Welcome Back! We hope you had a very Happy Holiday! All classes will resume on Wednesday, January 2nd. Our December performances were great and we cannot wait for our competition season to kick off! We are so proud of our students for what they have learned in a few months. Everyone did a fantastic job! Make sure to check out our Facebook page to see all of our pictures from performances, as well as other photos people have posted or tagged us in. www.facebook.com/theacademy2005
Please call or email us if you have any questions. Happy New Year – We are so happy to have you with us in 2019!
Winter Break: APA is closed Saturday, December 22nd – Tuesday, January 1st. Classes resume on Wednesday, January 2nd.
APA’s 15 Year Trip in the 2019-2020 Dance Year: Instead of traveling to both Nationals AND an extra trip next year (this is NOT for the current 2018-2019 dance year’s Nationals event) we would like to combine them and do a much larger Nationals farther away. We did have a very large number of responses wanting an out-of-state Nationals in the Team survey, so we thought this would be a good way to cut the cost of two trips. Details will be provided as they become available since competitions are currently promoting their events for this year, however, we plan on doing a major Nationals event somewhere like Florida, South Carolina (Myrtle Beach), or Las Vegas. These usually last about a week, occur during June or July, and include time for families to go sightseeing or visit the beach (if applicable). We will also be able to schedule in a team bonding event that gets them together to share and appreciate the experience!
Team Fees Due Wednesday January 2nd: If you have not prepaid for your Team fees, they will be automatically charged to your account on file on Wednesday January 2nd. Per the Team Commitment Contract, any unpaid Team fees will receive an additional fee of $25 per week. Please make sure your dancer’s Team fees are paid on time. We are unable to register your dancer for all competitions unless your fees are paid in full.
Attendance Requirement Reminder: Just a friendly reminder in regards to the Team Commitment Contract that everyone signed at the registration appointments with Miss Sarah: It is mandatory for every dancer to attend and dance in the last rehearsal and tech classes before a competition. If they do not attend or are unable to dance in the rehearsal before a competition, the teachers will NOT place the student in the routine for that particular competition. Our teachers will adjust the formations at the last rehearsal before a competition if someone does not attend or has an injury. The dancer is still required to attend the competition and support their team. If you are not able to compete, we are unable to give refunds for competitions since these fees are paid in advance.
Approved Absences Reminder: Please be mindful of the notice you give for an excused absence. We will be adhering strictly to the policy stated in our Team Commitment Contract and cannot guarantee an absence will be excused if Miss Trisha is not notified via email ([email protected]) a minimum of 30 days in advance. Here is the policy from the Team Contract: “Absences are not accumulated for school events that are GRADE-dependent and must be communicated No Later Than 1 month in advance for approval. Non-graded and extracurricular activities through school are not considered grade-dependent events and accrue an allotted absence. You must consider your commitments and work-load prior to joining an APA Team for the full season. Also, Conflicts due to religious obligations must be communicated NLT 1 month in advance and alternate arrangements made when applicable.”
Legacy Nationals 2019: We do need to qualify at the Legacy Regional Competition but this is pretty likely for most of our teams so we want to start preparing for this if you haven’t already. The competition will be held June 23rd – 28th at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Students usually do not compete every day or on consecutive days (unless they are on multiple teams). Nationals works in rounds so you perform and then, based on your score and ranking, either finish at awards or get called back to compete for a higher title. Solos/Duos/Trios and Small Groups are also spread throughout the week based on their scheduling (sent to us like most regional competitions, about a week prior). Sometimes Nationals schedules are finalized 2 weeks prior. Because this is during the week, we highly recommend setting up carpools with parents who will be attending. Because you will not know the schedule until closer, IF parents choose to stay overnight, we suggest you book rooms for the whole week and then cancel the nights you do not need once the schedule is announced. If you are looking for carpoolers, we can help you get in touch with other parents on your team(s). We will find out what teams qualify in March after the Legacy competition. So you can plan ahead for the amount due, we listed payments below that would be due on April 1st.
Group dances: $52 per dancer per routine.
Duet/Trio: $155
Solo: $130
Due to our survey results on a location for Nationals and to help APA celebrate their 15th anniversary NEXT year, we will attend an out of state Nationals in Summer 2020.
Team Dancer of the Month– Congratulations to Ellie Santi, our Team Dancer of the month! Ellie is in 7th grade at Oak Creek East Middle School where her favorite subject is Language Arts. She hopes to become a veterinarian when she is older. Ellie’s favorite color is blue, her favorite dessert is Kringle, and her favorite food is salad. She enjoys using the Snapchat app. Ellie would love to travel to Bora Bora and maybe take her personal hero, her grandma. Ellie has been dancing at APA and on our Teams for 10 years! Her favorite style of dance is Hip Hop. Her favorite memory from dance is when she perfected her aerial. Dance has helped Ellie become more social and make lifelong friendships. Miss Alyse and Miss Jessie nominated Ellie and say that Ellie goes above and beyond when in and outside of class, and that she is a hard worker who always comes to class prepared and with a positive attitude. Ellie is always willing to help, whether it’s to tie a younger student’s shoe when assisting or helping a classmate catch the steps. We love the encouragement from her and the pep in her step. Ellie has added two new Teams this year and we are so proud of her. She is a great asset to our program and also a great Team assistant. Keep up the good work Ellie, your positivity and your help don’t go unnoticed. Congratulations Ellie!!
Required Competition Kick Off Lock-In / Bonding Event AND Mandatory Parent Meeting: Please save the date February 15th – 16th. Times are outlined below. PreTeam and Mini Hip Hop will not sleep over. Parent meeting will be at 8am, Saturday February 16th.
- PreTeam and Mini Hip Hop: 6:30-8pm ONLY with Miss Jessie, Miss Alyse and Pre-Team/Mini Hip Hop assistants. We will serve pizza and juice.
- All other teams: Arrive at 8pm
- What to bring: Pillow and sleeping bag or blankets, PJ’s, change of clothes and hygiene items (dance clothes and shoes not needed for this one), water bottles (we’d like to reduce the waste with half-drank plastic water bottles). Optional: money for vending machine snacks
- APA will be providing soda and pizza when students arrive. We will also provide muffins and fruit for the morning when students wake up.
- Activities for the night: Play games, watch a movie, and “sleep.”
- Mandatory Parent meeting will start at 8am on Saturday morning in studio B1/B2. Dancers are encouraged to stay as well, unless they have class or assisting responsibilities. Due to limited number of chairs and benches, dancers will need to sit on the floor. This meeting will go over what to expect for the competition season and answer your questions about what it’s like, how information will be put out, etc.
Bring a Friend Week: January 14th – 19th: This is only for our recreational and technique classes. We are excluding all rehearsals. If you need an invite for your recreational class, please see the front desk.
Spring Showcase Qualifiers (Solos/Duos/Trios): Solo/Duet/Quartet dancers that compete this competition season may qualify to perform in our Spring Showcases. Again this season, qualifiers are chosen by, but not limited to, scores at competitions, progress made during lessons throughout the season, work ethic, etc. Our selection team is committed to a fair evaluation of all performances but all decisions are final. Should someone choose not to, or be unable to perform in the Showcase, an alternate invitation may be offered. Even if a dancer is not selected to perform, we at APA believe there is value and growth in the time spent and new experiences gained for each performer. APA has increased the number of recreational classes this past year so we cannot guarantee there will be a spot for each solo/duet/quartet routine.
Hair and Makeup Review: Overall, the hair and makeup looked very nice at the showcase! Some dancers were given specific corrections, additions and/or shown how to adjust. A few tips in general: it would be helpful for many dancers, especially with longer hair, to pin the hair against the head every couple inches as it’s wrapped so the bun doesn’t droop away as the day goes on. The hair on either side of the part (that should lay down above the ears) need much more hairspray as they catch the lights and show up on stage easily. Also, more makeup! We know it seems like a lot when you look in the mirror but remember, the stage lights make a lot of it “disappear” – extend the eyeliner past the eye (wing it out) and draw the white/light lines underneath and in the inner corners. This is all shown in detail in the YouTube videos on our Team page.
UPCOMING Reminders…
- Competitive Fees charged 1/2/19 – As previously stated this will be automatically charged to your account on file. Please remember we are unable to register your dancer for competitions until we receive all fees.
- Solo, Duo, Trio and Small Group entry fees are due Monday, 2/4/19. Please pay by cash or check prior to 2/1/19 to avoid a 3% service fee that will be charged if we use your account on file or a credit card (this includes checking accounts).
- Production Team ONLY – Rehearsal January 26th at the Oak Creek Location, 8am – 10am.
- Lakefront Dance Classic Competition – ALL PRE-TEAM, MINI, PETITE, JUNIOR, TEEN & SENIOR TEAMS (No TAP dances) – Sunday, January 13th. This competition is held at the South Milwaukee PAC (same place as our showcases).
Tentative schedule – In previous years: doors open at 7:30am and Team Competition starts at 9:00am. Team awards ceremony will follow the competition. Solos, duos, trios perform in the afternoon. Exact times and award times will be emailed out approximately 1 week prior to the competition. Please remember it is the norm for all competitions to receive this information only 1 week prior. Please reserve the entire day for this competition. **There is a small spectator fee for this competition.
- Team Kick Off Lock In: February 15th and 16th. Please see details above
- Mandatory Parent Meeting: February 16th, 8am. At the Oak Creek Location
APA Logo Wear for Sale: You can place orders from our online store from the 1st-10th of each month. We do not have these items available at the studio. All orders will take 3-4 weeks after the store closing date and will be shipped for free to APA. We will notify you when your items are available for pick-up. Click here to order!
License Plate Winner: Congrats to license plate 979-LNS. One of our staff members spotted your Academy window sticker while driving! Please contact the front desk so we know who you are and you will receive a $50 tuition credit. To participate, grab a FREE window sticker at the desk!
DANCE SHOWCASE INFO BELOW —————-
- Winter Dance Showcase DVD’s: If you purchased a DVD, we will contact you when the orders are available at APA. Please expect this in mid to late January. DVD order forms were due to Zaker Video by December 31st. If you are still interested in purchasing one please email [email protected] to see if you can still add on.
- Lost and Found Items from Winter Dance Showcase: We found 1 pierced earring at the Showcase. Please email Trisha at [email protected] if you lost one.
- Showcase Costumes: We use the same costumes from our Winter show for our Spring show. If you are transferring classes and the new class does not use the same costume, you would need to purchase a new costume.
- Spring Dance Showcase & Rehearsal Times: *Will be available in February. Please note: Due to South Milwaukee Middle School Graduation being held at the South Milwaukee PAC on Wednesday, June 12th, we have rescheduled the Wednesday rehearsal to Monday, June 10th (this is different than what is listed on your APA calendar). ***Students that have dance class on Monday, June 10th will have their last class on Wednesday, June 12th at APA during their normal class time. Rehearsals will be held at the South Milwaukee PAC on Monday, June 10th, Tuesday, June 11th & Thursday, June 13th. We will have one show on Friday, June 14th and five shows on Saturday, June 15th.