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Summer 2024!!

by westoverballet, posted in Announcements

Introducing Summer Camp 2024!

Join us as we dive into the wonderful World of Ballet! Space is limited, so reserve your spot soon.

More Details

Summer Open Technique Classes!!

Drop-in classes for Intermediate/Advanced dancers. Each class will feature an hour of floor barre and body work, followed by an hour of ballet class.

Pre-registration is required. Visit your online portal and click “Registration” to select from available times.

Access your portal

Private Lessons

Summer is a perfect time to work on personal goals and improve your technique through 1 on 1 coaching!

Private Lessons are available on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons in June and early July.

Private Lesson registration opens June 1st. Space is limited, so reserve your spot early! Visit the online portal and click “Privates” to see the schedule and reserve a lesson time.

Access your portal

Introducing The Movement Arts Workshop 2024!! The whole family is invited to join us for three days of moving, exploring, and creating. This year’s theme is Stage Craft. Details will be announced in early July.

Check back in July for Details!

INTO THE ARCHIVES!!!

You asked for it, and here it is! A special movie marathon from the Westover Ballet archives. We’ll start with our most recent productions and move back in time. There might even be a part two, going back to the really old days. . .

August 16th, 6pm

Westover Ballet Community Page

Valentine’s Dinner Theater, Ice Skating, and more! Welcome 2024!

by westoverballet, posted in Announcements

Our annual Valentine’s Dinner Theater and Choreography Festival is coming up on February 9th!

ACT ONE – Student Choreographed Works

ACT TWO – Class Concert (demonstration ballet class to showcase what we’ve learned so far this year)

AND. . . after the show, we have a big announcement – come find out what show we’ll be performing for our Spring Production on May 18th!

PARTICIPATION:

All students will learn choreography for Class Concert during regular class time. Please let us know by Friday, January 12th if your dancer will NOT be able to participate.

Dancers may also apply to present a student-choreographed work. Applications are due January 19th.

Tickets on sale January 22-February 4!
Choreography Application
Dancer Details Doc

UNIT FOUR

January 2nd – February 9th

Enrichment Theme: Dance Around the World

Featured Ballet: The Magic Toyshop (JOY/Junior); Le Corsaire (Senior)

Unit 4 culminates our annual Valentine’s Dinner Theater on February 9th!

Unit 5 begins February 12th

Ice Skating!

Sunday, January 14, 1:30pm

Join us for our annual ice skating excursion to the Lancerlot Sports Complex in Vinton. Admission is $7; skate rental is $3.

Swan Lake at the Jefferson Center!!

This is a rare opportunity to see one of the great ballet classics performed locally with world class dancers and a live orchestra. Tickets are selling out quickly, so get yours soon!

Details

Ballet Movie Night!!

Friday, April 5th, 6:30pm

More details to come!

Don’t forget, all of the important dates for the year are listed in the 2023-2024 Handbook! Visit the westover.ballet.com/community (password Dance4Joy).

Westover Ballet Community Page

And so it begins! Another year of dancing for joy!

by westoverballet, posted in Announcements

Welcome to the 2023-2024 season!

I often marvel at the COMMUNITY that has grown up at Westover over the past 15 years – all of the beautiful families who have blessed us with their presence at the studio! So that’s what we’re choosing to celebrate this year – community.

A note for the older dancers – I encourage you to drop off your phone at the front desk when you arrive, so that while you’re at the studio you are free to live in the moment and focus on building relationships with the people around you.

UNIT ONE

September 18 – October 20

Enrichment Theme: Dancing Through Time (Ballet History)

Featured Ballet: Sleeping Beauty

Unit 1 culminates in Discovery Week October 16-20, which includes the annual Crowning Ceremony for the Joy girls and Knighting Ceremony for the JOY boys. All Joy and Junior classes will be open for observation!

Unit 2 begins October 23rd

Performances

see the calendar for audition, rehearsal, & performance details

Nutcracker 1918 – Our beloved Christmas tradition returns this December! All Westover students ages 5 and up are invited to audition! Auditions are October 3rd and 6th. Register below.

nUTCRACKER Audition Sign-Up

Valentine’s Dinner Theater – Our annual evening of student-choreographed works! All students will have the opportunity to perform, either choreographing a piece themselves or dancing in a piece choreographed by their peers!

Spring Production – Our annual spring production will be announced at our Valentine’s Dinner Theater!

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS

Buffalo Mountain Hike and Picnic!

Saturday, October 14th

Ballet families are invited to join us for a hike up to Buffalo Mountain to enjoy the autumn foliage! Afterwards, we’ll stop at the Rocky Knob picnic area for dinner.

2:30pm – Meet at the Buffalo Mountain parking lot (carpooling is encouraged since parking spots are limited)

5pm – Meet at the Rocky Knob Picnic Area on the Parkway for dinner (bring your own picnic dinner)

Trip to see Ballet Magnificat’s Stratagem

Tuesday, October 24 (Somerset, KY)

See America’s premier Christian ballet company perform a ballet based on C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters! A few of us got to see it rehearsed during the Ballet Mag Summer Dance Intensive this year, and it’s phenomenal!

We will plan to drive to Kentucky on October 24 (five hour drive), see the ballet that evening, spend the night in a hotel, and then drive back on the morning of the 25th. Please let me know by October 6th if you would like to come!

Christmas Decorating Party

Saturday, November 18, 6-8pm

Deck the [studio] with boughs of holly!

Senior dancers are invited to our annual Christmas season kick-off. We’ll fellowship, enjoy snacks, and fill the studio with Christmas cheer! Bring a snack to share.

Christiansburg Christmas Parade

Friday, December 8 (meet at 5:30pm at the studio to get ready, parade starts at 7pm)

Everyone is invited to join our Nutcracker 1918 parade float!

Dancers younger than 8 must have a parent walking with them.

Ice Skating!

Sunday, January 14, 1:30pm

Join us for our annual ice skating excursion to the Lancerlot Sports Complex in Vinton. Admission is $7; skate rental is $3.

Trip to see ABT’s Swan Lake

Saturday, February 24

American Ballet Theater is performing Swan Lake at the Kennedy Center, and we’re taking a group to see it!

We’ll drive up to DC on Friday the 23rd, see the matinee show on Saturday the 24th, and drive back either late Saturday or early Sunday. Depending on how many people come, our alumna Ellen may be able to host some of us in her apartment (this is her last year living in DC, so probably our last opportunity to go to the Kennedy Center with her). Sign up by November 3rd.

We’ll also have a ballet movie night sometime during the spring semester. Stay tuned for details!

VALENTINE’S DINNER THEATER & CHOREOGRAPHY FESTIVAL!

by westoverballet, posted in Announcements

Our annual Valentine’s Dinner Theater and Choreography Festival is coming up on February 10th! Tickets go on sale January 23rd.

ACT ONE – Student Choreographed Works

ACT TWO – Class Concert (demonstration ballet class to showcase what we’ve learned so far this year)

AND. . . after the show, we have a big announcement – come find out what show we’ll be performing for our Spring Production on May 20th!

PARTICIPATION:

All students will learn choreography for Class Concert during regular class time. Please let us know by Friday, January 13th if your dancer will NOT be able to participate.

Dancers may also apply to present a student-choreographed work. Applications are due January 20th.

More Information

UNIT FOUR

January 9 – February 10

Enrichment Theme: Poetry and Literature

Featured Ballets: Alice in Wonderland (JOY/Junior); Romeo and Juliet (Senior)

Unit 4 culminates in the annual Valentine’s Dinner Theater and Choreography festival (February 10)!

Unit 5 begins February 13th

Field Trip Opportunity!

Alvin Ailey Dance American Company at the Moss Arts Center!

February 28-March 1 (includes a special school/homeschool performance Wednesday morning)

This is a rare opportunity to see one of the world’s foremost modern dance companies, right here in the New River Valley. Their signature piece, Revelations, is danced to African-American spirituals and is my favorite work in the modern dance repertoire!

Details

Reminder – the deadline to sign up for our Ballet Magnificat trip is February 1st!

We’re so excited to be partnering with our friends at Leaps of Faith Christian Dance Studio in Lancaster OH to host a special performance and series of Masterclasses with America’s premier Christian ballet company! Tentative plan – we will drive up on April 3rd or 4th, see them perform “Deliver Us” on April 4th, take masterclasses with the company on April 5th, and drive home on April 6th. Depending on how many people go, Leaps of Faith may be able to provide host homes for us.

Details will be sent out to eligible dancers soon.

Reminder – for those of you coming to D.C. to see Romeo and Juliet, February 18th is only a few weeks away!

Special Workshops are coming up!

by westoverballet, posted in Announcements

Masterclasses & Swing Dancing!

November 12

Join us for this semester’s day of guest teacher workshops! Plus, back by popular demand, we’ll end the day with a swing dance lesson and social dance! All ages and experience levels are welcome. Come and bring a friend!

Classes:

Pas de Deux – Contemporary Duet – HipHop – Dance Nest Creative Movement – Swing Dance Lesson – Swing Dance Social

Reserve your spot!

Technique Demonstration Week

November 7-11

All Junior and Senior classes are open for Observation. Family and friends are welcome!

JOY and Junior dancers are also invited to pay a special visit to the older classes during Technique Demonstrations week. Come see what you can look forward to as you mature through the levels!

DISCOVERY WEEK

November 14-18

All JOY classes will be open for observation

All Junior classes will dive into the ballet Jewels

All Senior classes will study character dance

Nutcracker 1918 Update

New Venue this year! I’m so excited to announce that this year we’ll be partnering with the town of Pulaski to present our production of Nutcracker 1918 at the historic Pulaski Theatre – just a few blocks from the actual train depot where our story takes place!

Keep an eye out for tickets to go on sale soon!

Thanksgiving Break

No classes the week of November 21st. Have a wonderful holiday!

Reminder – the deadline to sign up for our Romeo and Juliet trip is November 5th!

Romeo and Juliet trip – American Ballet Theater is performing Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet at the Kennedy Center this February, and we’re taking a group up to see it! We’ll drive up on February 17th and see the performance on February 18th. Depending on how many people go, our wonderful alumna Ellen R. may be able to host us! Sign up by November 5th.

Ballet Magnificat! trip – Save the date for our Ballet Magnificat! trip in April. Sign up by February 1st.