Dear Dancers and Families, 


Welcome to December - the final month of our Autumn Semester. I have a lot of exciting things to share with you and just a few business notes. I want to welcome Carissa Bellando and Millie Heckler to our faculty. Carissa just finished working with Junior Company, setting a fast-paced classic Jazz dance on them. She joins the full-time faculty as our new Tap teacher. Millie Heckler has been a Guest Teacher and Guest Choreographer at CD&FS for the past three years, setting pieces on Teen Jazz and subbing classes. In January, she will be teaching a Pilates Conditioning class and Fusion. You can read Carissa and Millie’s biographies on our faculty page. Our Monday schedule has had a bit of a shake-up to accommodate Millie’s Conditioning class. The Spring Week-At-A-Glance is attached.


Enrollment for our Spring semester begins on December 1st and is open through the end of January. All students currently enrolled in classes will automatically be enrolled in the Spring semester. January or full semester tuition fees (depending on your billing settings) will be posted on December 23rd and due January 1st. Please note that your monthly tuition will be different in the Spring semester. You can review our tuition fees HERE. If you do not plan to continue with a class, please notify us via email before December 23rd. 


Thank you to everyone who came to our Fall Works In Progress Showing. Seeing dancers sharing their work with friends and families is always rewarding. AnnaMaria DiPietropaolo, our social media manager, has uploaded the show to our YouTube page. Find it HERE. Please follow us to ensure you are notified of future updates. 


I will make it a new practice to share exciting local dance opportunities with you as they come to me. I have attached a poster highlighting a workshop that Hanna Satterlee is producing this January. Additionally, while we do not do a Holiday show, several studios close to us do. Please see and support local dance as much as you can. These shows are magical. 
Moving Light Dance presents the Green Mountain Nutcracker at the Barre Opera House. Ballet Wolcott presents The Grinch at Lamoille Union High School. 
Vermont Ballet Theater presents The Nutcracker at the Flynn. 


CALENDAR:


Our second Assistant Workshop is on Sunday, December 10th, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. If you/your dancer is an assistant and did not attend the November workshop, please plan to participate in this month’s workshop. We will be focusing on how to choreograph and teach effective class combinations. 


December 11th - 16th is our Observation Week. Observation Week is when families and friends are invited to observe all or part of a class. There is no set maximum number of people allowed to attend per student, but please be mindful of our spatial limitations. Some classes may invite guests to participate, so be prepared to move. In addition to watching your dancers in class, I want to invite our younger students to attend the more advanced classes as they can. It can be magical for those dancers to take a peek into the higher-level classes. Are you interested in trying a new style in the Spring? This week is also a great chance to observe a class you’re curious about or support a friend. 
Junior Company will have an open rehearsal led by Isadora Snapp on Wednesday from 5:00-7:00 pm. Students interested in participating in the company in future years are encouraged to attend some or all of the rehearsal. Teen Jazz will have an Open Rehearsal led by Allison Mann on Friday from 5:15-7:30 pm. Both Companies will be in the process of learning new choreography as well as running their existing pieces. Watching a new piece take shape is a creative and often joyful process to be a part of. New this year - Teen Jazz will have a week-long bake sale to be enjoyed in the Lobby before or after classes. 


On Sunday, December 17th, Tracy Martin will teach a free NIA class from 3:00-4:00 pm. NIA (Neuromuscular - Integrative -Action) is an aerobic, posture-aligning, and uplifting mind-body technique! Using breath and imagery ~ come prepared to get a work-OUT! This class wraps up our Autumn offerings for the Sunday Series. I have linked a short survey HERE to help us design our Spring Sunday Series Offerings. Please take a moment to fill it out. We want to offer classes that you are excited to take. 


Our Winter Break is from December 19th through January 1st. Classes resume on Tuesday, January 2nd. We DO have class on Monday, December 18th, and make-up classes are often held on December 19th and 20th. We schedule a make-class when the Studio has had to cancel a class due to weather or teacher availability. In such an event, individual classes will be emailed with information about when a make-up class will happen. 


Thank you for sharing your creativity and energy with all of us at Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio. The Fall semester has been full of growth so far, and I'm excited to see the community come together in the last few weeks of the semester. 


Best, 
Isadora Snapp, Director​


December 10th. Assistant Workshop, 4:00-5:00 pm in Studio B. 
December 11th - 16th. Observation Week and Teen Jazz Bake-Sale
December 17th, Sunday Series, 3:00-4:00 pm in Studio B. NIA with Tracy. 
December 18th, Last Day of Classes
December 19th and 20th, Make-Up Classes 
January 2nd, Classes Resume

Dear Dancers and Families, 


Welcome to November! The chill in the air has surprised me, but our Studio spaces are toasty warm. October is our first long month of the year and marks the halfway point of our Autumn Semester. With the start of November, our Fall/Halloween festivities have concluded. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm during Spirit Week. It’s so fun to see students come to class in funky outfits and enjoy the bake sale. When we have our next bake sale, please remind your students that it is a fundraiser for Teen Jazz, and all treats must be paid for.


We had a lively crew at our Pumpkin Carving and Sock Hop event. If you didn’t get a chance to come, click HERE to view some pictures. If you did go and take some photos you would like to share with the community, please email them to me, and I will add them to the website. We would love to see all the fabulous costumes. 


A Business Note: 
November tuition is now due. Beginning November 1st, Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio is implementing a late fee policy. Accounts will be considered delinquent after seven days. A $15 late fee will be added to all payments after the 10th of the month. A $25 late fee will be added to all payments received after the 20th. You can view our updated policy HERE. As always, communication is key, and we work with families on payment plans as much as we can. 




We have three events to share for November. The first is an Assistant Workshop. This will be held in Studio A on Sunday, November 5th, from 4:00-5:00 pm. If your dancer is an assistant, please check that they have either signed up for the November Workshop or will be attending the December Workshop. Participation is mandatory to continue their assistantship and supports the work that assistants do in the classroom with our youngest dancers. 


Works-In-Progress Showing: Saturday, November 11th. The Fall Works-In-Progress showing is an annual event hosted by Teen Jazz. Classes will come together in Studio B to share dances and movement phrases they have been working on in class. In addition to Teen Jazz, Junior Company, HipHop, Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, and Ballet classes will be performing. This year, we will have two showings to accommodate our spatial needs. The first showing is at 6:30 pm, with doors opening at 6:15 pm, and the second showing is at 7:30 pm. Reservations are required. You can reserve your seats by calling, emailing, or making an online registration through JackRabbit. You can access our event calendar HERE or in your JackRabbit account under Events. 
Suggested donation: $15 for adults, $10 for kids. Cash preferred. Checks accepted.


Sunday Series: Our Sunday Series of FREE classes continues with Conditioning on Sunday, November 12th from 10:00 am - 11:00 am. Taught by Allison Mann, this class includes squats and lunges with weights, floor work for your abs, thighs, and butts, and deep yogic stretches. All set to a playlist of inspiring music. Pre-registration is encouraged but optional. This class is open to existing students and the public, so bring a friend! 


Thanksgiving Break: The Studio will be closed November 20th-25th for Thanksgiving Break. Make-up classes may be scheduled on November 20th and 21st. Individual classes will be emailed with details about any planned make-up classes.




See you in the Studio, 
Isadora Snapp and the CD&FS Faulty

Dear Dancers and Families, 


What a beautiful first day of October. I hope that you all had a chance to partake in the sunshine. 


We have enjoyed a busy beginning of the year, and dancers are starting to settle into their classes and routines. I want to take this chance to congratulate our 2023-2024 Teen Jazz Company Members formally. At the start of every season, interested dancers in grades 9 - 12 audition for a place in the Company. These dancers are an integral part of our community, and you may recognize many of them as assistants and teachers for our younger classes. Check out their smiling faces here, captured by Isabel Senter: https://teenjazzcompany.weebly.com/who-we-are.html.


Class change: Starting October 9th, Erin Sullivan will take over Fusion - on Mondays, 7:15 - 8:45 pm. Some of you may remember Erin from when she taught a Street Jazz class at the Studio a few years ago. She graduated from the University of Vermont this past Spring and has been gracing us with her Front Desk skills on Mondays and Tuesdays and subbing for Hip Hop classes. She will continue in Rose’s footsteps of exploring the connections between Modern, Jazz, and Hip Hop while bringing her own style. 
 


A few business matters: 

• Dancers should store bags and valuables in the white cubbies for Studio A and the black shelving rack for Studio B. Do not leave valuables on the white benches. 

• ORCA Media is our downstairs neighbor, across from Studio B. Dancers waiting for class should wait on the other side of the double doors to minimize sound disturbance. 

• We have received feedback that it is very dark outside the front door for later pick-up times. Adults are welcome to enter the first floor of the building to pick up their dancers, and we are exploring options for bringing more light to the front entrance. 

• October Tuition is now due. If you selected self-pay and still need to do so, please pay through the portal or email [email protected] to communicate your payment plan. 

What’s happening this month: 


Spirit Week: October 16th - 21st: Celebrate the shifting of the seasons with us as we bring some levity into the Studio. Teen Jazz will have a bake sale in the upstairs Staff Room Monday through Saturday: cookies, muffins, snack bags, popcorn, and more for enjoying before or after class. Don’t forget your money! Treats are between $1 and $3.


Monday: Monotone Magic. Wear your favorite color and only your favorite color.
Tuesday: Twinning. Find a friend to wear matching outfits with. 
Wednesday: Decades Day. Dress like it’s the 50s! Or 70s! Any decade goes. 
Thursday: Wacky Day. Wear your wackiest, most colorful, pattern-full outfit. 
Friday: Pajama Day. Dress in your coziest pajamas.
Saturday: Fairytale Friends. Dress like your favorite fairy tale character.


Spirit Week Costume Contest: 2 lucky dancers will win $10 gift cards redeemable to any Teen Jazz bake sale this season. Gift cards will be awarded at the Sock Hop. 
All costumes must be dance class friendly. 


Family Pumpkin Carving and Sock Hop: Saturday, October 21st. 5:00-7:00 pm 
Suggested Donation: $15 per family for the evening. 
Kids 10 and under should be accompanied by an adult for the pumpkin carving. 
The first 12 pumpkin cravers get a free pumpkin! 

• Halloween Themed Bakesale
• Photo Booth
• Costume Contest with Prizes
• DANCE PARTY

Halloween: Tuesday, October 31st
Junior Modern 1-2, Jr Modern 3-4, and Modern 3-4 are cancelled. 
Make-up date: November 21st. Classes will be held at their usual times. 
ALL OTHER CLASSES ARE HAPPENING. 
Dancers are welcome to wear movement-appropriate costumes to class. 




Thank you so much for being a part of this vibrant community. 


Best,
Isadora Snapp and the CD&FS Faculty