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On dance and more
If you have been waiting in the wings and are now ready to join the Still Pointe family, there are just 4 more placement classes available before the start of our new season on August 20th. The following are ballet technique classes that experienced dancers may take to determine placement at Still Pointe:
Tuesday, July 17 from 3:00-4:30
Thursday, July 19 from 3:00-4:30
Tuesday, July 24 from 3:00-4:30
Thursday, July 26 from 3:00-4:30
Please call before you come! Dance with us!
I always tell my mom that I'm grateful she doesn't own a fish shop...not that there's anything wrong with the fish business...they just aren't as cute in tutus!
We truly love what we do. From our 3 year olds on up, we get to serve the sweetest students and the most fantastic families!
Read more about our studio over at Voyage ATL and what makes us the luckiest momma/daughter duo around town! Many thanks to Voyage and all that they do to support local businesses and artists in Atlanta!
http://voyageatl.com/interview/meet-eleanor-rogers-grace-rogers-of-still-pointe-in-cumming/
Summer Intensive is just around the corner!
We LOVE to start off summer by dancing all day and then going home and dreaming all night! Our guest teachers have been brought in especially to inspire you without having to travel! We are grateful to be working with Julianna Missano (Atlanta Ballet), Carly Hammond (Ballet San Antonio), and Olivia Jenkins (Ad Deum Dance Company), alongside our very own Dane LeAnna (North Carolina School of the Arts).
There's still time to register! CLICK HERE!!!!
Date: Monday, June 11 through Friday, June 15th.
Time: 10am-4pm
Cost: $290
Carly Hammond
Dane LeAnna
Photography by Richard Calmes
Julianna Missano
Taylor Brandt Photography
Olivia Jenkins
Registration is open for the 2018-2019 season! Come join us!
We dance. We dream. We learn. We have fun. We do hard things. We do silly things. We become better dancers. We grow as people. We sweat. We laugh. We cry. We learn our limitations. We push past our limitations. We imagine. We clean technique. We build friendships.
REGISTER NOW!!!!
Summer is such a wonderful time to be able to breathe again after the chaos of the school year. But summer is also the perfect time for a dancer to breathe in new inspiration! Dancers spend countless hours during the year refining their technique; but it's the spark in their eyes and the excitement that comes from being with, watching, and being taught by fresh voices that will propel a student to dig deeper and work harder as they enter their next year of growth.
Still Pointe's 5-Day Summer Intensive for 2018 has been designed to do just that: inspire you right at home! As young, strong, current professionals, guest teachers Julianna Missano, Carly Hammond, and Olivia Jenkins will embolden students to dream. After all, dreams are essential in life and in growth.
For Intermediate and Advanced Levels from ages 9 to 18.
Juliana Missano was born in Lloyd Harbor, New York and started studying ballet at the age of five. She trained at the Lynch School of Ballet until she was 15 years old. She continued her training at The Rock School under the direction of Bo and Stephanie Spassoff. In 2017, Juliana was named a United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts and had the opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center. Juliana competed in the Youth America Grand Prix, and she received the Grand Prix Award, placed first in the Pas de Deux Category, and advanced to the final round where she performed at the Lincoln Center. Some of her favorite performances include Nutcracker and Don Quixote. Juliana is very excited to start her career with Atlanta Ballet.
Carly Hammond began her formal training at the Geiger Ballet under the guidance of artistic director Mary C. Geiger, and attended summer programs at Ballet Chicago, San Francisco Ballet, and Juilliard. She is a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington with a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance and an Outside Field in Education.
Ms. Hammond is a recipient of Jacobs School of Music Dean’s Scholarship and is a four-time cash scholarship winner at Regional Dance America. While attending Indiana University, she performed principal roles in Appalachian Spring, The Four Temperaments, and Donizetti Variations, and was featured as a soloist in Violette Verdy’s Variations for Eight and as Sugar Plum Fairy in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker.
She was a member of the corps at Ballet San Antonio for the past 3 years. There she performed featured roles in Gabriel Zertuche’s Dracula and The Nutcracker, as well as a Harlot in Ben Stevenson’s Romeo and Juliet and the Pas de Trois in Ben Stevenson’s Swan Lake. Ms. Hammond performed the principal couple in Gerald Arpino’s Confetti, and as a demi-soloist in Frederick Franklin’s Tribute. Most recently, Ms. Hammond danced the role of Kitri’s Friend in Willy Shives’ Don Quixote and Gerald Arpino’s Snow Queen in The Nutcracker.
Olivia grew up dancing at a young age and quickly found a love for the art. At ten she began her education at The Georgia Youth Ballet where she danced under the instruction of Magdalena Maury and Jonsie Pollock. After high school, Olivia furthered her education in dance by attending Kennesaw State University. In 2014, Olivia moved to Houston Texas and began dancing for the Ad Deum Dance Company’s second company ADII. Here she learned how to apply her faith and desire for mission trips with her dancing. In 2015, Olivia became the associate director and senior dancer at ADII and founded SERVE Ministries and Collective. Outside of Ad Deum, Olivia has worked and done projects with Open Sky Arts Collective and the Project Dance Fondation. While in Houston, Olivia has taught and choreographed for many companies such as Elite Dance Academy, Texas Academy of Dance Arts, and Cindy K’s Dance.
Dates: June 11-15
Time: 10am-4pm
Cost: $290
*$10 off if registered before May 15th!
"This book is not meant to replace direct instruction," writes Agnes de Mille in the forward to her book To a Young Dancer, published in 1962. "Good teaching depends for its effect on the personal relationship between teacher and pupil and must, in every case, be careful and special. For personal relationship there can be no substitute, and indeed there should be none; it is the essence of inspiration."
Even before the world of the internet and the self-taught era of youtube, de Mille was pointing out the importance of finding a teacher with whom a student can work well. Simply reading about technique or watching videos, though potentially helpful as a tool, are no substitute for a teacher who can see your flaws and is on your team. At Still Pointe, our teachers are dedicated to helping each student reach his or her full potential. We are aware of the uniqueness of individuals, including unique bodies and unique minds. Whether a student has a strong, inflexible body or is hypermobile, a teacher is there to guide them. Whether a student loves to be pushed or whether they require a more gentle approach, a teacher is there to walk beside them in their journey.
We are proud of our staff and their dedication to not just give a class, but to teach class and to invest in their students' lives.
Still Pointe’s first blog post was written by Ellie Swiger in 2015. She had just graduated from high school and was beginning her academic pursuits at Georgia Tech. Ellie will be receiving her B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Tech this May and will be moving to Salt Lake to take a position as a product specialist at Qualtrics. Newly engaged to another Tech grad, they are the smitten owners of Luke, an adorable mutt!
Post by Ellie Swiger.
Dancing is something that gets in your blood. Once you identify as a dancer, especially as a ballerina, you can never go back. I started dancing at the wee age of 3 and was hooked from the start. Ballet was bound to be a part of my life. This has plenty of perks: dancing is great exercise, teaches good discipline, and is a fantastic creative outlet. However, it is surprisingly difficult to find a studio with people with whom you actually want to spend the amount of time a commitment to ballet requires. Oftentimes dancers are catty, clique-y, and overly competitive.
Throughout my entire dancing career, I refused to accept these tendencies. I was never ready to let my love for ballet lead me into relationships with people who did not have my best interests in mind, who didn't value the same things I did, who made me want to skip class because I felt unwelcome and under constant scrutiny. I became a studio-hopper. Over 11 years of dancing, I went to 10 different studios. I hadn't spent a summer NOT studio shopping in what seemed like forever. I took it to be a normal part of the ballet experience.
All of that changed when I came to Sill Pointe. My first class, everyone immediately introduced themselves, welcomed me, helped me learn the steps to any of the set barre combinations, and congratulated me when I conquered the dreaded "8 8 4 4 2 2 1 1" combo. After the class was over, I felt like I had made a bunch of new friends and learned a lot. This feeling never went away, and I kept coming back- I couldn't get enough of the positive attitudes, love, and encouragement I was constantly surrounded with. And I was learning more and more each class, and actually improving. I think that part of the reason for this was the incredible teachers, and the other part was the fact that Still Pointe has an atmosphere that encourages pushing oneself- because if you fall, they'll be there to pick you up, and cheer you on for working that hard. I'd never found that before, and I don't know if I'll ever find it again, but I don't mind, because I know I can always call Still Pointe my dance home, and I will be coming back as often as possible.
Post Script: And, she did keep coming back! Still Pointe loves to welcome former students back into the studio.
If you want to consider becoming part of the Still Pointe family, now is the perfect time to stop in for a visit or take a trial class. Let’s get to know each other and see if Still Pointe is the dance home you’ve been looking for.
Still Pointe is thrilled to welcome Juliana Missano as a guest teacher at our 2018 Summer Intensive!
Juliana Missano was born in Lloyd Harbor, New York and started studying ballet at the age of five. She trained at the Lynch School of Ballet until she was 15 years old. She continued her training at The Rock School under the direction of Bo and Stephanie Spassoff. In 2017, Juliana was named a United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts and had the opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center. Juliana competed in the Youth America Grand Prix, and she received the Grand Prix Award, placed first in the Pas de Deux Category, and advanced to the final round where she performed at the Lincoln Center. Some of her favorite performances include Nutcracker and Don Quixote. Juliana is very excited to start her career with Atlanta Ballet.
REGISTER FOR SUMMER INTENSIVE HERE!
Come be inspired....
Did your little one see the Nutcracker? Was she enchanted by the Sugar Plum Fairy? Has she been twirling around the house pretending to be a ballerina? Now she can be one!
We're opening a new Storybook Ballet class for 3 and 4 year olds on Wednesdays at 3:30-4:15.
And as a special treat to the parents, we're waiving the registration fee!
We must reach class minimums to run the class, so if you're interested, let us know by Friday, January 19th in order to start classes on Wednesday, January 24th!
Students must have turned 3 by September 1st, 2017.
World Ballet Day is starting in just a few hours! This is a collaboration that live-streams morning and afternoon classes and rehearsals from 5 incredible ballet companies across the globe! We will get to see glimpses from The Australian Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, and San Francisco Ballet.
Streaming starts in Australia, so it will begin airing for us on the East Coast at 9pm tonight (October 4th)! The night owls among us will get to see some of the early footage from Australia before we go to bed. Almost all of us will be asleep for the Bolshoi, but the early birds can catch the Royal Ballet starting at 7am on Thursday, followed by National Ballet of Canada and finally San Francisco Ballet.
Still Pointe has a special affection for Ballet West, the new home of our beloved student Deanna Cudjoe. Therefore, we are excited that Ballet West will also be represented around 6pm EST on October 5th during San Francisco's time slot!
You can watch the footage on the World Ballet Day website or through any of the 5 companies' official Youtube pages.
Happy watching!
Photo credits for this site go to Marissa Jean Photography and Principal Photos.
