December News lEtter

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