

In addition, we have a “Competition Team Blog” that we update with important information regarding booster club updates.

Booster Club:

The Booster Club is the fundraising arm of the Academy Competition Team. This club is run by the parents of the competition students. This group is separate from the AFA competition team and the Academy of Fine Arts.

More information on Booster Club will be provided in the first meeting. This group will meet once a month.

Instructional Class Requirements :

These classes are fundamental in teaching dancers the proper foundations of all dance and in strengthening them so that they can perform and execute moves in a manner that is technically correct. Ballet technique class will focus on the fundamentals of classical ballet, including proper ballet positions, body alignment and technique. Jazz technique class is focused on strengthening dancers with targeted stretches and exercises, as well as focusing on proper technique for leaps, turns, and other integral dance moves incorporated into the competition routines. Tap class is focused on strengthening dancers with targeted exercises to help loosen their ankles and improve their sound articulation and footwork. We will also focus on expanding their tap vocabulary and exposing the dancers to different rhythms and styles of tap.


Class Schedule:

The class schedule for competition dancers will be finalized after auditions and will ready August 15th.


Practice Attire:

All competition team dancers are expected to dress in full dancewear for every dance class. Competition team members are looked to as role models within the studio and should be dressed properly for all classes (hair pulled back for ALL classes and appropriate dancewear and dance SHOES for all classes). Please note, again this year Academy will follow a studio-wide dress code for competition dancers, as well as non-competition dancers. We feel this creates a more
professional learning environment for our students.

Ballet: Leotard, tights, ballet skirt (optional) and ballet shoes
Jazz/Technique/ Lyrical: Any tight fitting clothing over a leotard and appropriate shoes
Tap: Any tight fitting clothing over a leotard and tap shoes
Competition Dance Practice: Black Leotard and tights -You may wear black tight fitted shorts as well


Attendance Policy:

Good attendance is required of our Competition Team Members.
Regular attendance is essential and mandatory. Students may not miss any of their regularly scheduled classes/choreography the week before competition. Some exceptions will be made if the teacher has plenty of advanced warning and agrees to excuse the absence.
If you miss a regular class please plan to make this class up in the following 2 weeks. If you miss competition class, please understand you may be asked to make this up with a private at your cost.

All dancers agree to practice, practice and practice some more. You, along with your teammates and teachers, will be pleased with the results.

Extra Practices:

Along with required attendance at weekly classes, there will be some mandatory extra practices throughout the dance year to work on our competition routines or prepare for other performances.

Extra Choreography Classes:

We are asking ALL competition team members to mark the following Saturdays on your calendars as a possible rehearsal/choreography day:

Saturday, September 26th
Saturday, October 17th

**We may or may not need all competition dancers to be present on every Saturday listed above -we will try our best to give at least two weeks advance notice of which teams (if any) will need to be available for an extra Saturday rehearsal or performance.

These two Saturdays above would be at NO COST to our competition teams – these are a complimentary service provided to our competition teams so that they will be their very best when it comes time for competition!

Extra Competition Classes:

These extra competition classes are used in between the dance class sessions or to help us prepare for competition. These classes are an extra $5 per dance. This will be billed to you in the month the classes will take place. The schedule for these days will be as close to our Thursday schedule as possible. Please plan for the following dates:

August 20th
August 27th
September 3rd
December 15th
December 17th
January 5th
January 7th


Competitions:

During the upcoming competition season, The Academy competition teams will participate in one convention, 4 regional competitions and one national competition. The three regional competitions will be during the months of Feb -May. Each of these regional competitions is usually within the Kansas City or St. Louis area and is usually on Saturday and Sunday (sometimes there may be Friday evening times). The specific competition times for each competition are no t posted until the week before the competition. Sometimes dancers must be present at the competition on both days (Saturday & Sunday), other times, a dancer must only be present on one day or the other – it varies competition by competition.

· Students must attend all competitions their groups are entered
· All students need to be prepared to stay for all award ceremonies. The only exceptions are from the teachers for late Sunday evening awards
· All students need to arrive at competition in their AFA jackets. These need to be worn over costumes at all times and on stage for awards.
· All dancers agree to practice, practice and practice some more. You, along with your teammates and teachers, will be pleased with the results.
· Competitions will usually post their schedules 1 week prior to the competition. A copy of the schedule will be posted in the studio. All dancers must be at a competition, dressed with makeup and hair done, at least set ready time, this is usually two hours before your scheduled time. This allows for stretching and running of the routine(s) before show time, minimizing stress on all.
· Suggested hotels for each competition will also be posted, however it is not necessary to all stay at the same place if you prefer a different hotel or have other accommodations. We will not be making group reservations. Each person is responsible for themselves
· Academy will sell a practice CD for $5. The CD will contain all of the competition music for this season. This will be ready for purchase Oct. 15th
· When attending conventions and competitions, students and parents must behave in an appropriate manner. Poor sportsmanship, inappropriate attire, and being disrespectful to anyone (including other studios' dancers and parents), is unacceptable. Please remember you are representing everyone at the Academy of Fine Arts.


Dance Convention
LA Dance Magic
January 16-17
St. Louis, MO
Optional for level 3 dancers.

Regional Competitions

Prime Time
Feb. 19th-21st
St. Louis, MO

Star Power
March 12th -14th
St. Louis, MO

Showbiz
April 16th -18th
St. Louis, MO

Masquerade
May 7th -9th
Kansas City Expo Center


National Competition:

This year we are looking at Showbiz National Competition in Kansas City, July 3-7, 2010. This National Competition is OPTIONAL for those dancers who wish to attend and compete. We will determine which dancers would like to participate in Nationals, and which groups will be able to compete in Nationals (based on dancer participation) in the Winter of 2010. We will need a final headcount by January 31st, 2010. National Entry Fees and summer tuition for rehearsals leading up to Nationals will be collected separately in spring 2010 based on participation.

Competition Dance Shoes:

We will let our competition team members know what color and style of shoe they need for each class by October 15th. This will be determined once competition team auditions are held and costume/music choices are finalized for each group. These shoes may only be worn for competition practices and at the competitions. Only exception is for the black/white tap shoes.


Competition Costumes:

We will let our competition team members know what costumes will be worn for each dance by October 15th. Most of our team costumes are made by Wanda. If you are a solo dancer please understand the group costumes are a huge undertaking. Please have all solo dance costumes to Wanda by August 31st.

Stoning on Competition Costumes:
Each parent will be responsible to the stoning of their competition costs. Each costume will be provided with a stone design and we ask that all stoning is complete for the Competition Showcase on Jan. 9th, 2010

As time allows Ms. Suzanne will be offering to stones costumes for a fee of per gross of stones. Please make sure you communicate directly with her on this and plan ahead so all costumes are ready for Jan. 9th.


Competition Showcase Performance:

January 9th, 2010 will be our Showcase Performance at the Hazel Kinder Theatre.


Solos/Duos/Trios:

All solos/duos/trios need to be approved by Ms.Whitney or Ms. Suzanne. All soloists need to have competed in dance for 2 years at a minimum. The Academy Bill needs to be paid in full at the time of registration. A minimum of a 30-minute private per week needs to be taken for each dance solo/duo/trio competing in.



Get Ready for a Great Year!

"Champions do not become champions when they win the event,but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merelythe demonstration of their championship character."-T. Alan Armstrong