Is it Really March Already?

How did we get here so soon?  It feels like the dance season just started and we are already looking ahead to our year-end recital in two short months!  It just goes to prove that ‘time flies when you’re having fun’!

The winter recital was a huge succes!  Our dancers are so amazing and they always make me so proud!

As it goes in the world of dance studio life, just when we finish work on one project, another one is always just around the corner!  We are now working very hard at finishing up choreography for our Spring Recital routines!  This year’s theme:  You Can’t Stop the Beat!  So fitting for those of us who are so passionate about dance.  Our hearts beat for dance as we dance to the beat of the music!  And the beat just keeps rolling on and on!

I am VERY excited about our upcoming dance competitions!  Our teams this year are amazing and I cannot wait to watch them shine!  I love the energy and excitement of dance competitions!   It’s so great to be surrounded by so many students, teachers, and directors who all share such a passion for dance!

As much as I LOVE the excitement that begins to build this time of year, I also start getting a bit melancholy, knowing that in a few short months our dance season will be over and the classes as we know them will dissolve.  The great news is that another season is ahead, and our students will return to re-unite with their friends and class mates, and new classes and new bonds of friendship will be formed!

My life is now on full speed ahead until June, when I will be able to stop and take a few breaths, and maybe even have time for a pedicure for my tired feet!  Every day, I think about how lucky I am and how incredibly fun this adventure has been!

Happy December!

I love this time of year!  I can’t believe it has been 3 months since we started our new dance season!  This has been the busiest season EVER at Illuzions!  Between teaching, choreographing, ordering costumes, and keeping the business end of things running smoothly, I have had very little time to do much else (including updating this blog)!  One would think, that with all that I have to do, and as insanely busy as I am, I would be exhausted!  But I love what I do so much, that it hardly feels like work!  My favorite part of all is being in the classroom with my students.  I love each of my students dearly, and feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to share my love of dance and life with them.   I am so lucky to have a job that keeps me excited, challenged, and fulfilled!

Next up, costume fittings, cleaning choreography, and our annual winter recital!  I can’t wait!

Happy Holidays!

Back to dance!

It is so great to be back to the studio after a long summer break! I have LOVED seeing all of our students again and am enjoying getting to know all of our new friends who have joined us this year!

It has been a bit of an adjustment for me this year since I have taken on a lot more classes than I normally do. After just two weeks, my body is reminding me that I’m not as young as I used to be! But my love for the art of dance and my love for sharing it with my students helps me push through the pains from the wear and tear on my body! I’m so lucky I have such a great assistant, Bailey, to help me out! I would be a wreck without her!

I am also super lucky to have found two new wonderful instructors this year, Bre and Nichol, who are AMAZING and so good at what they do! And of course, Jessica, who is so great with our little ones. I don’t know what I would do without such talented ladies to help keep Illuzions running so solid and strong.

And I can’t forget to mention our Zumba instructors, Amelia and Libby, who have also eased my load by taking charge of our Zumba classes! Where do they get all their energy? They seriously rock!

I LOVE what I do! I have a studio full of amazing and wonderful kids, parents who support them, and incredible teachers and assistants! This is the best job EVER! I am so excited for another fun and rewarding season of dance at Illuzions Dance Academy! It’s going to be an amazing year!

Another success!

 

 

 

 

In the weeks preceding the recital I am outwardly composed.  Inside, my brain doesn’t turn off.   Are the students prepared?  Do I have enough back stage help?  Have I planned enough time for costume changes? Is the music disc ready?  Are my lightning notes easy to understand?  Do the parents have all the information?  Are the programs ready to print?  Am I ready for the chaos of a dress rehearsal?  Have I thought of everything?

Worrying, stressing, heart palpitations waking me up in the middle of the night.  Aaaaahhhh!  I question whether or not I will actually make it through another recital.  But as always, what makes Illuzions Dance Academy’s recitals so successful is the amazing ability of our students, who get out on the stage, under the bright lights, with the support of our awesome audience and come alive with energy, excitement and talent!  Year after year, they never cease to amaze me!  My heart is so full of pride it feels like it might just burst out of my chest!

After the curtain closes, the backstage messes have been cleaned up, and the performers and audience have all left the building, I take a minute to stop, look out into the quiet and empty auditorium, take a much-needed deep breath, and remember how much I love what I do and how important this experience is in the lives of young people.  The craziness of running a dance studio, directing the program, teaching classes, choreographing routines, managing drama with students and parents, and still finding time for my family and myself sometimes feels so overwhelming that I wonder why I do this.  Recital night always helps me to remember why.  Seeing the joy and pride in my students’ faces after a night like this always confirms that yes, it is worth it and I am making a difference in the world by sharing the joy and magic of dance.

Winding Down

I can’t believe we are already nearing the end of another dance season!  This has been an incredible year!

Team lunch at Suzanne's house.

Congratulations to our Sr. Company Team for their top awards and high marks at all of our competitions this year!  These girls were amazing!  It has been such a fun year with these girls as they have excelled in technique, become better performers, and formed bonds of friendship that will last for years to come!  Thank you ladies, for your hard work, your commitment to your team, and your passion for dance!  You all did such a beautiful job!

Our annual year-end recital will be held Saturday, May 19th.  This year, we will be celebrating music from the silver screen.  We’re Goin’ Hollywood!  The students have been working so hard for the past few months to prepare for this final performance of the year.  I can hardly wait to watch them shine!

Our competition team auditions for the 2012/2013 season will be held May 21 and 22.  All dancers ages 6 and up are encouraged to try out for a spot on one of our teams.  Competition dance is seriously sooo much fun!

FALL REGISTRATION HAS BEGUN!  New and current students may register any time!  Check out the schedule on the website at http://www.illuzionsdance.com/Classes.html.

I am so fortunate to have such wonderful students, supportive dance parents, dedicated instructors, and amazing family and friends who help make it possible for me to do what I do.   I can’t think of any other job in the entire world that I would rather do!  Thank you to everyone who helps make this possible!  Illuzions Dance Academy is such a great place for our students to dance, due to all of the wonderful people who contribute to our success!

You Should Be Dancin’-Winter Recital 2012

Winter Recital 2012

This year’s winter recital was one of the best mid-year performances we have EVER had!  Our dancers are amazing!

As a dance instructor, I always feel so much personal fulfillment when I watch the students perform a routine that they have been working so hard on.  To see the progress they make as dancers in just a few short months always fills my heart with so much pride!

The comments from the students in the weeks preceding the show usually are something like,  “I’m so nervous.”  “I’m scared.”  “What if I forget the steps?”  “Will you tell us which side of the stage to start on?”  Etc, etc.  They are so nervous, but so excited at the same time.  When they step foot on the stage, under the bright lights, with the energy and support from the audience, those dancers SHINE like the stars!  I am always so proud of them, and the look on their faces after the performance tells me that they are pretty darn proud of themselves too!

I LOVE what I do!  I love sharing the joy and magic of dance with the wonderful students at Illuzions Dance Academy!

In The Spirit of Giving

Our Company Team recently organized a toy drive for the Road Home homeless shelter and the donations came pouring in!  Thank you to everyone who donated such generous gifts for families in need!

Our team members then gathered together at the home of one of our team moms to assemble hygiene kits for the shelter.  Thanks girls, for all your help!  And a huge thank you to Becki for organizing and overseeing this service project!

Time Flies!

I can’t believe it has been more than a month since we started our new dance season!  Time flies when you’re having fun and we are having SO MUCH FUN! 

All classes have begun working on performance routines for our winter recital to be held January 28th.  It seems like forever away, but it will be here before we know it! 

Costume measurements will be taken during class the first week of October.  We’re so lucky to have such an amazing seamstress to provide us with such top quality dance costumes at such an incredible price!  I can hardly wait to see the finished products! 

ZUMBA NEWS 

Come party yourself into shape with our rockin’ Zumba(r) queens, Amelia Stevens and Mindy Newsome every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:15 pm.  New Saturday classes will begin October 15th at 8:30 a.m.!!!  

You definitely will not  want to miss our black-light Zumba party  Thursday, October 27th at 8:15 pm!  Bring your friends and glow sticks and get ready to have a blast!

 All classes are $5 or you can purchase a  10 class pass for $40. 

A HUGE thank you to Amelia Stevens who has created our new Zumba blog!  http://loveitzumba.blogspot.com  We also have a new Zumba page on our website!  Go check out the new additions and then come party with us!     

http://www.illuzionsdance.com/Zumba-.html

No classes (including Zumba) will be held on Thursday and Friday, October 20 and 21 due to Fall Recess.  No classes on Halloween, Monday, October 31st. 

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Back To Dance!

A new dance season has begun!  The first week back is always so much fun; seeing our friends we haven’t seen all summer, meeting new friends, new classes, new teachers, and new schedules to keep.  Every year gets better and better and this is going to be Illuzions Dance Academy’s best year ever!  The teachers and I are so excited about our classes and looking forward to working with all of our amazing students.  We seriously love our jobs!   Let’s get ready to boogie!

 

 

Zumbatomic®

I love teaching dance to children and I love being a Zumba® instructor!  So when I had the opportunity to become licensed to teach Zumbatomic®, it was a no-brainer!  Zumbatomic® is a dance fitness program designed exclusively for kids ages 4-12!  We shake, wiggle, and giggle our way to fitness as we crank up the music and jam out with high-energy, kid-friendly routines!  Kids love this class and parents love the effect it has on their children, increasing focus, self- confidence, boosting metabolism, and enhancing coordination!  I am so excited to begin teaching these classes!  More info on schedule and pricing coming soon!  I’d love to present a Zumbatomic® class at your next school, church, or community event.  Give me a call!

I am also very excited to be offering adult Zumba® classes FOUR nights a week beginning August 29th!  Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays @ 7:00 pm, Tuesdays @ 8:15 pm.  Please join me and all my Zumba® party peeps for an hour of major calorie-burning, booty shakin’ fun!