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INFORMATION – 2011 - 2012 download information as pdf - click hereSeason Our season lasts 40 weeks or 10 months (August 15, 2011 through June 11, 2012). We will be closed the week of Thanksgiving (Nov. 20-27), two weeks during the Winter holidays (Dec. 21-Jan. 3) and one week during Spring Break (Apr. 1-8). We will be open all other holidays, including all the Monday Holidays! We will close for inclement weather if Cobb County Schools are also closed.
Tuition and Fees Tuition schedule: 30-minute class - $38 monthly 45-minute class - $46 monthly 1 hour class - $54 monthly 1-1/2 hour class - $68 monthly
Each student registered for 2 or more classes will receive a 10% discount on their total tuition. Additional family members will receive a 10% discount on their tuition (not in addition to the multiclass discount). Tuition paid as one annual payment will receive an additional 10% discount. This payment mustbe made by September 15. All tuition payments are non-refundable There is a $24 registration fee per season per family. This fee is non-refundable. Tuition is due on the 15 th of each month.A $10 late fee will be charged for payments that are 1 week late. A $25 fee will be charged for any checks with insufficient funds. Tuition is a monthly fee and will not be pro-rated based on holidays or missed classes. Written notice of withdrawal from classes is required at least 2 weeks prior to departure.
Showcase 2012 Performance experience is essential for a well-rounded dancer. While we realize that not everyone aspires to be a professional dancer, our annual Showcase in June presents the student with the excitement of a live stage performance and the opportunity for recognition from their parents and peers for all their hard work. This year’s Showcase 2012 will be held June 7-10, 2012 at the Cobb Civic Center.
Costume Each student must purchase the costume and accessories required for the recital. A $50 costume deposit is due on or before November 1st. Costumes will be ordered in December, and usually cost between $60 and $90. The balance of the costume payment will be due February 1 st. Costumes willbe distributed in late-March. Professional dance portraits will be taken in the Spring.
Placement Placement of a student in a class is governed by the individual’s potential and technical proficiency and not necessarily by age or length of training.
Attendance Promptness and regular attendance are important in each student’s progress. Attendance is especially critical as dancers are learning their performance routines for the annual showcase. Excessive absences can result in the dancer not being prepared for the performance, and can also adversely affect the entire class.
Make-up Classes Classes missed due to illness may be made up. Please ask your child’s teacher for an appropriate day and time to make up classes. No refunds will be given for unattended classes.
Attire All students are required to wear appropriate dance attire. This includes tights, leotard, unitard, hot shorts or jazz pants. Boys may wear sweat pants, shorts or jazz pants. Students in a single subject Ballet class are required to wear a black leotard and pink tights. Hair must be pulled back at all times. Please wear a cover-up to and from all dance classes. All dance accessories should be labeled with your child’s name, including shoes, bags and clothing.
Shoes • Ballet: Pink ballet shoes (split sole recommended if over age 6) • Jazz: Tan jazz shoes (Bloch SO495) • Tap: ages 3-12 wear Tan Mary Jane style tap shoes (Bloch SO352 or SO302); ages 12+ wear black lace-up tap shoes (Capezio CG100 "Hoofmaster") • Hip-Hop: Dance sneakers (see instructor for performance color) • Lyrical/Contemporary: DancePaws or bare feet *Please do not wear your dance shoes outside on the sidewalk or in the parking lot! This will damage our flooring!
Observers We encourage all parents, family and friends to observe class any time through the classroom windows. Please become involved in your child’s dance experience! However, if you see that you are distracting your child, also be respectful of his or her need for privacy.
Waiting Area For safety reasons, students must remain in the waiting room for their rides. They are not permitted to wait in the parking lot area or outside the building. Great Gig Dance Company accepts no responsibility for children who leave the premises unattended.
Food and Drink Students may bring water to class. However, other beverages and food are not permitted inside the studio. Gum chewing is also not allowed.
Classes Each student, regardless of age or experience, is taught at a serious level, the terminology of dance, technique, and a basic understanding of body involvement. Combination classes are offered for beginner and intermediate students. For advanced students a range of classes in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Lyrical and Modern dance are offered. Dancers who desire more performance opportunities may audition for our performing group, Great Gig Dance Ensemble. Auditions are held in June at the studio.
Ballet Ballet is a form of dance more than 300 years old which originated in France and is now performed all over the world. Through strenuous training, the dancer masters classic technique, learning intricate steps and combinations of movements that are combined with music, costumes and sets to create visual designs, to tell a dramatic story, or to depict a mood. Ballet is the foundation of all other forms of dance and is essential to proper dance training. Our Ballet classes focus on proper body placement, technique and terminology. Advanced classes include Pointe work.
Tap Tap dance is characterized by rhythmic tapping of the toes and heels in special shoes, which make the sounds audible. Tap dance originated in Vaudeville reviews and was popularized by early musical theater. Tap has experienced a recent resurgence in popularity in this country. Our challenging Tap classes explore complicated rhythms and asymmetrical steps.
Jazz Jazz dance is a kind of “urban folk dance” which mirrors the current trends in music and social dance. Movement comes from Broadway shows, musical theater, film, television, nightclubs and other forms of popular entertainment, and parallels the particular phase of popular music. Jazz dance includes other popular forms of dance such as Hip-Hop, Musical Theater and Lyrical dance. Our Jazz classes focus on correct body placement and technique. Students are exposed to many different popular styles of Jazz.
Lyrical/Contemporary These popular dance forms can be described as fusions of Jazz, Ballet and Modern dance. Music choices often have lyrics intended to create emotion and evoke movement. When possible, creative partnering and weigh sharing enhance choreography and movement.
Hip-Hop Hip-Hop dance mimics the most current trends in the rap and hip-hop “pop culture”. It is an extremely athletic form of dance that includes elements of Jazz dance, tumbling and break dance. We use prescreened and edited music and teach movements that are age-appropriate.
Combination Classes Our combination classes are designed to give each student a basicunderstanding of various types of dance. With age and experience, students may then make an educated choice in which dance forms they will focus on. Early combination classes include Ballet, because it is the foundation of all types of dance. Each class type is also based on the student’s age.
Preschool We offer a 1-hour Preschool class for 3 & 4 year-old children that includes Tap, Balletand Tumbling. This class is designed not only to introduce basic dance skills, but also to offer age appropriate physical development activities and to encourage creativity.
Primary We offer a 1-hour Primary class for 5 & 6 year-old children that includes segments in Tap, Ballet, Creative Movement and Tumbling. This class is designed to continue developing dance skills as well as creativity and rhythm.
Primary-Pre Jazz Our 30-minute add-on to the Primary Tap & Ballet class incorporates introductory movements in Jazz dance. Students will learn body isolations and basic jazz technique. * Secondary - We offer a 1-hour Secondary class for 7-9 year-old children (Grades 1-3) including ½-hour segments in Jazz and Tap. This class is designed to prepare dancers for more advanced training at the next level. It includes longer segments with more complicated rhythms, patterns and combinations. More emphasis is placed on proper technique and terminology. Intermediate We offer 1-hour or 1.5-hour Intermediate classes (length of class depends on age and level) for children that are 9-12 years old (Grades 3-5), and teens. This class includes segments in Jazz and Tap and focuses on more advanced dance training, including proper body placement, technique and dance terminology.
*We recommend that students in the Secondary and Intermediate programs also attend a 45- minute weekly Ballet class to reinforce their technique and body placement. Ballet is the foundation of all dance styles and it is an essential discipline for the properly trained dancer.
Adult We offer adult classes in Tap, Hip-Hop, Jazz and Ballet. The adult classes are 45 minutes in length. Adults are encouraged but not required to participate in our annual Showcase in June.
Special Needs We offer a 1-hour class for exceptional children with special needs. This class includes Ballet, Tap and Creative Movement. The curriculum includes basic locomotor skills (hopping, galloping, skipping, sliding) and such concepts as right/left, and tempo and level changes. All students will be featured in our annual Showcase in June.
STAFF 2011-2012
Our professionally trained staff is looking forward to making this year of dance a rewarding one. The instructors continue to expand their art form by attending seminars, workshops, and professional classes to ensure that our students receive the best dance education available.
Tammy Everhart Tammy began her dance education at age 9 in Clearwater, Florida, where she studied with Gayle and Phyllis Tutterow, Nilo Toledo and Peggy Wallis. While attending the University of Florida, Tammy performed with UF Dance Company and received a minor in Dance in 1988. She has more than 25 years of teaching experience in Florida and Georgia, and she specializes in Tap & Jazz. Her students have performed in the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, for Royal Caribbean Cruises, and at the prestigious Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.
Dawn Parker Dawn completed her Bachelor of Science in Dance Education at the University of Georgia in 1993, where she performed with CORE Concert Dance Company, and Non-Stop Dance Company. Dawn’s areas of expertise include Ballet, Modern dance, Gymnastics, and movement classes for children with special needs. Her unique choreography is innovative and artistic.
Lindsay Fritz Lindsay is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where she studied Psychology and Dance. Lindsay received her early dance training in the Atlanta area and has been a featured performer of the Great Gig Dance Ensemble. She specializes in Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Lyrical dance. Lindsay’s choreography is fresh and current—always on the cutting edge!
Diane Young Diane (known by all her students as “Ms. D”) is a professional dance instructor and choreographer with more than 25 years of experience teaching Ballet, Tap and Modern dance. She studied dance at the Wessex School of Dancing in Bournemouth, England. Diane has extensive teaching experience and maintains several degrees and certifications recognized and respected throughout the world. Diane owned and operated her own school in Trinidad. She has trained and prepared students for the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) exams, as well as the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) exams. Diane’s former students are currently performing all over the world—from cruise ships to television to professional dance companies.
Tara Luke Watkins Tara received her dance training in Dothan, Alabama and the Atlanta area. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2003 with a degree in Classical Cultures. While at UGA, Tara studied dance with Bala Sarasvati, Molissa Finley, Kent DeSpain and others. She performed with the Concert Dance Company and her choreography was featured in the annual Young Choreographers’ Series. Tara also began “Feet” - a new modern and African dance company, while she was in Athens. She specializes in Ballet, Jazz and Modern dance. Her style is very youthful, athletic and creative.
Zack Everhart Zack has literally grown up in the dance studio! He began his dance training at the age of 7 with most of the staff members listed above. Zack has received numerous accolades over the years: he was selected as a PULSE Protégé and assisted Mia Michaels, Cris Judd, Dave Scott, and Laurie Ann Gibson on a national convention tour; he was also awarded a full scholarship to tour with Dance Caravan as a demonstrator in the summer of 2008; he has received multiple dance scholarships to many prestigious organizations including Joffrey Ballet, Luigi Dance Center, Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center in New York. Zack was selected to attend the 2011 Governor’s Honors Program in Dance. Zack’s favorite styles of dance are Tap and Hip Hop – his choreography is intricate, energetic and exciting!
Dale Desiree Browne Dale is majoring in Dance and Sociology at Kennesaw State University where she has been a Dance Company member for 5 years. She was a soloist in the cast of “Chakra” which was selected to be showcased in The American College Dance Festival Association’s National Festival, in Washington D.C at The Kennedy Center in 2010. Dale also performed as a guest in Atlanta Ballet’s “Vivaldi’s Four Seasons,” at the University of Georgia and Emory University. In 2007, Dale spent 2 months training in New York with The Paul Taylor Dance Company, and received a full scholarship to a Pilobolus workshop. Dale has received awards from her time spent training at The North Atlanta School of the Arts including “Artist of the Year” and “Dance Arts Rising Star” for the choreography she produced there. Dale is proficient in all styles of dance and her choreography is very insightful.
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