Active Schools Dance Festival
On 9th June, West Dunbartonshire held their annual dance festival at the Playdrome where local schools get to showcase their talents across a variety of dance styles. This is the first year i have been involved in the event and i was very lucky (or some may say crazy) to have 3 schools participating in the show, each with a different themed piece:
Aitkenbar Primary took part in an old skool hip-hop crew battle
St Peter's Primary paid tribute to Michael Jackson with a mix of his famous tracks
Haldane Youth Services performed a 7 min-long piece - showcasing dances and costumes from different Commonwealth countries.
It was a great event, and good to see the talent from different local schools and crews. It was some of the children's first time performing and despite being very nervous they done so well in front of an audience of about 150-200 people, and were well chuffed getting a medal at the end!
Hopefully we will get invited back next year again!
Haldane Youth Services - Commonwealth
Summer Camps
Just a quick update on our camps! We are now pretty much at full capacity for both weeks now (only 2 spaces left in first week!). Timetables are almost confirmed and letters will be going out to parents and carers over the next couple of weeks to tell you what to expect and what to bring along!
For those who attended at Easter Camp, you can expect more of the same plus MORE exciting activities including some music/singing as well as a very special guest teacher - Chris Maule from the Flying Jalapeños bboy crew (Glasgow) will be coming along to show some breakin moves on the Mondays at camp.
I can't wait til we get started!!
End of Year Mini Showcases
Just to give you a reminder note of the dates for our end of year showcases which will take place on the same evening as your child's usual class. I think it's really important that the kids get to perform in front of an audience and show off the skills they have learnt in the last 5-6 months (some of them less time!). It helps to build their self-confidence and make them feel like they have achieved something at the end of all the hard training. They have all come on so well and i'm sure you will agree when you see them busting some moves on the night!
Tuesdays Classes (both 5-7s and 8-11s) || Dumbarton Academy || Showtime 7:30pm
Wednesdays Class (5-11s) || Cutty Sark || Showtime 5:30pm
Thursdays Class (5-11s) || Dumbarton Academy || Showtime 7:30pm
Please arrive 10 mins prior to be seated.
Entrance is free & we will have donation tins for a local charity.
N.B. Children should arrive at 6pm as normal on all nights for a dress rehearsal!
Pioneers Workshops coming up
It's really important to learn from the source of a dance style, and one of the main problems with streetdance in the UK is people do not learn the basic techniques and in the end are passing on mis-informed knowledge. This would never happen in ballet and other traditional styles and becomes detrimental when people start teaching their students the wrong moves as the streetdance and hip-hop culture will eventually be so watered down, it will completely change and lose it's original essence! One of my aims is to preserve the original streetdance styles and this year i am fortunate enough to be taking part in workshops with some pioneer street dancers from the USA and other locations including:
Kumari Suraj (USA) - waacking, house & dancehall (Coming back to Glasgow on 21st June)
Archie Burnett (USA) - waacking, vogue and hustle (London, 7th June 2014)
Sugapop (USA) - popping and party grooves (coming to Manchester, 19th June)
As Archie said "We are always students"..and i think we should be modest enough to admit that we will continue to learn throughout our lives!
If you have any questions about these styles, or feel like coming along to any workshops then just let me know!! In any case i will be passing on the knowledge in my classes of course ;)
I think that's all for now!
Until next time (which will probably be July!)
Keep it funky and see you at class!
Nadz x
