Camarillo Academy of Performing Arts

YDA Reminders – April 25th

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:33:10 +0000

Just a few reminders for upcoming dates:

May 6—Choreo/ Essay Projects Due AND 2012 YDA Pictures

May 25-28—Showstopper Dance Championship

June 2—YDA Auditions 2012-2013

For May 6, I am in the process of making the schedule right now so this is a good time to put in any requests! Also, if your dancer has choreographed with another dancer or two, please let me know so I may schedule accordingly. The plan right now is to shoot pictures from 10AM-2PM, then immediately begin choreo projects. For more details regarding choreography and essay projects, please see your YDA handbook.

Showstopper schedules should be available by May 18 at the latest. I will email the schedule as soon as it is sent.

YDA Auditions for 2012-2013 will be in the mid to late afternoon, beginning with 11 and under and followed by 12 and up.

Thank you!

Lauren

March Awards!

admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 01:04:57 +0000

Congratulations to all our YDA dancers who competed in Dance Masters of Southern California’s Performing Arts Competition on Sunday, March 4th. Here are the accolades and awards received:

Steam Heat—Platinum Award, Judge’s Choice, 2^nd Highest Overall Junior Group

Ain’t That A Kick in the Head—Gold Award

Oh So Quiet—Gold Award

Baby I’m A Star—Gold Award

Draumaland—Gold Award

Le Festin—Platinum Award, Top Contemporary, Judge’s Choice, Highest Overall Junior Duo/Trio

Blackbird—Gold Award

Charade—Gold Award

I Love Paris—Platinum Award, 4^th Highest Overall Solo, Top Tap

Circus Circus—Gold Award, 2^nd Highest Overall Junior Small Line

Catch Me If You Can—Platinum Award, Top Modern, Best Choreography—Junior Division, Highest Overall Junior Solo

Ain True Love—Gold Award

Battle Hymn—Platinum Award, 3^rd Highest Overall Sr Group

Building Trust—Platinum Award, Judge’s Choice, Top Open

Les Missarobbers—Platinum Award, 2^nd Highest Overall Sr Group

I Already Know—Platinum Award, Top Hip Hop

Woman Smarter—Platinum Award, 9^th Highest Overall Sr Solo

Over the Rainbow—Gold Award

The Janitor’s Boy—Platinum Award, Top Musical Theater, 5^th Highest Overall Sr Solo

Dames at Sea—Gold Award

American in Paris—Platinum Award, Top Tap, 2^nd Overall Highest Sr Duo/Trio

Le Choix—Platinum Award, Top Modern, 2^nd Overall Highest Sr Solo

My Little Red Hat—Platinum Award, 8^th Highest Overall Sr Solo

Mourning A Loss—Platinum Award

Ophelia—Platinum Award, Highest Overall Sr Solo

Breakwater—Gold Award

Metamorphosis—Gold Award

Now I See—Gold Award, Top Lyrical

Lucky One—Gold Award

No Escape—Platinum Award

Fame—Platinum Award, Top Jazz, 2^nd Overall Highest Sr Small Line

Show Off—Platinum Award

Of A Corporeal Nature—Platinum Award, Highest Overall Sr Duo/Trio

Hand Covers Bruise—Platinum Award, 7^th Highest Overall Sr Solo

The Feeling of Love—Platinum Award

Etiquette—Gold Award

The Sun Will Set—Gold Award

Lola—Platinum Award

Age 5—Platinum Award, Judge’s Choice, Highest Overall Sr Group, Best Choreography—Senior Division, Highest Overall Score of Senior Division

With or Without You—Platinum Award, Highest Overall Sr Small Line, Judge’s Choice

Momentary—Platinum, 3^rd Highest Overall Sr Solo

Congratulations to our Titleholders:

Jr Miss Dance of Southern California 2012—Kendyl Yokoyama

Teen Miss Dance of Southern California 2012—Kelly Klein

Miss Dance of Southern California 2012—Madison Lockwood

Congratulations to our DMSC Scholarship Winners:

Madeline Sheller

Katie Guglielmo

Mariah Vasquez

Whitney Grubb

Rebecca Carter

An additional congratulations to our dancers who were awarded merit scholarships to other National summer programs:

Donell Crone—partial scholarship to Joffrey LA Summer Intensive

Emily Ireland—full scholarship to School of American Ballet’s NYC Summer Intensive

Bravo to all our fantastic YDA dancers—we couldn’t be prouder!

Solo/Duo/Trio Rehearsal

admin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:23:23 +0000

February 24, 2012 6:30-9PM

To calculate what time you will be rehearsing, we have allowed approximately 5 minutes per number. Please be ready to go at least fifteen minutes early, as we will need to run right on time in order to accommodate everyone. Dress rehearsal should conclude between 8:45 and 9PM. Stage make-up is NOT needed unless it is part of your costume. Please have hair in the style you will wear it to perform. Please also wear the correct shoes, tights, headpieces, accessories, etc. Looking forward to another successful dress rehearsal! Thank you!

1) Oh So Quiet– Alyssa

2) Le Festin—Mackenzie, Madison, Arianna

3) I Love Paris- Olivia

4) I Already Know—Rishi and Kendyl

5) Building Trust- Delaney and Emily

6) Ain’t That A Kick in the Head- Madison

7) Catch Me If You Can- Olivia

8) Woman Smarter- Claire

9) Over the Rainbow- Whitney

10) Maggie’s Solo- Katarina

11) The Janitor’s Boy- Emily

12) Lola- Rashelle

13) Why- Kelly

14) American in Paris- Claire, Kendyl, Katarina

15) Le Choix- Emily

16) My Little Red Hat- Taylor

17) Metamorphosis- Mariah

18) Bring Him Home to Me- Kendyl

19) Now I See- Aless

20) Ophelia- Emily

21) Of A Corporeal Nature- Becca, Kelly

22) Hand Covers Bruise- Donell

23) The Feeling of Love- Cydney

24) The Sun Will Set- Dom

25) Momentary- Delaney

26) Body Sounds- Madison

27) Left Hand Song- Kendyl

Dress Rehearsal Update (2/14/12)

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:52:15 +0000

There will be a few adjustments to the schedule this weekend to accommodate dress rehearsal. All rehearsals will be as normally scheduled with the following exceptions:
Justine—No Escape- 9:45-10:45A, Show-Off- 2-2:30
Jason—Ain True Love—1-1:30P, Draumaland—1:30-2P
Ashley—Age 5—2-2:30, With Or Without You—2:30-3

Dress Rehearsal will begin promptly at 2:00PM—all dancers who are rehearsing later will be scheduled accordingly, and given 15-20 minutes to dress and touch-up hair and make-up. Please remember that full stage hair and make-up, along with all correct shoes, tights, and headpieces are required. Order for dress rehearsal will be posted and emailed on Friday.

Pajama Party
If you have not signed up to bring something or assist at the pajama party, please do so as soon as possible. All dancers need to bring the following to the pajama party:
1) Gift for gift exchange—gifts should be age-appropriate, and approximately $10 in value.
2) Dance Bags—please bring your dance bags if you are going home in between rehearsal and the pajama party—this is for a game that will be played at the party.

Looking forward to a fun and exciting weekend!

YDA Dress Rehearsal and Pajama Party

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:05:34 +0000

Just a reminder, our YDA dress rehearsal is Saturday, February 18 from 2-6PM. I will be sending and posting a schedule a few days prior, but please keep this entire afternoon free, especially those of you with multiple dances! Costumes are currently in final fitting stages, and have begun to be distributed. Look for them to come home over the next two weeks. Please make sure you have all undergarments, shoes, correct tights, hair and full stage make-up. This is VERY important to ensure that each and every dancer will be uniform in appearance at our first performance. Remember, this is GROUP dress rehearsal—Solos, Duos and Trios will have dress rehearsal on Friday, February 24 from 7-9PM.

Also, our annual YDA Pajama Party will be the same day, Saturday, February 18 from 7-10PM. Bring PJ’s, sleeping bags, games to share, and your best Limbo skills! I am also posting a sign-up sheet for various items we need such as water, juice, snacks, paper plates, parent help, etc. Please stop by and sign up to bring something. Pizza dinner will be provided.

Finally, I am offering a pre-competition Question and Answer session, along with a make-up demonstration on Friday, February 17 at 6:30PM. If you are interested in attending this, please RSVP via email. This is strictly optional—it will only be held if there are parents interested, so please let me know if you’d like to attend this!

One last reminder—DMSC convention fees are due the Saturday of dress rehearsal. Parent Volunteer scholarship recipients will be contacted today.

Thank you!
Lauren

Dance Masters: March 3-4

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:05:50 +0000

Here’s some information about our first upcoming competition, Dance Masters of Southern California. This is a special weekend, as it consists of two separate events. On Saturday, March 3, there will be a full day of master classes with some absolutely amazing teachers, including Aleksandra Wojda (seen on Glee, Lady Gaga videos, and Top 20 So You Think You Can Dance), Natalie Cook (New York City Ballet ballerina), and Melinda Sullivan (So You Think You Can Dance, High School Musical 1 and 2). CAPA is proud to host this event for all the Dance Masters of Southern California participants! On Sunday, the Dance Masters Performing Arts Competition and Titles Competitions will be held at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center—maps will be available at dress rehearsal on Feb. 18.

All competition fees have been paid; however, the tuition for the convention is $100/ student. There will be 5 classes offered, so this is a great rate for an event like this. The conventionis mandatory for all students competing on Sunday. There are several scholarship opportunities: first, if your dancer was awarded a scholarship at the last DMSC convention (2009), these will still be recognized this year. Also, merit-based scholarships will be given throughout the day for next year’s convention. Finally, there are a limited number of parent-volunteer scholarships available—these are given to parents who are willing to work (either Saturday or Sunday) to help with errands, t-shirt sales, refreshment sales, backstage assistance, etc. If you are interested in this, please let me know ASAP. They will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis. Master class tuition is due on Saturday, February 18.

This should be a great event—We are looking forward to seeing all our dancers’ hard work pay off! Please make sure your dancers are practicing at home and attending every rehearsal— also, remember that there are to be absolutely ZERO planned absences for the last month before competition. All absences due to illness during this final month must be accompanied by a doctor’s note. Our dancers need 100% support from all their teammates to have the best experience possible.

Justine’s Rehearsals

admin — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:21:47 +0000

Hi everyone,
Here is an update on Justine’s rehearsal schedule for next weekend, November 12th and 13th.

“Sincerely, Jane” (Briar, Melanie, Whitney, Catherine, Emily)
Extended rehearsal on Saturday, November 12th from 10 – 11:15 am.
NO rehearsal Sunday, the 13th.

“B-Line” (Kelly, Kelsey, Becca, Madison W., Cydney, Madison L., Dom, Delaney)
NO rehearsal Saturday, November 12th.
Extended rehearsal on Sunday, November 13th from 12 – 4 pm.

Thank you for being flexible with these changes! If you are ever unsure about rehearsal times for your dances please remember I am updating the YDA calendar on the CAPA website all the time or feel free to call the studio or email me. Thanks!
-Rebecca

YDA Updates for the New Year

admin — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:54:50 +0000

FAME Rehearsals:

Sunday, Sept. 18—10AM-12PM

Ashley’s Rehearsals:

Group of 6—3-4PM

Large Lyrical—2-3PM

Solos/duos—See Ashley

Justine’s rehearsals:

Small Senior Group and Large Senior Group will be reversed (this change is permanent):

Small (Whitney, Melanie, Catherine, Emily, Briar) 10:40-11:15AM

Large (Madison, Delaney, Kelsey, etc.) 10-10:40AM

Maggie’s rehearsals:

No extra rehearsals right now—the kids are running in class, but we’ll have an official schedule next week!

Lauren’s rehearsals:

Crystal’s small modern—I’m waiting on Crystal’s schedule—please be going over choreo on your own until we meet!

Jason’s rehearsals:

Unfortunately, we do not have the necessary numbers for the musical theater production. This one is going to be postponed until next year.

If your rehearsal was not specifically mentioned in the above, it will be as scheduled in the YDA handbook.

As many of you know, Rebecca Feinsinger is our Assistant Director for YDA this year. If you have any questions about rehearsal schedules or if your dancer is going to be absent, please email her with this information at rfeinsinger@gmail.com. You are welcome to email me as well! She will be sending out scheduling updates periodically.

Welcome Back!—Director’s Tips For a Happy and Successful Year

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 21:46:25 +0000

As sorry as we always are to the summer go away, there’s nothing as exciting as the fresh start at the beginning of the school year. We are filled with new ideas, new schedules, and new goals—and we have the whole year to make those goals a reality. Here are a few tips to make this year the most successful yet, whether you are a child, a teen or an adult, a dancer or a dancer’s mom or dad, a beginning student or a pre-professional:

1) Start with a clean slate. You may be meeting a teacher or classmates for the very first time, or you may be returning for your 10^th year together, but we all deserve a fresh start! Show your teachers the dancer you want to be this year, not the dancer they remember from last year. If you have a specific goal you wish to accomplish, tell them what it is and ask for advice—your teachers are there to help!

2) Set a goal. All students, young and old, perform better when they have something to strive for. CAPA’s youngest students are always looking forward to the prize they receive when they have ten stickers on their sticker cards. Their sticker cards are teaching them how to set goals, and how good it feels when they achieve those goals. Five years later, a dancer may be working to perfect their triple pirouette, and ten years after that, they could be striving to get into a particular college. Learn to set goals constantly—what you wish to accomplish this week, this month, this year, and on into your future. Rejoice when you accomplish your goal, and stay determined if it doesn’t happen as quickly as you wish.

3) Remember the joy dance brings you. Sometimes when school or work gets busy or you’re just having a bad day, staying home and resting sounds so nice. Try to remember why you were so excited to go back to dance this week. Focus on your very favorite part of your classes, including the pride you feel at the end of a great class. There will always be a million reasons to stay home or to take a break, but there is only one way to accomplish those goals you set for yourself—dedication, perseverance, and plain hard work! When July rolls around, you will remember the accomplishments and good times, so try to stay excited for those throughout the year!

Welcome to all our new students here at CAPA and welcome back to all our returning students—we are so very happy to have each and every one of your families here with us!

Why Dance is Important

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:09:40 +0000

Dance is more than the exploring of different ways to make a shape or learning a series of steps to music; it is a way of moving that uses the body as an instrument of expression and communication. Through dance, students learn teamwork, focus, and improvisational skills. Dance awakens new perceptions in children which help them learn and think in new ways.

Children need to express and communicate their ideas and to be given the opportunity to make creative decisions, even at a young age. This decision making promotes self-esteem and independent thinking for children. Learning the movement of others helps expand the child’s movement vocabulary while creating one’s own movement will put the child in a teaching role and give her the chance for her voice to be heard. Giving the students the freedom of making choices within a structure encourages them to reach beyond what comes easy to them and use their imagination, thus allowing them to test their own personal boundaries.

Dance also enables students to better understand themselves and the world in which they live. Through the arts, teachers can often teach children to recognize the contribution of all cultures to the fabric of our society and increase the understanding of diversity and values of all people. Dance lends itself well to this task through learning traditional dances and creating new ones based on children’s ideas. Dance also enhances skills of perception, observation, and concentration which will undoubtedly help students in all of their school subjects.