End of the Year

This week marked the last day of dance classes at my studio.  Even though our show was on father's day weekend, we still had a week of classes following the show.  I always let my kids have fun, talk about what their favourite part of the show was, and they get to make up dances on their own.  I love to see their creativity...or lack thereof....

Here are some pictures of my students from the last week of classes

My students are truly crazy.  They came up with this "cheer"/"chant"....I'm not sure if I should be flattered or embarrassed!   Then I have to remember that I am their teacher and I may or may not encourage this type of crazy behaviour!

These are my two intermediate jazz dancers.  This is my second year teaching them and they are so sweet, not to mention growing into two strong little dancers!  They got me this super cute, rhinestone, owl iPhone cover for an end of year gift. Bling bling!

This is one of my teen lyrical classes.  I've taught some of these girls for a couple years, but I'm loosing them to another teacher next year :(  So we celebrated at Menchies.  Twist my rubber arm!

And this is Nat.  I, along with the other competitive teachers, selected her as our studio's most improved dancer!  We selected her in early May but we weren't going to give out the awards until our year end show on June 15th!  It was the hardest secret to keep!

Look at that smile!!!! She is just beaming and I am SO proud of her and can't wait to see her continue to grow and improve!

I love my students, but I am happy I have a solid 2 weeks off until I'm back in the studio for our summer intensive!  I've been busy already with my time off, so stay tuned!

I Survived the First Dance Competition

The first dance competition of the season always make me nervous.  But once my first students dance, I'm much more calm after that.  Dance is hard because many people view it as an art form and therefore it shouldn't be subject to scoring or judging.  So I always know the judging is going to be subjective and I try to keep that in mind...and remind my students of that too.  I'm very proud of my students (obvi) and now I'm going to show off.

Evacuate the Dance Floor - Intermediate Jazz Solo

High Silver

Spanish Rose -  Intermediate Stage Solo

High Gold and 4th Place Overall High Score

Gee I Wish I Was Back in the Army - Stage Group

High Gold

The Fame - Intermediate Jazz Duo

High Silver

Revenge of the Geisha - Jr Competitive Jazz

High Gold

I've got another competition next week-it's longer than this one (read: More spaced out meaning I have to be there more often. Boo)  But at least this next competition is well run and organized, they treat the teachers great, even with a teachers room with free water, coffee and food!  I'm looking forward to it.

WICKED!

I've sang the songs, I've read the books (all three) and now I've seen the musical.  Yes get ready for me to TOTALLY nerd out, Musical Theatre Style (I think that makes it worse!) 

Me at the Theatre!

Last week I finally got to see the musical adaptation of WICKED-The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz.  If you've been living under a rock for the last 10 years, it's the story of the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) ,Wicked Witch of the East (Nessarose) and Glinda the Good Witch (Formerly Galinda, "with a Gaaaaa"-yeah that's only funny if you've seen the show.)




Everyone loves the books and everyone loves the musical, so I wanted to love it all too. I got the first two books "Wicked" and "Son of A Witch" for Christmas 2 years ago and dug in.  Problem was I wasn't hooked.  I've considered it for some time and I am going to give the books another chance and re-read them in the future, but I am just not convinced of the story.  I bought the third instalment "A Lion Among Men" in hopes of finally discovering the missing piece of the puzzle.....no luck.  Nothing in the writing pulls me in, makes me sympathize with Elphaba, makes me sympathize with anyone for that matter.  Sometimes it feels that Gregory McGuire (author) tries so hard to put everything in, that he misses out on telling us the readers the very important details that he has crammed up there in his noggin but forgot to tell us.

Anywho, the musical is very good.  It's great because it stands alone.  You really don't have to have read the books to see the musical-which is exactly what Ty did.  I did think the musical did a wonderful job in *SPOILER ALERT* showing us how the Wizard and Madame Morrible, with help from Glinda, were really the bad guys, the pupetteers as it were.  The dancing was lovely, and not really glitzy-I liked that!  And the sets were FABULOUS!  I only saw a touring company so I'm sure the permanent sets are to die for.  Yes,  the sets were my favourite thing of the night. 

The singing was also good.  At first I felt that both Glinda and Elphaba didn't have the power that they needed for their roles (Glinda was quite nasally)-it's hard to live up to characters created by 2 of contemporary Broadways finest singers Kristin Chenowith and Idina Menzel-but I was pleasently surprised with Elphaba who did a very good job in Defying Gravity.

To top it off I did cry during the show, which usually means it was good and that it got to me.  And it was good, and I really did enjoy it.  I also bought a commemorative program, which I always do when I go to a big show, and a t-shirt (pictured on right) which set me back $50 .  I wore my new tee to my year end show and all my students loved it.  That in itself made it SO worth it.  I just checked out the Wicked online store and they have umbrellas for $20....I might have to buy that!

Dance Power Results!

Whew! That was a long weekend!  Life feels a little more simpler-thankfully, and I can get ready for our next competition....which starts on Wednesday!   No rest for the wicked I suppose?

Anywho I wanted to share some of my awesome little dancers and how GREAT they did this weekend.  I wish I would have got more pictures in costumes, but by the time I got down to the dressing rooms I was too late. 

I made their hats! Aren't they cute!

This next dancer is VERY special to me!  This is her first solo-EVER!  She gave me a list of songs that she liked and I chose one that I really liked; Coldplay's Fix You.  We talked about what the song meant to her and how she was going to portray her emotions to match the song.  Then she told me that her Nan had been diagnosed with cancer last year, and even though she's in remission now, this song reminded her of that battle. 

I was SO touched! 

As you'll see in the pictures this little lady can really tap into her emotions.  Infact, she's so beautiful when she dances she made me cry watching her-and I rarely cry watching dance pieces (I'm so tough!)  I hope you enjoy these moments from her Lyrical Solo-Fix you.

Dance Power-Feel the Power of Dance!

Hola lovely ladies! I must apologize because I've been uber busy the past week. I'm planning a conference for graduating dance students and right in the thick of dance competition! Some days I don't know how I will manage if I ever have kids! I read other blogs by busy mums and they manage to post more than I do!

So besides planning this conference and cleaning my dances I did get the chance to plant gladiola bulbs-only to have the squirrels in my back yard dig them up for dinner! They are replanted and I am in the process of getting some chicken wire to protect them!

And before I go I have to brag a little! I had 6 dances at the Dance Power competition yesterday and they walked away with 3 silvers and 3 golds!!!! I've got more dances today, three duets. I will make sure to take some pics and show them off soon!

First Time Fascinator

Luckily being a dance teacher allows me to play costume designer every once and a while.  Just last week I finished choreographing a modern/contemporary dance on one of my students.  I used the song "The Garden" by Mirah, the So You Think You Can Dance version!  If you don't watch SYTYCD, here's the original piece from the show, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. 

This is the costume from the TV show.  I work at a conservative studio where this type of costuming is a no no!  Especially for 15 year olds!  So I took this feeling and went a new direction.  The story behind the piece is that the dancer is a jilted bride, who has evolved into a swamp creature.  I wanted a costume that was earthy, but a bit glamorous and I knew she needed a head piece.  And I had just the thing....well I would after I made it!  She needed a veil-like fascinator.  Since her costume is green and brown with a bit of black I used those colours.  Here is what I started with....

I wasn't sure what I was going to create the head piece on, but I started with a piece of elastic that would allow me to create a headband or just a backing.  I first removed the black rose from it's stem and cut away the extra plastic around the base so it would sit flat on the elastic. 

I attached the flower to the elastic with hot glue.

Next I pulled a few blooms off the hydrangea and put them on either side of the rose.  I attached these with hot glue too!

Next I cut a piece of tulle into 4 strips to create the "veil"

Then I haphazardly scrunched the 4 pieces of tulle together to create a tulle spray

I stapled the four pieces together/overlapped.  I made several of the sprays, some with longer pieces of tulle, so that they would be different heights behind the flowers

I then attached the tulle pouffes to the elastic behind the flowers or in between, where space provided.  I wanted the middle to be the highest point and taper out to the edges.  To finish it off I add a few rhinestones to the centre of the hydrangeas.  I added these so that when she is on stage, the jewels will catch the light and give a bit of glamour. 

Here's the finished piece!

Linking Up To

Tutus & Tarts

Usually on Thursday I participate in the lovely Alison's Recipe Swap Thursday.  However, I've been slightly pre-occupied with painting projects and out of town company to be bothered to cook lately.  However, I do have a a cooking oriented post today that I want to share with everyone.

Tutus & Tarts is a fundraising cookbook that is comprised of recipes from dancers, artistic directors and other dance community members from around the world!  The cookbook boasts over 150 recipes from people like Alex Wong (SYTYCD USA), Chan Hon Goh (former Principal dancer National Ballet of Canada), Jeff Hyslop (Phantom of the Opera Canadian Tour), Mark Morris (founder Mark Morris dance group), Paul Taylor (artistic director Paul Taylor Dance Company), Karen Kain (former principal dancer National Ballet of Canada), Twyla Tharp (internationally renowned choreographer).  It truly is a treat for foodies and dance lovers alike.  Not to mention a few of my favourite recipes are included as well!

Below are two press articles for more information


http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Vancouver+Ballet+Society+twirls+global+cookbook/3670126/story.html


http://communities.canada.com/VANCOUVERSUN/blogs/cultureseen/archive/2010/09/24/twyla-tharp-in-tutus-amp-tarts-cookbook.aspx


I will admit this is my pet project.  I put A LOT of work into it and hope that people enjoy it.  I used Rasmussen Printers (Winnipeg MB Canada).  They are cookbook printers.  They were wonderful to deal with, helpful and made it very easy and cost efficient way to fund raise!

If you're interested in purchasing the cookbook, please feel free to leave me a comment or call my office 1-604-681-1525 or email my office vbs@telus.net The funds raised for sales of the cookbook will go toward the Vancouver Ballet Society to support its programs.  For more information about the Vancouver Ballet Society please check out their website http://www.vancouverballetsociety.ca/ 

Not all art can be duplicated

Teen Jazz "Boom" 2010
 Outstanding Choreography Award
Shine Dance Festival

Sadly, not all the art I make can be re created by anyone (thankfully). While I enjoy sharing crafting tips and recipes, there is one thing I do that is very dear to me that is not as easy for others to re create. I'm a dance teacher and choreographer so a lot of my art is dancing! I've been very busy the last couple of weeks putting together choreography for my students (hence the lack of posts). These students range in age from 12-15 years old and have been dancing for 4-10years. These are early clips of the rehersal process. At the end of this week I will post their dances as completed thus far (at least 2 are completely done choreography wise). Just a reminder these are dancers and dances IN REHERSAL. There are mistakes, brain farts, even me singing the lyrics because the CD I ordered didn't come in on time! Enjoy!

 

This is Emileigh.  She is 13 years old and this is a piece of her jazz solo (chorus)

Choreography: Leslie Nadon

Music: The Fame by Lady Gaga

 

This is a stage duet performed by Emileigh & Jewel.  Stage is like musical theatre, except that the dancers lip synch instead of singing.  It allows more freedom in the choreography.

Choreography: Leslie Nadon

Music: Marry the Man Today from the Broadway Musical "Guys & Dolls"

More to come!!!!

Jewel
 Stage Solo
 "It's Oh So Quiet"
2009/2010 Season

Holly
Modern Solo
"Cure For The Itch"
2009/2010

Delicious Summer Pasta Salad

I work at a non profit organization.  Said non profit (read ME) is compiling a "dancers cookbook" with recipes from famous (and not so famous) dancers from all over the world!  Just to toot my own horn we have Alex Wong from So You Think You Can Dance, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Karen Kain, Veronica Tennant, Reid Anderson....you get the picture. 

There's been this one recipe from Nadia Potts (former dancer with the National Ballet of Canada) that I've been dying to try since it came in.  In true fashion, I could not make it according to the recipe.....

Nadia Potts Summer Corn & Tomato Pasta by Leslie

You'll Need
1 can kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped
garlic cloves, minced
fresh cilantro, chopped
green onion, chopped
olive oil
salt & pepper
cooked pasta (rotini, shells, penne)

Corn, beans, tomatoes, cilantro, green onions & garlic

How To Do It
While pasta is cooking, prepare all veggies & herbs and mix together in a large bowl. Let sit for 15 min-2 hours.  Garlic, cilantro, green onion, oil, salt and pepper are all to individual taste.  If you hate cilantro (like I do, but I still used it?!?!) you can substitute it with basil.  This will give it a VERY different flavour-be warned. 

Mince your garlic by hand!!!! Please!  I have a garlic press ( a very nice one from Pampered Chef) that I NEVER USE!  It's too messy and it's a bitch to clean.  Mincing is easy and it keeps less dishes out of the sink-you've already dirtied a cutting board and knife......  The key to good mincing is a a rocking motion, keeping the tip of the knife blade ON THE CUTTING BOARD. In the picture my left hand holds the tip of the knife down while my right hand chops back and forth.  Remember to wipe off your knife blade (the garlic will stick) and also mince in different directions to get very fine garlic IE) horizontally, vertically, on the bias.

The original recipe says to add the corn mixture to the warm pasta and heat through and then to add 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese.  Something about this step DID NOT sound delicious to me-and I LOVE cheese.  So I omitted this addition.

So I rinsed and cooled the pasta and added it to my beautiful bowl of corn, black beans and tomatoes.  I tossed and served.

Both Tyler & I added salt and pepper to our individual servings.  I tried some with Parmesan cheese to see if that would work...it didn't.  I think the flavours are so fresh and crisp that added cheese deadens the flavour. 

It will be interesting to see how it tastes tomorrow, once it has sat and marinated for 24 hours!!!  And it will be properly chilled by then.

I think this would be a great dish to bring to a summer BBQ.  It's definitely easy enough to whip up the night before-which I think I would recommend to let all the flavours meld.

Blog & Learn

So, the more I blog, the more I learn.  I feel like I may have been a bit overzealous about my blog and trying to be everything to everyone.  So....I"m going to throw out my newly created blog calendar of blogging certain things on certain days EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK!  What was I? Crazy?  Clearly.  I blame my unemployed sister, http://www.envirocraftiness.blogspot.com/ She didn't warn me that since I work I might not be able to keep up.....wow, I guess the name for my blog is SUPER appropriate!

  

So I think I will narrow down my blog to cooking and crafting.  They are two things I love dearly and that I would like to share with other people.  I will probably still talk about dance and teaching when it comes out (word vomit) with a little love for SYTYCD and Glee.

Anywho, thanks for listening.  I know I have a lot more to learn and I'm sure this is not the last evolution of "Try To Keep Up". 

NEW GOALS FOR MY BLOG

Get 25 Followers By December 31 2010  That's 22 weeks-so 1.14 follower per week!

Have a contest called "Name That Blog" So many people have cute names for their blogs.....maybe as I evolve some other, more experienced bloggers can help me with this....maybe there will be a bribe prize?
Get a button "I've been featured on...."  Because I like a lot of other people's projects....so I'll just hijack them feature them ok?