Author: shinebrightdanceproject

Today I was driving and the song “A Million Dreams” by Pink came on. I felt a surge of disappointment – that song was the ballet song for our Mini class for the 2019-2020 dance year and except for the girls who performed it, I’m only 1 of 2 people who got to see it. I decided it would be a good time to document my thoughts about how everything had to go down.

When March rolled around I was excited because performance season is very thrilling! Retirement Home performances and a Six Flags performance are all mini dress rehearsals leading us to what we really work for – The Recital. And I vividly remember class on Wednesday, March 11, where I was still thinking we were all-systems-go for the first performance that Saturday. Watching the news that night after dance was over was the first of many crushing blows about what the end of our year was going to look like. First we lost the Retirement Homes. Then we lost the ability to come to class. Then we canceled Six Flags. Then I rescheduled Picture Day. Then I rescheduled the Recital. I kept tentatively planning return dates to class and we kept passing by them. Then of course came the ultimate worst cancelation – I found out we would be having no recital. I danced as a child, I was in countless shows and musicals throughout high school, I minored in theatre in college, this was my ninth year teaching dance – THERE WAS NEVER NO RECITAL.

Now that all these things have passed, I kind of look at the disappointment for me in 2 parts. The first is my personal disappointment. The 2020 recital dances were completed in summer 2019 as was the calendar of performances. If you haven’t heard me say it before I will say it now – my super strength is my ability to organize and plan and I fully enjoy doing it. So our recital is pieced together all throughout the year, starting with those dances and every time I do anything for it, I always think “I can’t wait for the dancers to see this at the recital!” because no matter how much I tell anyone about it (and believe me, I could talk forever about our recital :)), the only person who can picture all the pieces coming together beforehand is me until it happens. It is without a doubt, my favorite part of the year.

The second part though is perhaps more disappointing and that is that I know all of the things the dancers were looking forward to. This recital was a representation of many things: the first recital for some, the last recital for some. The first time the younger kids switched lines. The first time some kids got to use a prop. Someone’s first solo. The classes that showed they didn’t need the teacher to help them. All the soloists/duos who pushed themselves farther in extra rehearsals. The time and love poured into choreography by teachers other than me. And really, that’s just one facet of what changed. This isn’t even mentioning the complete loss of normalcy as we altogether struggled to find our footing doing class while not coming to class.

So now is the part where I acknowledge that we did get to do some cool things. We danced in a parade in October and we did a socially distanced picture day with a porch performance for a video. We donated money from special recital programs to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. We also got to end in a parade at 2 retirement homes that we visit regularly which was quick but exciting! The really wonderful news is that (as far as I know) our dancers and families have stayed safe from COVID-19 and that is far more important than any performance we will do.

The lack of end of the year performances has left me thirsty for more planning :). It’s a bit more unique this year because I can’t officially plan dates of performances until we move further into normal operations after the coronavirus but I know A LOT about what next year’s recital will look like. I will hold nothing back! And it’s still a few months away (which is good as schools/businesses/activities slowly return) but I am STOKED to start class.

Always keep dancing.

Each year we get to do several dance performances and since there are so many opportunities to check out we don’t always get to do the same thing twice. This year even though we weren’t doing a Christmas recital, I still really wanted to incorporate all the awesome Christmas songs I get to hear all month long into our dance classes. I put together a plan for our Christmas parties and was very much looking forward to it. And I had so much fun this week.

I always make sure each class is quizzed on dance steps that they’ve learned to win prizes so I kept that tradition going and added a different challenge for each class as well. The two Tiny classes learned a combination to “Up On the Housetop” and performed it for their parents at the end of their Christmas party. The Mini class all gave their input to Miss Jessie on what steps they liked best and created a fun dance to “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”  The Juniors and Seniors pulled their style of dance and song out of a hat and created jazz, tap and ballet dances to “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Last but not least, the Adult class took the combination of steps from their tap dance for the recital and set it to 6 different Christmas songs to see how it would change the speed and feel of what they are usually doing.

I hope that they had fun because that of course was the goal of the Christmas party class. I had a great time because I learned so much watching them. The littlest dancers love showing their moms and dads dances and they seemed to enjoy getting to sing along with some of the words. The creativity of the Mini class knew no bounds! They put in tap steps, jazz steps, ballet steps and steps that they made up. They attempted dance steps that they’d seen the older girls do and they didn’t hold back at all! The Juniors and Seniors not only showed me their creative sides with this challenge but also their abundant knowledge of steps they have learned over the years. Each girl in those classes was working hard to put in as many steps as they could think of to make their dance look perfect. Everybody jumped all in to my silly challenge and I think it definitely was my favorite Christmas party year yet. I say this all the time but I mean it, they make me so proud!

Now we rest, enjoy the holidays and come back ready for performance season.

Here we are once more with another dance year upon us.  So much excitement went in to planning for this day and now we are about to get started!

There are many changes that transpired for us this summer even though we were not in session.  For anyone that knows me, you know I welcomed my third child in July so the first change was that I did not host any summer classes.  This was a much needed break as I spent the entire months of July and August completely focused on my family whereas I’d normally be teaching.  I also made the hard choice of walking away from our Assumption program which had been part of our company for 2 years.  Again I attribute this to my growing family – as much as I enjoyed my classes at the school, it just seemed that once baby #3 arrived there wouldn’t be enough time to teach that day as well.  The good news is that all of my energy can now be focused on just our Towne Centre team – their year, their knowledge, their activities, their community performances – and that was the entire reason this company was built in the first place!

Prior to taking my time off I shaped what I wanted this dance year to look like.  Our recital took place on May 4 and starting May 5 I hit the ground running!  I never want to completely focus a recital on one theme simply because I want the freedom to put forth any idea that pops into my head but I do often select what I call “loose themes” which means each class has one song dedicated to a certain idea.  This year I chose Broadway musicals.  I LOVE Broadway musicals!  I went a step further with this theme as I also decided each class had to have a gimmick or something extra special to contribute.  Most of them will have special props or costume pieces they get to work with.  I have to say, selecting the songs and coming up with the choreography was so fun and I really can’t wait to get started because I already want to see the finished product!

In addition to my focus on dances for my core classes, I also enjoyed the planning of our community performances.  Community performance is my number 1 priority for these girls because we get to showcase our talent for many different people.  We spend SO much time bringing these dances to life, to me it would be so disappointing to not get to perform our hearts out!  Plus, I love the fact that these performances can change and can also do good for others.  This year I’ve selected 2 retirement homes to dance at as well as a local high school parade to march in.  Our big team building performance will be at a theme park which I am so excited about because they get the chance to dance for a broad audience plus they can play afterwards.

I’ve been excited for the creative aspect of teaching and the planning aspect of owning the company and now it’s time for the best part – seeing all the kids and watching them grow through what they are learning.  Some of the girls taking dance here I’ve known for years, some just one season and a few are brand new but all of them bring so much joy to this teacher.  They are truly the life of our company and the reason that we exist.

Here’s to the best year yet.

Michelle

I have spent a large amount of time this summer preparing for the start of our year. Picking the perfect recital songs, editing the music, listening to those songs on repeat so I can envision what dance steps we will use, choreographing dances, contacting venues about performing. I feel like I have so many ideas about what we are going to do, I’m going to explode with excitement!!

The final summer classes take place this week and I am looking forward to showing everyone to dances we started. I can’t wait for the regular year to start so we can hit the ground running on all the unique experiences ahead of us. I can’t wait to see my returning students. I can’t wait to get to know the new students. Once I get into each dance year I always think there is no way we are going to top all the great things we have going on and this year is no exception – I am ready to begin the best year yet!

Hello readers! I wanted to create a blog to talk about the joys of operating our dance company. We have many stories, memories and accomplishments that I want to document for members who wish to read about it.

Tonight, I wanted to get started by talking about why I am a dance teacher. It started in 2009. I had just graduated from college and moved home to start my new job while my fiancé (now husband) was located in another city finishing up his last year of grad school. In looking for something to do on the week nights, my mom and I started taking an adult tap class. I was not a stranger to dance as I’d taken classes throughout childhood and high school and occasionally with my roommate in college when we could find one that would fit in our class schedule. The class was full of other adults and some high school students who were teaching dance to little kids at the same location. Over the course of the year I got to know them, got to know the coordinator of the dance program, Tara, and by the end I had the idea that maybe I could be a teacher too. After all, dance had played an important role in my life. I had many fond memories of dance recitals, musical rehearsals and days of theme park performing and I was excited at the prospect of a new chapter of dance in my life.

And so started my career as a dance teacher. I started out with classes of sweet little girls as young as 2 years old and spent the year watching as they learned not only the basic foundations of ballet and tap but also how to listen to a teacher in a classroom setting. We learned together as they all were taking their first dance steps and I was taking my first steps as a leader. Their excitement on recital night was thrilling to watch but I am sure I was even more excited to watch them. After that, I was hooked. I spent a total of 5 years at that location, each year soaking up more knowledge about how to teach dance and how to nurture my creativity in choreographing the many dances I taught.

When I found out I was becoming a mom, I decided dance had to go on the back burner for a while. I needed to figure out my new role and so hard as it was, I gave up my position as a dance instructor. After I got into the groove of motherhood, I felt a void without dance. I missed the rehearsals where the kids would practice something new over and over until they got it. I missed the sparkle in their eyes on the day when costumes were handed out. I missed their smiling faces on recital night. I wanted to get back into it and after a lot of research, planning and conversations with former students and their parents, I was ready to begin again.

Here I am now, at the helm of a new dance company that I began and I am right where I belong. I feel such joy every week when the door opens and the dancers arrive ready to tackle the new challenges I have for them. I get just as excited as I did 7 years ago to watch the little girls learn their first steps and the big girls take on the complicated ones. And watching them bring their dances to life at their performances is like watching an old favorite movie that I could watch 100 times and never not be enthralled. I am privileged to be able to teach dance.