20th March, 2011
Dance Anywhere 2011 at New England Dance Centers
Image by mikebaird via Flickr
New England Dance Centers in Westfield, MA 01085 celebrated Dance Anywhere 2011 on March 18, 2011.
This event, meant to bring awareness to everyone, everywhere about the beauty, fun and excitement of dance.
At NEDC we celebrated as we took our classes and the kids had a great time! Enjoy this short video showing our dancers loving what they do best!
Posted at 2:46 am | Comment (1)
17th February, 2011
New England Dance Centers Musical Theater Costume and Photo Reminder
Musical Theater Outfits
The Kids’ Cabaret at New England Dance Centers will soon be taking their class portraits. Photographers will be at the Westfield, MA and Granby, CT locations. Students will be included in a class portrait for our foyer at no cost. Individual photos will be taken for no advance fee, there will be a viewing date where you can decide if you want to purchase prints or not.
The picture schedule for the musical theater students is as follows:
Granby Studio
Monday 5:30 class will have photos Saturday March 5th at 4:25pm
Monday 6:15 class will have photos Saturday March 5th at 5:00pm
Westfield Studio
Tuesday 4:00 class will have photos Sunday March 6th 1:30pm
Tuesday 5:45 class will have photos Sunday March 6th 1:50pm
All students should come dressed and be on time for the photos. The photographers are very prompt and we keep a tight schedule.
Students should wear their performance outfits for the photo. Reminder: the outfits should be all bright, fluorescent type colors. No jeans of any kind are permitted. Layers and accessories are encouraged, but the t-shirt must be the top layer. Hairstyle is up to you, but hair must be out of the face. All students need their jazz shoes. For an example of costumes see the picture above.
Posted at 2:50 pm | Comment (0)
12th January, 2011
Musical Theater Class Portraits
Example of Red, White & Blue theme from 2010
The musical theater department at New England Dance Centers in Westfield, MA and Granby, CT will have their class portraits and individual photos taken on March 5 and 6th at the studio where the students study. The specific times are still to be announced.
2011 Performance Shirts
Students will wear their T-shirt that is on the way along with an outfit that they create from the assigned color palette. The pictures in this post are examples of past year’s outfits to help you understand how to create the ensemble. The students should also wear beige jazz shoes for girls and black jazz shoes for boys.
This year’s color palette is hot or florescent colors. The T-shirt (see picture) will be lime green. Suggested colors for the outfit are: bright yellow, hot pink and bright blue. The outfit should be comprised of street clothes (NO JEANS) which can be purchased new or found at second hand stores or even the kids closets! Feel free to embellish and accessories are encouraged!
2009 Musical Theater show: Spring colors
The students can wear their hair any way they like, but it should be off of the face and hats do not work well because the brims shadow the face.
Posted at 9:31 pm | Comment (0)
11th November, 2010
Month of Giving at New England Dance & Gymnastics Centers
NED&GC will be holding our second annual canned food drive to benefit both the Westfield Food Bank and the Granby Food Bank. The drive will be held from November 15-December 18th. Donations of canned goods, boxes of desert mixes, canned meats and pastas as well as paper goods, non perishable items and personal hygiene items will be gratefully accepted.
Donation boxes will be located at both studios in the lobby area. Your donations are very much appreciated as food banks are pretty bare at this time. Last year we donated over 500 items in Granby, Ct and over 300 items in Westfield, MA. Help us reach our goal of 1,000 items between both studios this year!
For each donation you bring in (donation as a whole not per item) you will receive a chance for a drawing for studio merchandise.
Let’s show the local food banks our support and let them see what generous and caring people are within the New England Dance family.
Thank you!
Posted at 6:46 pm | Comment (0)
10th November, 2010
Exposing Children to Musical Theater
One of the joys in my life is running the musical theater department at New England Dance and Gymnastics Centers in Westfield, MA and Granby, CT.
There are few things more precious and amazing that seeing kids lose themselves in the spirit of theater. Whether it is singing a song they love or playing a fun role, musical theater allows and encourages children to let their dramatic nature roam free.
I especially love the ability to share different music with these musical kids. My current classes, for example are singing selections from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella “Impossible”, Guys and Dolls “If I Were a Bell” and the classic rock staple “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night. It is too exciting for me to see these children light up as they belt out “joy to you and me!” as if this song was written new for them. I think the parents enjoy sharing this experience with the kids, too, as songs from their youth come back in a fresh and fun way.
Exposing children to musical theater at a young age is a wondrous thing. Especially when children are pre-teen, they are so open and adventurous when given a safe and fun place to work their gifts. As their director in this journey I strive to find balance between the education and the experience of the craft. It is delicate work to help train their talents without criticizing them, but it is the most important work.
At this young age, musical theater isn’t about becoming a star, the lead singer or getting the largest part. It is about the playful adventure of putting on a show: the costumes, the singing, the characters, the sharing, the FUN.
The Kids’ Cabaret at New England Dance Centers was created as an ensemble experience for children of all ages. Everyone is a star in our program!
photo courtesy of Mike King on flickr.com
Posted at 3:54 am | Comment (0)
29th October, 2010
Dressing up doesn’t end at Halloween for Musical Theater students!
Kids love to dress up for Halloween. They also love to sing and dance and play and have fun. So do we!
The musical theater experience at New England Dance and Gymnastics Centers in Westfield, MA and Granby, CT has been described as fun, exciting and even empowering for the students. Parents have told me that their child who was shy learned to speak in front of people and received accolades at school for presentations. Other students have stood up and sang in front of school assemblies or family gatherings with confidence and joy.
Our drama program is about exploring acting skills, learning to embrace our voices and supporting each others creative spirit. Students from 6 and up are embraced in this ensemble experience and encouraged to allow themselves to try new songs, new personae, new moves and make new friends.
If your son or daughter enjoys musicals, the hit TV series “Glee!”, playing dress up, making up songs or telling stories: they are bound to love our program!
The playing parts and dressing up that makes Halloween so exciting (besides the candy, of course) doesn’t end with our musical theater program!
For schedule and more information visit New England Dance and Gymnastics Centers website.
Posted at 3:22 am | Comment (0)
21st October, 2010
Musical Theater in Westfield, MA and Granby, CT
The Kids’ Cabaret is in full swing for another fantastic year of singing, dancing, acting and FUN!
Musical Theater Department at New England Dance & Gymnastics Centers in Westfield, MA and Granby, CT offers kids ages six and up the opportunity to experience theater in a warm and relaxed environment. Lessons include vocal, singing, dance for theater, acting, improvisation and performance opportunities.
Directed by: Lesley Lambert
Keep in Touch!
Phone: 413-568-3731
Email: nedctheaterdepartment@yahoo.com
Website: www.newenglanddance.com
Musical Theater blog: www.thekidscabaretonline.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/NEDGC
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DanceNEDC
Welcome! I am so glad you are here!
Reminders:
Students must dress appropriately, no jeans or skirts please.
Students need a three ring binder with clear sleeves and a pencil at EVERY class
Class structure will contain the full range of theater including: voice, acting, dance, improv games, pantomime, diction & staging.
Students will need to memorize & rehearse at home
I communicate via email: please be sure to have a working email on your registration and/or send me an email to be certain you are on the list.
The studio is not always closed when schools are closed. Please call when you are unsure.
We can still accept registrations….does your child have a friend that would like to join? Free t-shirt from last year’s cabaret if your friend enrolls! (supplies limited/first come)
Theater is about having fun and trying new things, encourage your child to come with an open mind and a willing attitude and we will all get more out of the experience!
There are no costumes ordered, you will be creating your own costume using the mandatory T-shirt (please stop by the front desk to order this before November 1, 2010) and a color palette that I will assign. Pictures of last year’s groups are in our studio foyer if you want to see what has been put together previously.
We are so glad to share the love of all things musical theater with you and your child, thank you!
photo courtesy of Virtualdistortion on flickr.com
Posted at 1:38 pm | Comment (0)
