Hello everyone – hope you have all had time to relax with your families a bit over the March Break. Just before the break many of our ballet students entered Cecchetti Ballet exams. They all did extremely well and will be getting the results to them and their parents in the next couple of weeks. And now, of course we are busy getting ready for the year end performances and have a lot to tell you about that here. We will also provide you with information on summer camp and registration for next year.

The middle school will be presenting “Country Gardens” on April 29th and 30th at Eglinton St. George’s United Church on Duplex Avenue. This recital is a lovely way for our young dancers to perform in a larger setting than the studio, yet still feel connected to their family and friends.

The junior school will be performing “The Wizard of Oz” in our studio from May 4th - 7th. These are our youngest dancers, and I’m sure many of you may remember your child being in this production. It is very sweet to see some of our older students who were once in these shows - now assisting them!

On June 9th, we will begin our run of 6 shows featuring your children who are categorized as the senior school. These shows are exciting and diverse, showcasing students in ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, modern, musical theatre and our talented MHSB Company. This year we are presenting shows based on the theme of literature. There are so many books and stories which can inspire movement and dance, so each teacher – or in some cases student choreographers - have chosen a story to tell through dance and music. Stories like Little Red Riding Hood, My Sister’s Keeper, Dracula and even Twilight are some tales we will interpret and present on stage this year. We are very excited about this show and know that it will entertain all age groups. Each show should run approximately two to two and a half hours with an intermission

We are also very excited to be performing in a new venue this year. St. Michael’s College School Centre for the Arts is located at St. Clair and Bathurst and is an absolutely beautiful, state of the art new theatre. The size of the stage is almost 50% larger than that of the stage we have performed on for the past several years. This will be a welcome change for our teachers and especially the dancers. The theatre is conveniently located near the subway, as well as having many parking spaces to accommodate us. We know this new venue will provide an ideal space for our dancers and for their families.

Each year we depend on and appreciate the help of dozens of parent volunteers. Many of you have helped us out before and find it exciting to get a behind the scenes look at the shows. We hope that many of you will offer to lend a hand again this year, as we truly could not pull this off without you! We have included a volunteer form with this package, which you can fill out and return or simply call the studio and we will gratefully put your name on our list!

We understand that it is a commitment on your part to get your children to their classes, rehearsals and performances. It is very important that your child’s dance teacher(s) be informed of any special circumstances that would prevent him or her from participating in rehearsals or shows. If children are missing, it affects the entire group and can compromise the performances that they are all working so hard towards. Thank you for your ongoing support in this regard.

Thank you for being part of our 2010-2011 dance season. We have thoroughly enjoyed teaching your children this year and are excited about their upcoming dance performances – and look forward to seeing you there!

April 29th & 30th
Middle school (i.e. Country Gardens) rehearsals and performances at Eglinton St. Georges United Church.
There ARE classes for junior school (i.e Wizard of Oz) on both the 29th and 30th.
No classes for senior school on April 29th but there ARE classes on April 30th for the senior school.

May 2nd
Wizard of Oz rehearsals at the 2384 Yonge Street west side location.
Senior school regular classes.

May 3rd
Wizard of Oz rehearsals at the 2384 Yonge Street west side location
Senior school: NO classes

May 4th - 7th
Pre-Ballet and Pre-Primary Wizard of Oz performances at the 2384 Yonge Street west side location.
No regular senior rehearsals, however please refer to your personalized schedule for these four days for any exceptions.

May 9th
The deadline to order tickets to all performances of The Book of Dance is Monday May 9th, 2011. Please have your order in by this date in order to guarantee your tickets.

May 21st - 23rd
Victoria Day long weekend: No classes. The entire school is closed.

May 24th - June 4th
Check personalized schedules for rehearsals.

June 5th - 7th
Senior School onstage rehearsal schedules.

June 9th - 12th
Senior students perform in The Book of Dance shows.

Enclosed with this package (please check the newsletter email message for an attachment) you will find:

A personalized schedule for regularly scheduled classes and rehearsals until the end of this dance season. Please note the dates and locations of rehearsals very carefully. Some of the rehearsal classes are on different days of the week, at a different location, or may even be a different length of time than what you are used to. If you have any questions please contact the school for clarification.

A new show group notification - ONLY if your child’s class has been changed and a new performance group has been created.

A personalized show schedule which includes show(s) your child will be performing in, what they will be performing, what they will need to bring with them, and how they will need to have their hair.

A personalized ticket order form - which must be returned to the school by Monday, May 9th, 2011.

A map to the theatre - including parking details.

A volunteer form & donation form for teacher’s gifts.

If your child is not able to be in a show that they are scheduled for it is very important that their teacher and the office staff are informed before May 2nd, 2011.

For those of you who have already been part of our “big show”, we know that you are aware of and appreciate how complicated putting it together really is. Each year we try to make the process more efficient and straightforward for all involved. We try our very best to make everything work as smoothly as possible; however, things can and will go wrong and we certainly could not get through this busy time of year without your cooperation and understanding.

Please arrive at the St. Michael’s College School Centre for the Arts (1515 Bathurst Street), 45 minutes before your show time.

Use the theatre’s main entrance, located on Bathurst. Go into the main foyer, from here you will be greeted by staff and volunteers who will direct you.

Parents of little ones please remember that it is your responsibility to make sure that you have taken them to the bathroom before all the excitement begins. We ask that only one parent help their child into their costume as quickly as possible and make sure that their hair is done.

Show time is approximately 2 and a half hours with a 20 minute intermission. We do our best to schedule younger dancers near the beginning of an evening show. However, it is a bit disruptive to take a child out of the show before it’s conclusion so we kindly ask you that unless there are special circumstances, to allow your child to stay until the very end of the performance. You will want to see them in the curtain call anyway!

Once the show is over and you have taken your child’s costume off please put it back where you found it so that it is ready for the next performance.

Older students are responsible for the care of their costumes. Costumes are NOT to be worn outside of the theatre. These students are also responsible for keeping their change rooms neat and tidy - this is not the responsibility of our volunteers!

Unfortunately, again this year we will not be allowing students to watch the performance from backstage. Dancers, please remain close to your changing area and performing group so that if someone needs to find you it will be as easy as possible. Also, if your dance requires a prop, it will be given to you right before the performance and should be returned to your teacher directly when your dance is over.

Ticket Deadline: The deadline to order tickets to all performances of Decades is Monday May 9th, 2011. AFTER THIS DATE we cannot guarantee any tickets.

We have decided NOT to put a limit on ticket maximums this year. This will eliminate the process of having to request “extra” tickets beyond the designated limit. However, due to this change, we strongly suggest that you get your ticket order in WELL BEFORE THE DEADLINE!

On your ticket order form we have indicated which show you will be ordering tickets for. Even if your child is performing in numerous shows, we need you to order for the show that we have indicated. Great care and trouble has gone into calculating which shows will have adequate space for each student’s guests; therefore, space assignment is very important. If you have a special situation and cannot order tickets for the show which we have assigned you, please contact the studio at 416.484.4731 to leave a message on our voicemail at extension 500 and one of our staff will promptly contact you. Under some circumstances, if there is room, you will be able to order for a different show.

Tickets are allotted on a first come, first serve basis and the seating is pre-arranged. Please return order forms as soon as possible, the deadline is MONDAY MAY 9th, 2011. If you return your ticket order form after the deadline we cannot guarantee any tickets and your order will only be processed after we have taken care of all of the orders which were returned on time.

Tickets will be handed out during in-class rehearsal beginning on Tuesday May 24th until Monday May 30th. Afterwards, tickets will be available for collection at the on-stage rehearsals at the St. Michael’s College School Centre for the Arts on June 5th, 6th and 7th. And lastly - your tickets can be picked up at the box office at the theatre before your show.

Up-to-date ticket information about which shows are sold out and which still have availability will be specified on our voicemail (ticket extension - 500) and our website - www.mhsb.ca

Tickets will not be handed out to anyone with an outstanding balance. In order to receive your tickets all accounts must be paid in full.

Being a volunteer at your child’s performance provides an opportunity to share the wonderful “backstage” experience of which they are a part. There will be 6 senior shows this year and in order for everything to run smoothly we will need the help of 12 volunteers per show

If you would like to be a volunteer kindly return the enclosed volunteer form.

We will contact our volunteers closer to the show dates as a reminder. If you volunteer and something important does come up and you are unable to keep your commitment, please contact Miriam Rottapel at robert.rottapel@sympatico.ca ASAP. We need as much time as possible to find a replacement so that we can ensure adequate supervision of our students. Students are supervised at all times during the performance - it is very important that children are never left unattended.

We are sorry, but we cannot guarantee volunteers will be allowed to watch the show from backstage. Volunteers also need to be willing to work wherever they may be needed. We would like to have games, cards, etc. for the students to play with backstage, and are looking for suitable donations. Please drop off any new or gently used games to our 2384 Yonge St. location.

We would like to have games, cards, etc. for the students to play with backstage, and are looking for suitable donations. Please drop off any new or gently used games to our 2345 Yonge St. East Side location.

Thank you so much for considering volunteering,we really do need and appreciate your help!

For any Book of Dance show you can pre-order a bouquet of beautiful flowers before the performance. We have included an order form for your convenience. Our flower supplier will have lovely bouquets of mostly roses, costing between $10 and $20.

You will be receiving information about registration for the fall season on May 16th. With this information, your child will receive a recommendation from their teacher(s) as to which level will be appropriate for them for next year. Most times this is simply the next level up. Sometimes however, it is necessary to keep a child in the same level for one more year, or alternatively, perhaps bump them up two levels. We are aware that the friendships your child has made here at MHSB are important to her/him and we appreciate how this is a factor in their enjoyment of the class.

For older students, we often recommend additional dance forms that complement their existing one; for example, we strongly believe that jazz students benefit from taking ballet and therefore we may recommend an appropriate ballet level in addition to their jazz class. Please remember that if a student is recommended to an “A” stream in jazz, they must be taking a ballet class as well.

We are happy to discuss with you any concerns you may have about your child’s recommendations and we always strive to make their experience as rewarding and enjoyable as possible.

Mini camp – 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 year olds (Session 1 & 3); 4 - 5 year olds (Session 4 Only)
Junior Camp - 5 - 7 year olds
Intermediate Camp - 6 - 9 year olds (Session 4 Only)
Senior Camp - 8 - 10 year olds

For more than 13 wonderful years, MHSB has been delighting children with a unique and rewarding camp experience right here in the city. Our summer programs are a perfect way for children of all abilities to try new dance forms. Children can continue to dance in the forms that they enjoy the most in our 2011-2012 dance season beginning this fall. If you would like additional information or to register, please go to our website at www.mhsb.ca

The registration procedures for MHSB will be changing next year. We are very excited about this development and expect the fall schedule and recommendations will be sent to you on May 16th. Registration will open on May 24th. If you need assistance regarding registration for 2011-2012 you can either call or email one of us in the office.

Since we are striving to do as much as possible online, it is very important that we have your current email on file. Please contact our office if you need to update this.

In May we will start our rehearsal schedule. From then on, it is especially beneficial to your child to rehearse with the actual group that they will be performing with. If you need to make up a rehearsal please consult with your teacher about which class would be best to attend.

As stated in the studio policy under attendance (page 1), after February 1st, 2011, students who miss three or more classes/ rehearsals without written consent from Martha Hicks, may forfeit their opportunity to dance in the recitals.

Part of your required uniform at the beginning of the year was a pair of “suntan” coloured tights - you will definitely need these for the recital! These tights can be purchased at the MHSB shop at our 2345 Yonge St. east side location.

Mailing Address: 2384 Yonge St. 2nd Floor, Toronto ON M4P 2E0
Telephone: 416.484.4731
Email: office@mhsb.ca

Copyright (C) 2011 The Martha Hicks School of Ballet Inc. | All rights reserved.