Performing Company 2011/12 Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon, South San Francisco, Costa Mesa, Fremont and Tracy

Transcription

1 Performing Company 2011/12 Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon, South San Francisco, Costa Mesa, Fremont and Tracy Team: A group of people who share the same interests and work together to achieve the same goals. Our Mission: Our mission is to offer professional dance training in all genres of dance. We strive to expose young aspiring dancers to opportunities that will enhance their dance knowledge and training. We will work as mentors to dancers and give them ample opportunities to perform dance as an art form. We will nurture dancers in a positive structured environment. 1 of 8

2 TDA Performing Company Goals and Purpose: The main objective of the TDA Company is to give dancers who want to take dance to the next level adequate technical training and opportunities to perform their art. The Company serves as a guide for older dancers (ages 12-18) on their path to a professional dance related career or college. We achieve these goals by requiring each student to train in a wide range of technical dance classes, participate in many different performance venues, attend professional dance performances and maintain a sincere love and passion for dance in all of its forms. TDA Faculty Mission and Purpose: We understand that each child and young adult possesses a different learning style and progresses on different timelines. The TDA faculty is committed to understanding these differences and nurturing each student regardless of learning style. Additionally, some students are born with certain favorable or ideal physical or anatomical body characteristics, such as turn-out, hyper mobility in joints, musicality, etc. Although these characteristics are certainly a bonus, they do not make an automatic professional dancer. Dancers turn professional when they have learned how to affect an audience emotionally through movement. This is the goal for all of our students, regardless of their long-term dancing goals. We as teachers are here to pass our enthusiasm for dance to your children and your family. All that we require from the students is a genuine love for dance and consistent attendance in class. All that is required of the parents is trust in our abilities as teachers and support of our vision for your children. Can our faculty actually dance? You bet! Watch videos on of your instructors in action! Gravity Tiffany Henderson, Bonnie Fisk, Marissa Brown (Senior TDA Student), Polly Sutton St. Teresa Tiffany Henderson, Rhonda Rooker, LoRee Kenagy, Polly Sutton; Choreographed by Susan Quinn-Williams includes documentary section. Polka Dot Make sure to watch the full video-there is a pause after the documentary section. Choreographed by LoRee Kenagy. Company Commitment: The true definition of a Company or Team of any kind is a group of people who share the same interests and are all working together to achieve the same goals. There is a level of commitment by each individual to the Company as a group in order for the Company to achieve its goals. The level of commitment needs to be equal by each member of the group. We give each parent and child this document in order to equip you with adequate information regarding expense, time commitment and mandatory dates as we know them at this time. We expect that you can take this information and make a well-informed decision as to your involvement in the season. TDA Performing Company Placement Audition: Each year dancers must audition for placement on the TDA Performing Company. This is a Placement Audition No dancers are eliminated. This audition is for group placement purposes only. The free audition includes a ballet barre, jazz combination, and a tap combination. All dancers are scored on technique and performance ability. After the audition a cast lists for each dance number is posted. All dancers are evaluated and grouped according to the ability of the dancer and artistic vision of the director/choreographer. All decisions are final. Register on tiffanydance.com. Dancers are placed in the quantity of dances that the directors believe they can handle. All dancers are cast in at least 1 group number. Competitive dancers will have the opportunity to add a second dance. Intensive dancers will be cast in at least 2 dances. Casting decisions are also up to the artistic discretion of the director and choreographer. If you are unable to attend the placement audition, please let us know and we will place your dancer based on their teacher recommendations. 4 TDA Performing Company Tracks Competitive Our traditional Performing Company experience. These dancers are on track for readiness for a college dance program, professional dance educator/performance career. Company Lite Geared toward dancers new to the Performing Company who want to participate but want a lighter course load. Groups may encompass a wider span of age groups and abilities. New Minis For our 5-7 year old newest Performing Company Members TDA Hip Hop Crew Hip Hop for dancers ages 8+ 2 of 8

3 Class Requirements: All dancers are cast into different pieces and are all a part of one big company. Please see below for sample class requirements. Company dancers will be placed into their classes by TDA staff prior to the April 27 th registration day. Parents will log onto their TDA account to see their schedules and will be asked to accept or decline by May 1, No charges will be processed until you accept your class schedule. Mini dancers, new to the company, Competitive, Hip Hop Crew and Company Lite dancers will only be cast in 1 dance. Competitive dancers will have the opportunity to add a second dance. Competitive dancers who are chosen for more than 2 dances and would not like to participate in some of them please let the TDA Performing Company Regional Director know. Sample Class Requirements for Minis new to TDA and 2 nd year Minis (Approximate ages 5-7 years old): 1 Pre-Ballet 45 minutes 1 Pre-Jazz 45 minutes 1 Pre-Tap 45 minutes 1 Mini rehearsal 30 minutes Monthly Tuition depends on class load - see rate chart Sample Class requirements for Competitive Dancers (Approximate ages 8-12) Ballet Classes Class load determined by placement audition Jazz Class load determined by placement audition Company Rehearsal(s) 30 minutes 1 Elective Class Tap or Hip Hop Depending on group placement this may be required or optional A second optional tap performance group will be offered. If your dancer chooses to participate in the tap piece they must be enrolled in a tap class. Monthly Tuition depends on class load - see rate chart Sample Class requirements for Competative Dancers (Approximate ages 12-17) Ballet Classes Class load determined by placement audition Jazz Class load determined by placement audition Tap Class load determined by placement audition Company Rehearsals 45 minutes per week per dance 2 Supporting Technique Classes Hip Hop, Tumbling, Turns and Jumps, Contemporary, etc. Sample Class Requirements for Company Lite (Approximate ages 9+ years old): 2 Ballet Classes 45 minutes 1.5 hours depending on the class level 1 Jazz Class 45 minutes 1.5 hours depending on the class level 1 Company Lite Rehearsal 45 minutes Monthly Tuition depends on class load - see rate chart Sample Class Requirements for the TDA Hip Hop Crew (Approximate ages 8-18 years old): 1 Hip Hop Class 45 minutes 1 Hip Hop rehearsal 30 minutes Dancers can be a member of just the Hip Hop crew or they can participate in the Crew in addition to any of the above groups. Monthly Tuition depends on class load - see rate chart Financial Benefit of Technique Classes: We have spent a lot of time thinking about ways to cut tuition costs but still provide the absolute best training for our dancers. The cost of costumes can get out of hand very quickly and we are sensitive to this. At TDA, Company dancers can choose whether or not to participate with their technique classes at the annual June recital. In these classes, dance numbers are choreographed and rehearsed during class. For many non-company dancers this is the only performance opportunity they have during the year. But for Company dancers, it may make more financial sense to take the technique classes but not perform at the year-end concert. The financial benefit is that additional costumes for the year-end concert are not required. All Company members perform their competition pieces in the year-end concert series. 3 of 8

4 Tuition: All TDA Company members train under our professional, salaried teachers. We believe that our teachers are the best in California. They are experienced, highly trained, loyal and dedicated to teaching dance. We have done our best to make tuition rates affordable while supporting our highquality teacher salaries. All Company classes and technique classes must have a minimum of 7 dancers in order for the class to remain on the schedule. Any class that falls short of the minimum enrollment will be cancelled. Attendance Policy: A team member may not miss more than four classes in any one month. No excuses will be accepted. Any member that misses more than four may be placed on probation for the following month and will not be able to perform in any events during the probation month. If the dancer s attendance improves they will return to normal standing in the Company. Dance takes dedication and hard work. You have to be there to improve. Code of Conduct, Parents: Support all dancers, even those not related to you. No negative comments to or about any dancer or parent are tolerated. You will be amazed how fast gossip travels in a dance studio. Comments taken out of context can snowball into ridiculous, petty, damaging and hurtful arguments between parents, dancers and faculty. No negative comments about other dance organizations or studios are tolerated. Please refrain from giving comments to dancers from the sidelines. Have a great time watching your children grow and learn! Remember that every parent wants their children to be the best they can be, even though we know that along with the successes there will be failures. It is a natural part of growing up - and learning from those experiences is what makes us who we are. Always give only positive feedback to dancers after they perform. Let them be proud of their performance leave the corrections to the highly trained staff. Notify the TDA Performing Company Regional Director immediately of unavoidable schedule conflicts. This is extremely important. When, for any reason, your dancer cannot attend a rehearsal or an event, it is important to notify the TDA Performing Company Regional Director immediately so that any necessary adjustments can be made. This includes restaging, changing music and choreography. Understand that performing on a dance team is a year round commitment. Scheduling conflicts, dancer burnout and parent burnout can be avoided by understanding that dancing on the performing company is a major commitment that is more than enough to satisfy any child s extracurricular desires. TDA s Expectation of Parents: Parents must agree to TRUST the faculty at TDA to do what is best for their child and for the performance. Trusting TDA is a freeing and ultimately wonderful thing. By trusting TDA you can sit back and watch your child s progress. There are truly an unbelievable number of decisions that must be made to achieve an acceptable performance. Parental involvement in these decisions is not tolerated because it simply doesn t work. It is literally impossible for twenty or thirty people to agree on anything. Parents, please do not second guess TDA s decisions on: 1. Costumes 2. Music 3. Teachers 4. Choreography 5. Competitions 6. Conventions 7. Schedules 8. Casts Choice of music, dancers and costumes for routines is solely up to the director and other staff. Not every dancer will be in every dance. Dancers are placed according to their ability and where they will succeed without becoming overly frustrated and/or burned out. 4 of 8

5 Parent Observation and Performing Company Rehearsal Classes: While the dancers are learning their dances it is very distracting to have friends and family hovering around the windows to the studio. For this reason all Performing Company rehearsal classes are closed except during the last week of the month. That way the students get a chance to learn without distraction and, once a month everyone can see the amazing progress they are making. Code of Conduct, Dancers: Have Fun! Respect all team members and instructors. NO TALKING in rehearsals or class. You are role models at the studio; therefore you set the tone for ALL other dancers. Dress code is strictly enforced. No gossiping. No Negative comments to or about anyone. This will result in expulsion from the team. Always come to classes and rehearsals prepared. This is called work ethic. Always give 100% effort. This is called heart. This will pay off in the end, I promise. No sitting down in class or rehearsal, unless authorized by your instructor. Even if you are not dancing during a particular sequence, you should be practicing in the back of the class. Tell your instructor before rehearsal if you are ill or have an injury. Work together as a team. Support each other with positive feedback. Not everyone will be in every dance. Remember that everyone will have his or her turn to shine. Never make negative comments about any other studio or dancer from another studio. This will result in expulsion from the team. Competitive Events: A full schedule of competitive events will be given to all company parents before costume balances are due. Competitive groups attend 2 conventions and 2 competitions throughout the season. A specific calendar of MANDATORY events will be available to all parents before the financial commitment of costume balances is made. New Minis - New Mini company dancers attend 2 competitions and 1 one-day dance convention throughout the season. Company Lite Company Lite dancers attend 2 competitions and 1 one-day dance convention throughout the season. TDA Hip Hop Crew The Crew will attend 2 competitions and 1 one-day dance convention throughout the season. What is a Convention? Dance Conventions are weekend events where master teachers from across the nation hold classes. Conventions are awesome for young dancers. Our dancers meet dancers from other studios and they are mentored by top-notch professionals. These master teachers inspire young dancers and are great role models. Dancers take classes in tap, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, musical theatre as well as an opportunity to audition for national scholarships to private professional studios. Conventions also include a competition where the master teachers comprise the panel of judges. Schedule of Meetings, Auditions and Deadlines Free Company Information Night March 23 rd Costa Mesa Studio 8pm Free Company Information Night March 24 th - Hilton Garden Inn - Livermore - 7pm Free Company Information Night March 29 th SSF Studio - 7pm April 3 rd Costa Mesa Free Company Placement Auditions Costa Mesa studio April 13 th Tri-Valley Free Hip Hop Crew Placement Auditions Livermore studio April 15 th - Tri-Valley Free Company Placement Auditions - Livermore studio April 15 th - SSF Free Company Placement Auditions - SSF studio April 22 nd - Performing Company Cast Lists Posted May 1 st - Deadline to join Company for 2011/12 season July 11 th First day of classes for the 2011/12 season for New Minis, Hip Hop Crew and Company Lite July 18 th 22 nd and July 25 th July 29 th Summer Dance Intensive Program August 1 st First day of classes for Competitive dancers November Tremaine Dance Convention, San Francisco December - Nutcracker Performance Chabot College, Hayward February-April Dance Competitions and Conventions JUMP, Onstage NY, NYCDA, West Coast Dance Explosion - TBA 5 of 8

6 If for any reason you see a conflict with any of the dates mentioned above please tell the TDA Performing Company Regional Director immediately. All of the dates are mandatory (except, of course, for the optional events). If one member is not present it lets the entire team down Dance the Magic Holiday Spectacular Performance in Disneyland June Recitals: All company dancers perform in their regularly scheduled June Concerts. Most company dancers are cast in more than one June Concert. Company dancers also perform in 1-2 Twinkle Star Showcases. Summer Nationals: National Competition either in Las Vegas or South Lake Tahoe are always optional. Summer Training Requirements: Dance is a year-round activity that requires training in the summer months in order to maintain technique and encourage growth. The 2011/12 classes begin on July 11 th for New Minis, Company Lite and Hip Hop Crew. Our Competitive Dancers will have Summer Training the weeks of July 18 th and July 25 th and will begin their regular classes on August 1. General Costs for the TDA Performing Company: Conventions and Competitions: The costs for conventions and competitions vary from event to event. Most of our events take place in the spring. This results in a large amount of the payments for these events coming due in January and February. It would be typical for a parent to be asked to pay for 2 competitions and a convention all in the month of January. Conventions - $200-$225 (Depending on age group) plus competition fees see below. Observers Passes for Parents or Guardians - $40 per person (You are not required to chaperone your child at Company events. Teachers are present to watch over all dancers. You may want to attend the first event to see what conventions are all about.) Competition Fees- $40-$50 per dancer per dance (depending on competition) Costumes: Costumes are custom designed by the choreographer and tailored to fit each dancer. They cost from $150-$180 each depending on the dance and costume manufacturer. We make every effort to keep these costs down without compromising the artistic quality of the dance and the durability of the garment. All dancers are measured and costumes are ordered during the summer. 6 of 8

7 Make-Up and Accessories: Each dancer is required to purchase a pair of earrings and choker. They cost approximately $12-$15 for the earrings and $20-$30 for the choker. They will also need some basic make-up. The make-up we use is everyday brands that you can find at your local drug store. Shoes and Tights: Shoe and tight requirements for Performing Company dances are determined at the time we design the costumes. The following shoes are required for classes and may be purchased via your dance attire assignment list on CostumeManager.com: Dark Tan Jazz Shoes, Dark Tan Tap Shoes, Pink Ballet Shoes, Pointe Shoes (only dancers on pointe), Hip-Hop dance sneaker. Rehearsal and class attire: For Jazz and Tap classes, dancers are required to wear black spaghetti strap leotards, black tights, (footless or convertible) and jazz or tap boots. Ballet dancers need a black leotard, pink ballet tights and the appropriate shoes for their level. All attire is available via CostumeManager.com. Dancers may wear black jazz pants boot cut. All other leotards and half tops are okay, but these are the core requirements. All hair must be worn up and away from their face. Company Warm-ups: We will be ordering on September 1 st, The cost for Warm-ups is approximately $150-$175 for personalized/embroidered jacket and pants. Summary of General Expenses in addition to monthly tuition: New Minis TDA Warm-ups Approximately $150-$175 Costume - $150-$180 each. Each dancer is cast in 1 dance. Convention One 1-day Convention at the approximate cost of $125 per dancer Convention fees and $40-$50 per dance Competition fees. Competitions 2 at the approximate cost of $40-$50 per dancer. Shoes, tights, accessories, make-up Depending upon group, see CostumeManager.com for general pricing. Nutcracker Performance Costumes for the Nutcracker are approximately $80-$120 per dance. There are additional tuition costs for the rehearsal classes. Company Lite Costume - $150-$180 each. Each dancer is cast in 1 dance. Convention One 1-day Convention at the approximate cost of $150 per dancer Convention fees and $40-$50 per dance Competition fees. Competitions 2 at the approximate cost of $40-$50 per dancer. Shoes, tights, accessories, make-up Depending upon group, see CostumeManager.com for general pricing. Competitive TDA Warm-ups Approximately $150-$175 Costumes - $150-$180 each. Each dancer is cast in approximately 2 dances. Some will be cast in more than 2 dances. Conventions 2 at the approximate cost of $250 per dancer Convention fees and $40-$50 per dance your dancer is competing Competition fees. Competitions 2 at the approximate cost of $40-$50 per dance your dancer is competing. Nutcracker Performance Costumes for the Nutcracker are approximately $80-$120 per dance. There are additional tuition costs for the rehearsal classes. TDA Hip Hop Crew Costume - $150-$180 each. Each dancer is cast in 1 dance. Convention One 1-day Convention at the approximate cost of $150 per dancer Convention fees and $40-$50 per dance Competition fees. Competitions 2 at the approximate cost of $40-$50 per dancer. Shoes, tights, accessories, make-up Depending upon group, see CostumeManager.com for general pricing. Now that you ve received specific information regarding the TDA Performing Company and all of its requirements please think it over and let us know your decision by May 1st, of 8

8 Hours per week PERFORMING COMPANY TUITION RATES * Average Per Hour Tuition Per Week**.75 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Unlimited $ $ < 7.98 Approximate total tuition cost can be determined when the dancer s specific level and class load has been announced after the placement audition in March. On average the company dancer tuition is approximately $175 to $300 per month. *additional charges for extra rehearsals and/or classes may be required from time to time depending on enrollment. **Tuition is paid monthly but calculated on a weekly basis. Some months have 4 classes, some have 5. Furthermore, we exclude dates that don t have classes, such as Labor Day and Thanksgiving from your monthly tuition calculation. Your monthly tuition will fluctuate based on classes per month. It is based strictly on when class is in session. 8 of 8