Time flies when you're having fun! This is my 4th year teaching at CSOD and I couldn't be happier. I mean seriously, who doesn't love coming to CSOD every day!? The best staff, positive atmosphere and not to mention the most awesome students ever, it's a second home. A place filled with laughter, fun and energy! I've had the pleasure of working with the majority of students in the competitive program and am so pleased with the progress and hard work thats been presented on the dance floor since I've been here. With the competition season fast approaching, each week in class I always take note of how each student is developing technically and artistically. I'm constantly thinking to myself, what can I do to help these dancers bring out the best in themselves on that stage? Whether its having a chat as a group about teamwork, cleaning a routine or having a laugh or two about 'sad flowers' I strive to do what I can as a teacher to make each student feel good about themselves. Not only as dancers and performers, but also as individuals. I believe dance brings out the best in all of us which is unique because its something we all get the chance to share together as a dance family. The simplest things bring a smile to my face. That moment when someone is so excited to come to dance and show me that they almost have those middle splits down, or when after so many tries across the floor they finally get that turn without falling down. To me those are the accomplishments that make my job as a teacher feel so rewarding. Those dancers worked so hard to achieve those goals because they love to dance and they worked their butts off! As a teacher I was apart of that and encouraged them to never give up. I helped bring that joy to their lives and continue to do so with each dancer. Teaching at CSOD has been such an amazing experience for me. I'm always anxious to get into the studio week to week and see what other exciting elements are brewing on the dance floor! Students, parents and staff I want to THANK YOU for bringing me into your lives and allowing me to share my love of dance with all of you! Let's stick together as a team for this year's comp season and continue to support the gift of dance to the world.
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This is Lily and Darby from the Competitive team! Among the many styles of dance we take on a weekly basis, this year we are doing a Hip Hop Duet together. When doing a duet, you have to schedule extra practices with your choreographer to complete the routine and make sure it is clean and ready to perform. Hip Hop is a very active style of dance. Moves have to be clean, clear and crisp. Doing a duet in this form of dance is different then any other because you can’t interact with each other easily. With lyrical it's encouraged, jazz it’s a natural thing to do and contemporary it is needed to tell a story. But someway interaction between two dancers in a hiphop duet happens whether it’s by looking at each other, doing tricks or just two best friends having fun on stage. Hiphop is a very intricate form that includes tutting, breakdancing, popping, locking and whaacking. Every dance teacher has a different style of hiphop, because of this it is challenging to compete a duet in it because your competitor can have a totally different dance than you and therefore can have elements in theirs that are better than yours. You have to keep in mind though that there are elements in yours that are better than theirs to keep you encouraged. We love the thrill of competing!
- Lily and Darby 2014 CSOD is known for having a close, family-like environment. Many of our dancers have been close friends for most of their lives, sharing their passion and dedication with each other. Todays blog is written by three of our students: Emily, Kiera and Miranda. Here are their stories:
Hey, my name is Miranda and I have been at CSOD in the competitive program since I was eight years old. I have met so many new people, and everyone was kind and welcomed me, even though I was the ‘new kid’. Throughout the years we have grown and changed together, and have become closer. The studio has always been a second-home to me, and everyone here is a part of my family. At the end of a bad day the one thing that cheers me up is knowing I get to go to dance and see everyone. Even through many changes they have always been there for me! Hi my name is Emily and I have been dancing in the competitive program since I was five years old. I was always a very shy kid and when I was put in a group with a bunch of other children I didn’t know, I wouldn’t talk. These girls welcomed me despite my silence. I became comfortable with them, and now these girls are my best friends! Even the teachers and helpers are like family to me; helping me with not only my dancing, but giving me advice in life as well. I don’t know what I would do if my wonderful parents had never signed me up at this studio. Dance is my life and CSOD is my home! Hey everyone! My name is Kiera, I’ve been dancing at CSOD since I was 2 and a half years old. For the first couple years dancing here, I’m pretty sure I never spoke a single word to anyone. But that didn’t stop teachers, assistants and other students from interacting and talking to me. I joined competitive when I was 6, and I never expected to be apart of such a welcoming and loving family. Everyone here is so friendly and supportive. Being apart of the “dance family” is the best thing that has ever happened to me. If I’ve learned anything from being at CSOD it’s that there is always someone here to support you. You will always have a friend. It’s safe to say that the dancers I have grown up with know more about me than my real family, that’s how close we are. We share so many memories, jokes and stories it’s unreal. I couldn’t live without these people. Growing up at CSOD has been one of the best experiences for all of us. We all love how close we’ve all become. We will cherish the memories made here at CSOD forever! I came across this video today on the internet while searching for Dance Routine Props. It is not dance related, nor anything remotely close to what I was looking for, but I am glad I watched all 11 minutes of it. Depression among kids is at an all time high, and too many times have I heard about stories when it was already too late. Stories too close to home, happening right in our town. If you, or anyone you know is suffering, but afraid to speak up, I urge you to tell someone. I have set up an anonymous messaging gateway for you to send me a direct email. Sometimes having someone to talk to is just what you need. Please take a moment to watch this video, and send me a message anytime you need to. xo Tiffany Dance is in full swing at CSOD! I can't believe the number of dancers we have this year, it's so fantastic! This year will be the best one yet! We have a jam packed 6 day schedule and new teachers that are working the students hard. We even expanded, adding a sweet new Study Hall for students to do homework in :) all the more reason to call CSOD our second home! There's no turning back. Summer is almost over and dance season is about to begin. As nerve wracking as auditions can be, there was a sense of excitement in the air as students came into the studio ready to dance! whether you had one style to prepare for or 8, everyone seemed to be just as happy as I was to be back in the studio. Emails will be sent today for the dancers who made our Competitive Program, and before they know it, September will be here and CSOD will become a second home to many dancers, including myself :) We spent our weekend at the Ultimate Dance Connection In Hamilton Ontario, and what a great start to comp season it was!! Winning MANY overalls, special awards, and even scholarships! Isaac Kragten came home with a Platinum and 1st overall Junior Solo, a Platinum and 1st overall for Hip Hop Large group, and a 2nd overall for his Hip Hop small group. Isaac, 10, dances about 3 to 4 hours a week at the studio, and competes in 4 different Hip Hop routines. When asked what his thoughts were when winning 1st overall for his solo, his modest answer was "I was so surprised!" Isaac says he loves his song and thinks his routine is really cool. Isaac is also a Rep Hockey Player and plays tackle football and other sports in his spare time, and can be found playing outside on most days! Way to go Isaac! We are so proud of all our competitive dancers and cant wait for our next comp this weekend! I have the pleasure of teaching and inspiring dancers of all ages at the studio on a regular basis. Sometimes though, they let me in on some exciting news outside of dance: an award at school, a spot on the baseball team, a role in the play. I feel so proud of them, not only for achieving a new goal, but for even taking the time to let me know a little bit more about them personally. I'm so honoured to be a part of so many student's lives, and I take my job as a role model very seriously.
Last night, I was sorting out costumes in my office when Libby came in with a ziplock baggy, filled with $6.35. She walked right up to me and said "Here you go!" I took the bag and looked inside, thinking that she must have purchased a pair of slippers at the front desk maybe. "What's this for?" I asked her. "It's for you!" She said proudly. Confused, I then said "ok, but what is the money for?" And her answer brought tears to my eyes. "Aislyn and I set up a lemonade stand over the weekend and this is what we raised. We want you to have it!" Shocked and surprised I looked at her innocent little face and said "Libby, that is so kind and thoughtful of you, but I cannot take your money. You earned this money yourself and you deserve to keep it!" (When I was 7 years old I was overturning couch cushions for money! I thought I'd hit the jackpot if I ever had $6 in my hand at once!) She explained to me that her and Aislyn really just wanted to give the money to me, and I realized in her sincere little smile, that she was proud of herself. I was seeing something that I train my dancers to feel about themselves every night in class. So I decided to put the money in our fundraising pot, to one day reach the goal of getting iPads in each studio room. I gave her a big hug, and thanked her for her generous donation, and she skipped off back to class, as if she didn't even realize how much that meant. I wanted to share this story with everyone, so you could get a glimpse of what I get to see all the time. I get to watch as hundreds of young students grow not only into beautiful dancers, but kind, beautiful, thoughtful human beings, and I'm so proud to see those things under the roof of CSOD. Hello fellow dancers!! I’m Justine and I am a dancer at CSOD. I have been given the honor of writing the blog topic this week and the topic is my experience at a place called Binbrook Little Theatre. A couple of months ago, there was an announcement at the studio about a dance audition that was being held in Binbrook. It was calling for a small group of dancers to be part of the play production that was being put on called “Alice: The Panto.” I was confused at first at what the play was actually about but when I got there, it was clear that the play was the story of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” This got me really excited since it was a story that I was familiar with and who doesn’t love Alice and Wonderland!? A couple of days after the audition, I was contacted by the directors, Rita and Craig telling me that I had been asked to play a part as a dance team member. I was very overjoyed since I’ve never really done a play at this level before. Three other dancers from the studio, Maddie, Lily and Lindsay, and I made up the dance team for this production which made it even more enjoyable. My favourite part of the entire experience is that everyone was so nice and welcoming since the dancers didn’t start practicing with the actors/actresses until a month before opening night. When we went to the first practice, I felt a little nervous but I overreacted since everyone was to welcoming to the four of us. The closer it got to the opening show date, the more anxious I got. The dances that we preformed in the show were fun and exciting and that’s what I loved about them. You could put your own personality into it and show the audience that your having as much fun as they are. The shows flew by as quick as they came and before I knew it, it was the closing show. At the last curtain call for “Alice the Panto”, I thought about how I was going to miss the quirkiness of the White Rabbit, the kindness of Alice or the firing rage that came from the Queen (The actress that played the Queen was so nice in person and played the part so well ;) But even though this amazing experience is over and behind me, I still have the memories to carry with me in the future. It has helped strive to be a better dancer and to have a passion for what I love to do: dance. We were so happy to have Mike Rhodes back for another great Hip Hop workshop in January! What a fun, FAST and inspiring routine, thanks Mike!
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