Contra Costa School of Performing Arts Department of Dance August 25, 2019 |
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Welcome to the 2019/20 academic year. We hope you had a restful summer break. The faculty has been busy over the last few months teaching, performing, training, and exploring, and we are thrilled to be back in the studio working with our new and returning dance majors. For new dance families, you can expect to receive a department newsletter every few months when there are important announcements and events to share. Please also refer to our department website with questions about our program, calendar, and policies, or reach out via email any time (katherine.orloff@cocospa.org) |
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Performance Season Please take a moment to review these important dates for the 2019/20 academic year. Our goal is to provide performance dates early enough so that families can plan and prepare. As important dates approach, reminders and additional information will be provided via email or our department newsletter. |
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Dress Code We've received several emails with questions about dress code and where to purchase dance attire. We reviewed dress code with students on the first day of school, but you can also find it on our website under Department Overview and Policies. Additionally, each faculty member may stipulate specific attire for certain classes (ie: leotard and tights for ballet classes or clothing items that help facilitate modern or partnering classes). Instructors will address this in their classes, but students should speak with faculty if they are unsure. To help students plan, prepare, and store items for their dance classes, all high school and 8th grade female dance majors have been assigned lockers in our ladies dressing room. We are working on locker options for our 6th and 7th graders, as well as our male students. |
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We are so pleased to welcome back Ali McKeon to SPA. Ali will be teaching a Contemporary and Choreographic Methods class to our high school dance majors this year. Ali is the Artistic Director of the Ali McKeon Dance Project and is currently producing her fourth annual CRAFT Dance Series, two evenings of dance with choreography by Ali, Robert Moses, and Hallie Hunt. Performances are 9/13 and 9/14 at Zohar Dance Company. Ticket info here. |
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Bianca Cabrera spent her summer teaching for Flyaway Productions and Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. She also presented a work at the Sweet Pea Festival with her company Blind Tiger Society in Bozeman, Montana. We are thrilled to have Bianca back this year and look forward to the amazing work she'll do with our dance majors. |
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Ms. Orloff was happy to return to classes this summer with master teacher, mentor, and friend Sandra Chinn. She also traveled to Lorane, Oregon where she completed the Skeletal System course with the School for Body-Mind Centering. She plans to return next summer to complete the Fluids System course. |
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Community Events The Ballet School and Performing Arts in Walnut Creek is holding a free Speaker Series this Wednesday, 8/28, with psychologist Gabriele Goodman, PhD. Ms. Goodman will be speaking on dancer health, performance psychology, and self-regulation techniques within the high-pressure world of the arts. Free and open to the public. Please RSVP. |
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Pilates Donation Thank you to two very generous friends of SPA for donating their hardly used Pilates reformer. Healthy alignment, somatic work, and conditioning are priorities for our department, and we are excited to make this reformer available to our students. |
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We Are On Instagram! Follow SPA's Dance Department @cocospadance. |
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