#CASfamily - our June Newsletter
READ OUR JUNE NEWSLETTER BY CLICKING HERE
Wow! I know i’m a little late with the latest #CASfamily update, but it’s been such a jam-packed month! I know I say this all the time, but I can’t say enough how proud I am of everyone at CAS and everything they are doing. 2018 is shaping up to be so special. Just yesterday I got our ballet exam results and (i won’t spoil the surprise) but I’m blown away by how well all our students did! More on ballet exams later, but I also wanted to quickly run through some of the other things we’ve done this month: We had our first community performance at St Kevin’s Primary which featured some of the best performances from our juniors we’ve seen! We’ve also held our ballet exams, many of our acro students passed their assessments and progressed to the next level (some even skipped a few!), our school group performed for Open Day, we had our first ever CAS choreography comp, our students have been working hard and have almost completed learning their choreography, blocking and lines for Charlie and so much more. This week has been our annual winter warmer which is my favourite way to celebrate mid-year. Our studio was full of pjs, hot chocolate and winter cheer - the perfect way to end a busy term. FOR YOUR DIARY:
Term Three - classes resume Monday 23 July, even though some schools have pupil free days.
Full cast Drama rehearsal - Saturday 28 July 2-4pm at EUC. All drama students required.
Eastwood Spring Fair - Saturday 25 August
CAS Presents: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Saturday 22 September, Roselea Community Centre
Granny Smith Festival - Saturday 20 October
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: BALLET
Ballet is at the heart of CAS and the foundation of many dance styles. We love the beauty, the strength, the precision, the expression… we could go on for days about it!
At CAS we use the Australian Dance Vision (ADV) syllabus and assessment program. Our students work through the grades and sit an internal exam every year. Just last week, some of our students sat an external exam which involved learning theory, technique, anatomy and choreography and performing it for an ADV assessor.
The syllabus shapes our work but our classes are so much more than that. We like to explore all different styles including classical, neo-classical, contemporary and romantic. Our classes include barre work, strengthening, centre exercises, choreography and exploring the rich history and traditions of ballet.
Of course everyone’s favourite thing is seeing our students en pointe. Dancing en pointe is offered to our senior students once they’ve passed our Pointe Screen assessment (checking technique and strength). They come to an additional class each week, and work pretty hard to be able to make standing on their toes look effortless!
We love the world of ballet, and we love the breathtaking dances we put on stage each year. We welcome new students in our ballet classes all year round, and at any age.
MEET THE FAMILY:
Instead of bringing you three interviews with students, we chatted to all our ballet exam students and their families as they finished their exams last week. Here are some highlights...
From the students... “That was so fun, I loved dancing for someone I don't know and showing them what I can do. The examiner was so lovely.”
“I was so nervous, but I did have fun once I was in there.”
“I can't wait to do another exam next year.”
“I loved learning the theory work (anatomy, physiology, dance history).”
“It was friendly in the exam room, I wasn't nervous once I got in there. Miss Claire kept smiling at us the whole time.”
“I liked learning everything perfectly and then showing the examiner how hard I've worked.”
“That was fun. And a bit scary. But mostly fun.”
“It was lots of work to learn everything but I'm so proud that I did it.”
From the parents...
"Thank you to Claire and Miss Kim for your amazing support and encouragement of our tiny dancer. She was so happy with everything.”
“Thanks Claire and Kim for all your dedication and the love you pour into the girls.”
“Thanks for all your hard work with the girls - she loved it.”
“Thank you so much for giving them this opportunity. They thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.”
“Thank you so much for all your hard work with the kids. She had lots of fun and is definitely keen to do another exam in the future.”
NEWS:
St Kevin's Fete
On June 23 many of our juniors (with a cameo from some seniors) took to the stage at the St Kevin’s Primary School Fete for our first community performance. It was great to see lots of friendly faces in the audience, and every class performed so well on stage. We had so much fun and can’t wait for the next performance!
CAS Choreography Competition
A huge thank you to everyone who was involved in our first ever CAS chorey comp! For years, we’ve been wanting to launch this competition as a way to share our love of choreography and foster the next generation of creators. We were so glad to have Lucy from Lorrynne School of Dance as our adjudicator, and were just so impressed by the range of styles and ideas. Congratulations to our medal winners on the day - 1st and 2nd place for Choreography and Performance in both junior and senior sections. Keep an eye out on our social media pages for some video clips of the dances these students created. Bring on next year!
