ON THE DALLAS CAMPUS...

Lyndette's Lines
A Message from our Principal
I hope everyone has enjoyed the first few weeks of classes and are getting used to the schedule. We are still working out a few schedule problems, so please continue to be patient as we solve the last few conflicts. I would like to encourage all our families to attend our Open House as it is a chance for you to talk to the teachers in a relaxed atmosphere instead of trying to catch them between classes. Please continue to watch the calendar for important dates and times. The information is also posted on the studio notice board.

Once again, we would like to welcome our new families to the school and we hope you enjoy being involved with Texas Ballet Theater School and the whole Texas Ballet Theater organization.

We hope everyone will support Texas Ballet Theater's upcoming season. Coppélia is a wonderful ballet for young and older students to attend.

Annual Studio Open House
Saturday, September 8, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
We hope that all our studio families and prospective families will come to our open house at 3:30 to meet our new Advanced Teacher and Director of Ensembles, Mr. Philip Pegler. This is a wonderful opportunity to visit with staff and friends.

Ensemble Auditions
Ensemble auditions will be held Wednesday, September 5 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. There is a $5 audition fee for all students attending the audition.

Ensemble Parents' Meeting
There will be a parents' meeting for all ensemble members at 2:30 p.m. prior to the studio's Open House at 3:30 p.m. We strongly encourage all ensemble members and their parents to attend this meeting in order to receive important information pertaining to the year.

Nutcracker Auditions

On Sunday, September 9, 2007, 1-3 p.m. Texas Ballet Theater will hold auditions for the Dallas Nutcracker Performances. All students of Texas Ballet Theater School, Dallas campus between the ages of 7-18 are eligible to attend. Please note that The Nutcracker is a company production, which means the company artistic staff casts the production and they have final say in all matters. Eligibility requirements and casting may be based on height and size requirements of the costume department, technical ability and the artistic staff's subjective aesthetic judgment.

Performing in The Nutcracker requires a commitment to attend ALL rehearsals and performances (some over Thanksgiving break) and does not allow for any absences unless sick. A commitment form must be signed in order to participate in rehearsals. Parents must be willing to be flexible because rehearsals are held both in Fort Worth and in Dallas. All Party Scene rehearsals are in Fort Worth. The rehearsal schedule has not yet been set for the Dallas cast. The performance dates are December 20 - 23, 2007.

P.A.C.E. (Performance and Competitive Ensemble)
Congratulations to all the new PACE members!   Also, congratulations on raising $570 during the summer fundraiser! Thank you to all students and parents who participated.  Please note Amber's new email address: ajordan@texasballettheater.org.  

Curtain Call Dance Festival and Dance Council Honors
The Youth Ensemble of Texas Ballet Theater School, Dallas Campus has been invited to perform at the Curtain Call Dance Festival and Dance Council Honors the weekend of September 29-30. We encourage all our students and families to come and watch. For more information, visit www.thedancecouncil.org.  

Fabulous Fridays
Dallas Campus students are invited to “Fabulous Fridays” on the Fort Worth Campus. On Friday, September 14 the Fort Worth Campus will host a fun-filled evening of dance-related activities with special guest former Houston Ballet principal dancer Janie Parker. To make a reservation for your dancer, Andre will need a check for $10 per student the Monday prior to Fort Worth's “Fabulous Friday”. Please scroll down to the Fort Worth Campus news for all the other details.

Please sign-up now on the front bulletin board at the studio if you are interested in going to New York.

Students need to book at least one private or semi-private with Lyndette to learn both dances for the New York competition. Please make sure that you arrive in New York before the rehearsal at 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 13.

For more information on the AAB program, visit www.ameracademyofballet.com.

Studio Fundraiser
A few good volunteers needed!
We are looking for a chairman and a volunteer committee to organize and provide lunches for our students on Saturdays throughout the year. If you are interested please email Andre at akaltenrieder@texasballettheater.org. Here are a few suggestions: fruit, energy bars, sandwiches, vegetables like carrots and celery and fruit drinks.

Adult Classes
It's never too late to join…
Adult Jazz – Wednesday 9:30 a.m.
Adult Tap – Wednesday 10:45 a.m. or Tuesday 7:30 p.m.
Adult Ballet – Tuesday & Thursday 9:15 a.m.  

Lockers:
If you would like to rent a locker for 2007-08, please visit the website to download a form or stop by the office. Return the completed form with payment to the mailbox by the Texas Ballet Theater School office. Locker rentals are $20/year.  

Construction Notice Please note that the elevator at the studio will be under renovation sometime in August or September.

ON THE FORT WORTH CAMPUS...

Notes from the Principal, Kathryn Warakomsky 

Welcome back to a new school year at Texas Ballet Theater School! We are so excited to be starting up again after such a long summer, or so it seemed! I know I am glad to be in the studio again working with the students, and from what I hear, I believe the students are happy to be back dancing again! We have many exciting things going on and special events to look forward to. Keep reading below to find out our most recent news. Please make sure you check in every time you come to class by moving your nametag from one side of the check-in board to the other.

Ms. Jodi checks this off for attendance and students will be counted absent if they don't put their names on the correct side of the board. Please check with Ms. Jodi if you have questions.

Thank you to the McBride's for the plant they generously donated to our school lobby.

Congratulations to André Silva and Lonnie Weeks on their Medal Winning performances in Shanghai, China
We are proud of these young men especially since they both have ties to our school. André Silva won the Silver Medal in the Senior Division and Lonnie Weeks won the Bronze Medal in the Junior Division at the 4th Shanghai International Ballet Competition! Last year, André choreographed a short piece for our Spring Performance and now he will be teaching the Advanced Levels one day a week. Lonnie was a former student with the School before he became a Company member last year. Congratulations!

Auditions for The Nutcracker
There will be auditions for Texas Ballet Theater's production of The Nutcracker on Saturday, September 8 beginning at 2:30 p.m. All students in Levels 2 and up are eligible although parts are limited. Casting is done by Artistic staff of the Company.

Janie Parker, former Principal Dancer with Houston Ballet to teach September 10-15

Janie Parker danced professionally for 23 years, 3 with Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève in Switzerland and 20 with Houston Ballet.  She has performed leading roles in many of the classics including Swan Lake, Coppélia, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle and Les Sylphides – as well as nearly 100 other pieces by contemporary choreographers, such as Balanchine, Stevenson, Robbins, Tomasson, Tetley, Hynd, Ashton, MacMillan, Tudor, van Manen and van Dantzig.

Ms. Parker won a Gold Medal at Jackson International Competition in 1982.  She has appeared in many cities in the United States and Canada, Chile, Mexico, Cuba, China, Japan, Indonesia and most European countries.  She trained at North Carolina School of the Arts and the School of American Ballet in New York City.  Since she retired from the stage in 1996, Ms. Parker has been coaching and resetting some of Mr. Stevenson’s ballets around the world as well as teaching pilates.

Fabulous Fridays to begin September 14 with Janie Parker
Our inaugural “Fabulous Fridays” will begin immediately following the Level 4 and Advanced classes on September 14 at 7 p.m. Former Houston Ballet Principal Dancer Janie Parker will discuss her life and career as a dancer, working with Ben Stevenson, being a part of Houston Ballet for 20 years and we will view some video clips of her performing career.

Congratulations to Ms. Christie Sullivan
We are so happy to announce the arrival of Daniel Joseph Sullivan IV born on August 15, 2007.
Ms. Christie and her husband, D.J., are proud first time parents and we wish them well.

Spotlight on Level 3 teacher and Company Member, Jayme Autrey Griffith
This month we bring you Miss Jayme's thoughts on teaching:

Why do you want to teach?
I want to share my love for dance with children. If the child's dream is to be a dancer, I want to give them the tools they will need to succeed. If they are doing it for fun, then I want them to really enjoy ballet, and create a life-long love of this beautiful art.

What do you hope students gain from your classes?
I want my students to develop strong technique, while furthering their passion for ballet.

Looking for students interested in doing movie or book reviews
We are starting a column for this newsletter in which students write their own reviews of dance-related movies or books. Students of all ages are invited to write reviews. We have books in the School Office or you may find some at the library. Maybe you will find a new heroine by reading about former dancers and their careers. I always enjoyed reading dance biographies and they inspired me to be a better dancer by working harder. We hope you will want to write a review. It doesn't have to be long, so don't be discouraged by the thought of too much work. You might even get extra credit from your school! If you are interested in participating, please see Ms. Kate or Ms. Jodi.

Spotlight on Advanced Level 3 student Katy Samford
This summer I attended the Debbie Allen Dance Institute, as I have since I was seven years old. At the end of the intensive there is always a show. Mrs. Allen awards students with scholarships to her summer intensive at her school in Los Angeles after carefully watching the show. In previous years, I was fortunate enough to be awarded with scholarships to her summer intensive. However, this year was different! For the first time this year, Mrs. Allen awarded two people year-round scholarships, and I was one of those two people! I was invited to move to Los Angeles and take classes from her wonderful staff for the entire year. After careful consideration I decided to turn down the offer because I realized that I needed to finish my schooling here and I just couldn't leave all my friends! And I especially couldn't leave my Texas Ballet Theater family! Needless to say, I had an exciting summer.

SUPPORT TEXAS BALLET THEATER SCHOOL
Our wish list includes... 

• Dallas Campus
• Computer (with room to expand)
• Computer speakers
• New optical mouse
• Office desk
• Locking file cabinet
• Local hardware store (Home depot/Lowes) gift card
• Sound equipment
• TV – cart
• Plastic storage boxes

• Fort Worth Campus
• Live plants for the lobby
• Magazine subscriptions for the waiting area, especially kids' magazines and general interest magazines
• Professional Reformer Pilates Machine ($3,500)
  

CONTACT TEXAS BALLET THEATER SCHOOL

Texas Ballet Theater School, Dallas Campus
214-369-5200, ext. 138
akaltenrieder@texasballettheater.org

Texas Ballet Theater School, Fort Worth Campus
817-763-0207, ext. 112
kriegler@texasballettheater.org

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