End Of Our 20th Season Review

We went out with a bang! Our 20th season of dance was definitely a memorable one. We are currently celebrating 21 years as of February 1st! Last I posted, I left you off in May 2012. As I have mentioned before, we have converted to newsletter form, however, its always nice to sum things up in a good ol blog post! So here we go...

June: Recital Time! Our show appropriately named "The Time" Celebrating 20 years of Dance.
Picture Day and Recital Day
Miss Leslea also had a little secret that she would reveal soon!

July and August: Summer Classes!
Miss Leslea was also busy getting Zumbafied! She created Zumba in NJ and is working hard to bring this fitness party to our studio.

September: Welcome Back! New Schedule, Students, Season and more.

October: Halloween canceled AGAIN! oh boy...

November: Recovering from Sandy and Being Thankful for all we have, including our studio and our dance families.

December: Holiday Season. Miss Leslea and Miss Camille also received their Zumbatomic Certification

January: A New Year

February: All caught up! The month of love...Just in time for the new arrival... and we are celebrating season 21!!

Welcome to the 2012-2013 Season

We are excited to teach our new students and welcome back our old. This year is another exciting one for us. The studio was open for summer Zumba, Hip Hop, and Ballet. We also had some minor renovations and we are so ready to share a new year of dance with you. Remember, you can keep up with the Uptown Beat by subscribing to our monthly newsletter. If you have missed anything I will be posting bellow. Please also see previous post, as I try to put the newsletters here on our blog as well. See you all soon! Happy Dancing!

Two Exciting Contests!

We are happy to announce that it's contest time.

The first contest is for currents students and is running from February 15th-March 15th. There is still plenty of time to get in on this one. Current students are able to bring a friend to class with them for FREE! If that friend happens to register, the current student's name gets put in a raffle to win April's tuition! Also, the student that brings in the most friends during this time, regardless of signing up, will receive a special prize.

The second contest is for those who have not been a student at Uptown. We are asking for the communities help to "Nominate a Dancer" to receive an entire year of dance lessons. The entree should be in letter form and submitted to Uptown Dance by June 30th. Make sure you include why this child deserves to receive the lessons, and let us know the potential students situation. We are hoping to give back in a way were a child is able to experience dance next season where as he/she may not have been able to due to circumstances out of their control, such as financial means, etc.

Both contest are pretty simple, but feel free to check with us for full rules and regulations. Also, check out February's newsletter bellow. We had a visit from a well know casting director. See pictures bellow.

What Uptown Has Been Up To...

Happy 2012 readers!!! We have not official posted since October 2011, so you know we have been busy. Also, The Uptown Beat has evolved into Newsletter form, so please check out some of the issues below. We find this method more effective, but not to worry, we will still blog when time permits. I love sharing the excitement of our studio with you all!

As you can see, at the end of October we were thrilled to host our first Zumbathon. We raised almost $600 for Susan G Komen for the Cure in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Then before you knew it the Holidays were approaching. Our Halloween was as festive as possible. We had an unlikely snowfall in October which "canceled" Halloween in our neighborhood. We did our best to keep the Halloween spirit in the studio.

In honor of Thanksgiving we had our first official "Friend Week". The students were allowed to bring a friend with them in class, when they did so they both received a special gift from Uptown. It was lots of fun to meet new children and have our students share their dance class with them. We plan on doing another friend week soon!

We all know what happens after Thanksgiving... more holiday buzz! Ah yes, hearing Miss Leslea saying, "Santa is watching" all December when the lil ones are not standing in first position =). Needless to say, the Holidays were wonderful around Uptown. We had our usual week of parties and started introducing Recital songs and choreography. Santa was even there, and my son and husband joined in on the fun too! It's very heartwarming to see the kids with my son, they all love when he is there and it puts a huge smile on my face to see how loved he is.

We all took a much deserved Holiday break, having a week off to rejuvenate and let the creative juices flow. Miss Pat and I picked out costumes and finalized songs and put a dent in choreography. January is all about Recital excitement; measurements for costumes, learning dances, asking 1567 times, "can we see our costumes", etc.

On top of all that excitement, I have started a program for Belleville residents called the Belleville Fit Club. My goal is to encourage the community to stay fit and healthy. The program is for grade school children and adults and best of all it is FREE! I am very pleased to report that the program is going very well. Even the town is supporting the program, so I feel very honored. I will keep you posted on the progress of BFC for sure.

Other than that, we have our Recital and Rehearsal dates set. We were lucky enough to secure the same location for the show. The community center had changed ownership, so we were uncertain whether or not we would be able to have our show there, but we were lucky to have secured the venue. I am also learning web design, yes I have time for this, why not... I'm a mommy, wife, business owner, dance teacher, fitness instructor, personal trainer, community volunteer... why not add web design to my resume ;) Anyhoo, check out how I have spruced up the site a bit "on my spare time" lol. http://www.uptowndancenj.com/. Speaking of spare time, I'm looking into getting other Zumba Fitness certifications since our Zumba classes have been taking off at Uptown. One of my assistance is even in the process of obtaining her degree this March, I am so proud of her!

We are wishing you all a very joyful, healthy, happy 2012! Did you know that we are celebrating 20 years of dance. Yup, 2012 marks 20 years of business for Uptown Dance. I could not be more excited for this milestone and am excited to share 20 more great years with you all. Thanks to you for making those years so special. I will close with a post I made of Facebook not to long ago...

"Feeling so blessed to have been able to bring dance to so many in the past 20 years. Sitting here thinking of all the kids I have taught and watch grow up and all the people who have passed through our studio...the lives we have touched and changed... the joy... the art of dance... the extended family we have created. I love this time of year when old students come in to visit or send u Holiday cards. Even if they stop dancing with us they still find a way to remind us of how we were an important part in their life. Getting very emotional. Here is to another 20! So happy I found my calling in life."

An Exciting October!

October is a busy and exciting month for us and we would love to share with you what is happening at Uptown...

Our performance team had the opportunity to dance at another Spartans game on October 8th.

My friend Charmaine from The Maine Step and I attended the UDMA costume preview show on October 9th. I was thrilled to be able to bring her to this wonderful event for the first time. We had a blast and received valuable information from the vendors to ensure both of us have a successful dance season.

October 15th is the kickoff to Fit Kids, a Nutley healthy town initiative. "Partnering with the Nutley Board of Education, this Healthy Town Initiative is designed to engage Nutley school-aged children, grades K thru 12, in activity to help fight childhood obesity and promote a healthy mind, body & spirit." Uptown is so excited to be involved in a program like this, we are firm believers and supports of Dance 4 Your Life, so this was the perfect opportunity to show kids, adults, seniors, and families that Dance is an awesome way to keep your self active and healthy. To help kick off the event Nutley Fit Kids has organized an expo in the NHS gymnasiam this Friday. We will have fabulous giveaways at our booth (but you will have to work for them!) and a high energy demo/mini class for the kids and their families.




Lastly we will be having a Zumbathon at the studio on October 23rd in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Come out and show your support and lets shake it for a good cause! Tickets are $17 and will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The event is from 1-3 and we ask that all participants wear pink! We recommend you purchase your tickets in advance, space is limited.


Finally, on Halloween, October 31st, we will have a Halloween Play Date Party for children 2 and under. The purpose is to have the lil lil ones involved in something for Halloween since they do not get to enjoy the trick or treating festivities. Come and hang out at Uptown, show off your costume and play with kids your age! We will be there from 4:30-5:30(or longer) and the group will be led by Miss Leslea and her son Carl.

Uptown Performance Team

Last night, we had a very unique opportunity, we were asked to perform at the halftime of the NJ Spartans football game! We were honored and thrilled, and the experience left us with wanting more. Thanks to Charmaine and the welcoming fans of the NJ Spartans, we are happily looking into more opportunities like this one. We have been asked to return to another Spartans game and can not wait to do so on October 8th. This experience has inspired us to do more and I am please to announce we now have a Performance Team... yet another addition to Uptown.

If you would like information on how to audition for our Performance Team, visit the Uptown Entertainment page on our main site.

Form more information about the NJ Spartans, please visit their page here. I think here is where I'm suppose to chant "AaaHhhOoo!!!" (something we learned last night :-))

See you at the next game!

The 2011-2012 Dance Season...Welcome Back!

First, we would like to welcome you (or welcome you back) to Uptown Dance, Belleville's Premier Dance Studio. This year is very special for us because we will be celebrating 20 years of business in dance. Thank you for being part of our dance family and helping us celebrate!

We have an exciting fall schedule for you with Ballet, Tap and Jazz for ages 2.5-Adult. We also have Hip Hop for ages 7-Adult, Pointe for ages 11-adult, and much more! New classes such as Kids Yoga and kids and adult ZUMBA fitness!

Also, don't forget about our Fitness program which includes personal training for all ages, and remember if you ever need dance outside of our studio, do not hesitate to contact us. We have our traveling dance teacher program, Around the Town Dance, which will come to your facility or party. We are currently bringing dance to Little Scholars Nursery School in Belleville and have made appearances at many of our student's birthday parties. Then we have Uptown Entertainment which provides party motivators and choreographed dancers for your next special event. We would also be happy to choreograph a piece for your special day. We have done Mitzvahs, Weddings, and Sweet 16's. Check out the fun here! Last but not least, the U Can Dance program is back and in full swing! This is our program for children with special needs. We were featured in the Belleville Times! check it out here.

So, as if that was not enough dance for you... Uptown is constantly growing and evolving with our community. We are proud supporters of Dance 4 Your Life!

Established by the Dizzy Feet Foundation and the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, with the assistance of CRT/tanaka, in 2011, Dance 4 Your Life! is a national initiative to promote dance as a daily part of an active, healthy lifestyle. Dance is a fun and proactive way to get moving, to reduce the risk of heart disease, and to combat the obesity epidemic. Anyone, young or old, can dance anywhere, without need for a gym membership, good weather, expensive sneakers, or any equipment. So what’s stopping you? DANCE 4 YOUR LIFE!

We want nothing more than to be a part of keeping our community active and healthy. We are also proud sponsors of Nutley Fit Kids. This brings us to yet another addition to our fall schedule... Healthy Habits for life seminars based on the platform of Ms. United states 2008, Graziella Baratta. The seminars will be held the last Saturday of every month from 4-430pm.

Other than our schedule, we have fun opportunities for our students to stay motivated throughout the year. We have our student of the month program for children who who are dedicated to dance/fitness, have good attendance, participate with enthusiasm, work well with their other classmates, keep the classroom a positive environment, and show progress in their classes. Applying is simple, just message Miss Leslea on The Uptown Connection (you must be a member first and don't worry, its FREE) and tell her why you or your child/family member should be The Student of the Month. This special student will recieve recognition in our Newsletter and Blog, a unique photo/video montage, and a special gift!

I am so proud to be sharing this news with you and honored to have served our community for these 20 years! It has been quite a journey, to think I was just a teenager and a student teacher when Miss Pat opened Uptown... and here we are today... Some of our students are still with us! This is more than dance to us... its our lifestyle, its our passion, its our family. We bring dance to you from the heart. I look forward to the next 20 plus years of dance with you all!

If you are as excited as I am about the new season and want to show your support by wearing your Uptown Gear, you may visit our U Dance Apparel store here. We have samples in the studio for you to try on or take a look at.

See you all in class!
Peace, Love, and Dance!
Miss Leslea

Student Spotlight

We would like to announce a new feature to our blog... The Student Spotlight. Each month we will highlight a special student...The Student of the Month. We will also recognize other achievements in dance from our students in this section.

To apply for student of the month you and/or a member of your family must apply on our members only, private site, www.UptownDanceConnection.com (please ask your parents/guardians permission before joining our website.) We are looking for students who are dedicated to dance, have good attendance, participate with enthusiasm, work well with their other classmates, keep the classroom a positive environment, and show progress in their classes. Applying is simple, just message Miss Leslea on The Uptown Connection (you must be a member first and don't worry, its FREE) and tell her why you or your child/family member should be The Student of the Month.

If you are not a student at Uptown Dance, don't worry. There is a similar opportunity for you on New Jersey Dancers.com. You may apply to be Dancer of the Month! This contest is open to anyone involved in the dance field in NJ. Simply message "LesleaC" the founder of NJDancers with why you should be Dancer of the Month. Tell her about your achievements or goals or any dance related awesomeness =)

We are looking forward to your participation!

Congratulations to Uptown's first Student of the Month... August's Ashley V.

National Dance Day 2011

The second annual National Dance Day is quickly approaching. This year it will be on July 30th. I will be celebrating by being at the Dance Teacher Summit in NYC with my family and friends. I encourage you all to participate in NDD and would love to have my Uptown crew represent by choosing one of the 3 videos below, learn the choreography, then tape yourself and send it to our Facebook page .







Need more information...

WHAT: NATIONAL DANCE DAY, a grassroots initiative that encourages the nation, young and old, to move! Individuals, families, organizations and communities from across the nation come together through their creative expression in dance. Any style of dance is welcome and imagination is recommended in order to get the most out of this celebratory day.

WHEN: Saturday, July 30

WHY: To continue to generate national awareness for dance, a medium of expression and storytelling which, through shows like So You Think You Can Dance, has proven its value in bringing individuals from all walks of life together through a positive platform that has no boundaries and cultivates imagination and passion. Most importantly, the day is intended to promote health and wellness nationwide.

HOW: Three videos will be released Wednesday, July 6 with different levels of choreography, making it possible for people of all ages and dance backgrounds to celebrate.

National Dance Day was recognized by Congress last year. Learn more about the movement brought to Washington, D.C. by Nigel Lythgoe and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). Share your D-Day ideas in the SYTYCD forums and stay tuned to this site for more information to come.

Visit Dance4YourLife.org for more.

Help bring the U Can Dance Program back!

It was always Miss Leslea's goal to start a program for children with special needs. This year I am happy to say that we finally did it! Unfortunately, timing was not on our side. Most of you know I was pregnant at the start of the program, and extremely pregnant towards the end. Sadly, I had to finally discontinue. I had high hopes on returning 4-6 weeks after delivery but once lil C arrived we realized that almost all of my free time needed to be dedicated towards him. Being down the studio for longs stretches at a time was just not working for us. With my sons demands still being pretty high, I am working towards hiring other instructors to take my place. With that, I would also love to expand the program with performance opportunities and take creative movement to a new level with props and fun games for the kids. That being said, I am reaching out to the community with hopes of some small contributions. The program was at no cost to the children or their families and I would love to keep it that way. The location will still be sponsored by Uptown Dance and some of our assistants will be donating their time. Let's see where this takes us, and high hopes for U Can Dance!! Thank you for checking out or page!

http://ucandance.chipin.com/the-u-can-dance-program

Peace, Love, Dance
Miss Leslea

Dance Advantage's Spring Fever Giveaway

Seems it is that time again and we are super excited to share another week of giveaways provided by Dance Advantage. The last set of giveaways was lots of fun and we were lucky enough to win the Cynthia King ballet slippers! You can read all about it bellow(info taken directly from DA's post) or simply go to Dance Advantage now!

Spring Fever Giveaway!!!!

When will it begin?

Monday, March 21.

When will it end?

Sunday, March 27.

What could I win?

Oh no you don’t. We like to surprise you! I CAN share that we’ve got you covered – your A-B-C’s and 1-2-3′s! Wearables, gear to help you practice and improve, teaching and curriculum aids, and more!

What will I have to do?

All you have to do is show up and comment. Stay tuned all week to DanceAdvantage.net. There will be a link to the giveaways on the home page. Or bookmark this post. I’ll update it to include links to the daily giveway.

What are my chances?

It depends. There will be up to three winners on each giveaway. Winners will be chosen randomly from those that comment on each individual giveaway.

Subscriber PLUS members will have the opportunity to earn extra entries. Good news! There’s still time to sign up… Join HERE.

Why do you hold giveaways?

I see it as a way to show appreciation to readers as well as highlight interesting companies and products with which you may not be familiar. And it doesn’t hurt Dance Advantage, either! It brings new readers and sponsors, creates a bit of buzz, and gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling.

What happens if I win?

After I randomly draw your winning entry comment, I’ll contact you via email. You’ll only have 48 hours to get back to me. I’ve got to put a limit on it or it drags on and on and on…. So stay close to your email throughout the coming week (and a half). When I don’t hear back from a winner, I move on to the next drawn winner which makes another person happy (yay!) but another one pretty disappointed. I’d rather that no one is disappointed!

What do I do now?

Tweet, retweet, tweet again.

Share, like, link on Facebook.

Blog, re-blog, broadcast.

(Monday – mark your calendar!)

Any other questions?

Ask now in the comments below or forever hold your peace...

The Dance Advantage Reader’s Choice Top Dance Blogs of 2010 competition

Contests are fun, especially those that support our dance community. Nichelle of Dance Advantage has done it again, she is rounding us up and encouraging us to enter her contest "Top Dance Blogs of 2010".

I decided to enter because there is a category for Dance Companies/Schools. I have never considered myself a "blogger" or even a good writer... You all know I (like many other dancers) express myself best through my movement and not my words. But, I do feel like I do a decent job at keeping Uptown Dancers and their family and friends well informed with my blog The Uptown Beat. So why not you guys...I'm entering, and I need your help to get to the next round.

If you support what I am saying, enjoy reading my blog, or are a new reader and support Uptown, please leave a comment on this post. In order to get to the next round I will simply need comments...easy enough for you guys, right?

Wish me luck and thanks in advance for your comments, or even if you are just here reading, I appreciate it! Also please support Dance Advantage and go check out this contest if you have not already done so http://danceadvantage.net/2010/12/08/top-dance-blog/

Peace, Love, and Dance!
Miss Leslea

The Dance Advantage Giving Thanks Giveaway

If you read our blog you have heard the names Nichelle and Dance Advantage before. If not, I will quickly tell you that Nichelle is an internet dance bud of mine who I finally had the pleasure of meeting in real life this summer. I am a super fan of her blog/website Dance Advantage and have watched her and DA become a huge success over the past few years. I am proud to inform you all of yet another awesome idea of hers. If you are not already a member of her site you must head over there now... Dance Advantage

If me simply encouraging you to do so is not enough maybe her newest creation will be...

Free Stuff!! Freebies!! Giveaways!! Prizes!! Fun!!

Did that get your attention? Dance Advantage has a super fun contest which started yesterday and will continue throughout the week. Details here... Giving Thanks Giveaway

What are you waiting for... GO!!!! =)

UDMA Costume Preview Show 2010

This year I attended the UDMA Costume Preview Show with my friend, fellow dance teacher, and co worker Graziella Baratta. For those of you who are not familiar with the show...

"The UDMA Dance Resource & Costume Show is the country’s biggest vendor gathering just for dance teachers and studio owners! It’s all under one roof— costumes, competitions, conventions, video and teaching tools, tours, flooring, fundraisers, magazines and many other organizations all showing their newest products and services to help teachers and studios owners with the business of dance."

It is an event I look forward to every year to gather info, think about costumes, and just see whats new. It's amazing to think that many years ago I attended the show as a model...now I walk the exhibit hall as a proud studio owner and teacher. The UDMA show is a special event to me for sure, and if you do not attend yearly as an instructor or studio owner you should consider starting a tradition as I did.

All the booths were welcoming, there were some great displays and excitement throughout. We were happy to run into Jose of Backdrops Beautiful and meet some new friends along the way.

Looking forward to next year already!
www.UDMA.org

The Girls Scouts Dance at Uptown

This past Thursday we had the pleasure of welcoming 19 Brownies into our studio for a Hip Hop class. The girls earned their Dancersize badge that day. I think it's wonderful that the Girl Scouts incorporate dance and fitness into the badges the girls are required to earn.

Having Troupe 762 at Uptown was a blast. Class started with a typical warm up, we then learned a hip hop routine to Dynamite. Miss Leslea taught the class and was assisted by Miss Danielle and Miss Alexandra. Great Job Girls!!

The Uptown Connection

For me, like many studio owners and dance instructors, summer is always the time where I think to myself...What can I do to make next season even better? Usually the first thing on my list is updating and improving our website. This year I was looking for an opportunity that would better serve our students and parents. I often ask myself, how can our website be more useful to our current clientele and not just be a form of advertisement for potential clientele? With the ideas I had in mind I realized I would need constant access to our site to be responsible for the many updates my ideas required. After a long process and some debating, I came up with a solution that I was very happy with... The Uptown Connection, our new site which is a social network exclusive to Uptown Dancers.

So many of you are probably saying, (much like my students would put it) "What's the deal Miss Leslea? Did you get bored again and just feel like creating yet another site for us to join??" My answer would be both yes and no. I do feel an extreme urge to let my creativity out over the summer while I'm not teaching, this year it was in the form of amateur web design and studio renovations. However, this site does have a purpose!! Let me explain...
The Uptown Connection will be a place where students and family members of students can go to get the information they need at any time, or simple go to interact with other Uptown Dancers. Memberships must be approved and there will be access levels. For example, currents students will have full access to class choreography, music, tuition and registration where as a friend or fan of an Uptown student just viewing the site would have limited access to things such as U dance apparel, class schedule and general info. This feature also allows teachers and parents access to information students may not be allowed to view. There are many possibilities which I'm excited about, mostly the opportunity for full control over changing content and monitoring the site.

Some features that are available now to benefit students and families of Uptown:

~Up to date Schedule
~Rates
~Online Registration
~Online tuition payments through PayPal
~Current Events Calendar
~Weekly videos of class choreography
~Class music downloads
~Shopping at U Dance Apparel
~Video Chatting and Rehearsing with classmates
~Social opportunities
~Share Photos
~Blog
~Join a Group
~Spark up a convo in the forum

Eventually the goal will be to have a network like this one available within our main site. Trust me, I prefer things simple and clean, and yes I believe less is more. But for now, at least members can benefit from the ideas I had for them to make their experience at Uptown even greater. I can't wait to expand upon this creation and I'm hopeful that this site will become a useful tool to the Uptown Family. Thanks for reading as always, and if you have any feedback for me I would love to hear it! www.UptownDanceConnection.com

Around the Town Dance

After a year or so of traveling to students homes that were unable to attend classes at the studio, I decided to offer my services publicly and expand on my traveling dance teacher business. The first thing you need is a catchy name, right? After a nice lunch with my pals at this years Dance Teacher Summit, Maria of Maria's Movers came up with the name Around the Town Dance, knowing I like to stick with the Uptown theme. Perfect I said!! and so it began...

What is Around The Town Dance?

It is a service Uptown Dance offers for those who are in need of a

Traveling Dance Teacher.

Why would someone need a Traveling Dance Teacher?

For many reasons!

~ The convenience of lessons in your home

~ Birthday Parties custom to your needs

~ A Dance Tudor providing extra help away from the studio

~ A Master Teacher providing that specialty class that your facility does not offer

Where Does Around The Town Dance travel to?

In an effort to keep this experience affordable, we prefer to travel to surrounding towns such as Nutley, Bloomfield, Clifton, Passaic, Newark, Lyndhurst, Rutherford, and North Arlington. If you are not in one of these towns, don’t worry, we would be happy to speak with you and see if Around The Town Dance can make arrangements to come see you!

This sounds like it may be something I can not afford, like the luxury of a personal trainer that only celebrities would have come to their home.

Even though our very first clients were Jason Kidd’s daughters, we do not just cater to celebrities or the wealthy. We keep Around The Town Dance available to anyone who is in need with our affordable packages.

Call us Today for a Quote!

Ask for Leslea

973-450-5882

Below is an example of our latest client, a Uptown Dance student who had a Luau Birthday party in her back yard and wanted her friends to learn the Hula. Thanks Lexi!! Your party was a blast, hope you and your friends had fun too and thanks for having Around the Town Dance there with you to celebrate.

Dance Teacher Summit 2010 NYC

This year I was fortunate enough to attend more than just the Gala. I must say that spending time at the Summit truly motivates you to become a better dance teacher and studio owner..."unite, share, inspire" really just sums it all up. Also, I got to see some of my online dance buds, some of us meeting for the very first time.

Day one was pretty hectic, time went by so quickly and everyone was buzzing around to get to classes and seminars and the opening of the exhibits. I arrived early to register and then viewed Sheila Barker's Jazz class. Next I was off to my friend Suzanne Gerety's Social Media 101 Seminar. It was great to see Suzanne and Kathy again, I couldn't believe a whole year had past. Thankfully our tweets and contact on Dance Studio Owner keep us close. As the seminar began I noticed a wave from Maria of Maria's Movers. This was our first meeting, but I felt like I knew her already from our tweets and online chats. After Suzanne's Seminar, which reassured the room why Social Media is right for their studio, I finally met Nichelle from Dance Advantage. This meeting was long over due because I have been in contact with Nichelle for about two years online, she has helped me a lot with her awesome blog and actually inspired me to start my own. This is a picture of Nichelle and I at the Gala. So great to have met you face to face!

Next was the Studio Owner round table. Here is where studio owners get to chat about areas of concern that come with running and owning your own dance studio. I received a lot of helpful tips and new ideas by talking to the ladies at my table. Afterwards I had a nice lunch with Suzanne, Maria and Lori.


Shortly after lunch my girls from Uptown arrived for the
opening of the exhibits. I really loved walking around and talking to everyone at the booths. I got to meet Jose from Backdrops Beautiful and saw Chad from Real Deal Dance Marketing. I caught up with Nichelle and Suzanne again, filled my goody bag with more goodies, and got some great info! If you know me, you know I could not leave with out buying something, so I chose my favorite vendor...Sugar and Bruno and got two super cute roomy t-shirts for my growing belly. Perfect for when I go back to teaching in September.

Wednesday evening was the Gala, the final event for the Summit. Carl and I went into the city together and had a nice dinner before meeting up with friends. The Gala includes the Dance Teacher Awards, The A.C.E award competition winners, celebrity hosts and some of the best dance companies in the world. I made a video of the nights performances and a photo montage of my experience. I think you will get a better feel for the Summit through these videos. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. If you do not already attend the yearly Dance Teacher Summit, its something you should really consider... "unite, share, inspire" and start your new season of dance off right!