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!

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

Uptown Entertainment

About a year ago I started advertising the services we provide other than dance instruction to children and young adults. Services such as my mother and I providing Quinceanera choreography, hosting children's birthday parties, or choreographing first dances at weddings to those who inquired. Thankfully, the clients were always very happy with our work. I also have had several years of what is know as "party motivating" experience. This is when a dancer accompanies the DJ to get the crowd dancing at parties. So, I figured why not make this bigger and advertise to our current costumers. Our regular clients had no idea we provide these services, so lets make it known! With that Uptown Entertainment was born.

You can have your event at Uptown Dance or we will travel to your location

Kids: Great for unique Birthday parties, or any occasion to have fun!
*Themed Dance Party (Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Enchanted, etc.)
*Freestyle Fun (We will lead, kids will enjoy Cha Cha Slide, Cotton Eye Joe, Peanut Butter Jelly time, etc.)
*Learn To Dance Party (You pick the form of dance and we will do the rest)

Teens & Adults: Birthdays, Mitzvahs, Quinceanera, Sweet16,
30th, 50th, Weddings, Anniversary, Corporate Events, or any occasion
*Professional Choreographed Dancers
*Party Motivators
*G-Volution Dance Company

Maybe you just need help preparing for your event
*Ballroom wedding dance instruction
*Quinceanera choreography
*Learn the latest dances done at parties
*We also have a list of vendors we would be happy to recommend

One of the most recent events was a students Birthday Party. She picked the theme of High School Musical. We warmed up and played dance related games to all 3 soundtracks from the movies, then I taught them some simple choreography to I Want It All. The kids ate, opened presents and had yummy cupcakes. It was a lot of fun and most importantly the birthday girl and others had a blast!

Another fun adventure for Uptown Entertainment was choreographing a wedding party and performing a contemporary piece at the reception. This is becoming very popular now a days. I believe the trend started with the Brubaker couple. I'm sure you all remember this one...

And most recently a entire wedding party brought some excitement to their entrance into the church with this...

The bridal party I worked with did a Michael Jackson melody as a tribute. The bride found the piece on YouTube and I simply recreated it for them. There were 8 couples in total who met at the studio for rehearsal a few days prior to the wedding. This was the end result...

After this dance my girls and I performed a contemporary ballet piece to Dangerously In Love.
It was a very unique wedding which we were thrilled to be a part of. I hope this trend continues, because this line of work is very exciting for us. It also gives my older students an opportunity to perform outside of the studio.

If you are in the tri state area and have an event that needs a special touch, something unique that will make your occasion stand out, contact Uptown Entertainment. We will help you create an idea that will be memorable for you and your guests.

Thanks for taking the time to check us out and reading our blog. If you enjoy what we do please become a fan of the blog by clicking the follow button on the main page.
Until next time,
Peace, Love, and Dance!
~Miss Leslea

Fall Fashions For Dancers

If you are like me, then most likely you own more dance attire than regular clothing. I for one look just as forward to making a statement in the studio as I do out on the town. How do you dress for class? I'll be sharing some of my favs as well as the opinions of some other dancers. While reading, let's keep in mind our studios dress code of course, I realize this limits some of us. Enjoy! and please feel free to comment and leave your favorites and the end.

I remember the time where there were not many choices for dancers as far as shoes and apparel where concerned. We had Capezio and Danskin, that was pretty much it. Don't get me wrong, I still get products from both these wonderful companies, however today its all about options, there are tons of companies who supply dancers with what they need. We have so many choices! Let's talk about style, preference and a few options that you may or may not be aware of.

As far as our studio is concerned, we keep things simple. Little ones shoes are all the same color and brand (Capezio) which we provide at the studio. Older students have a more complex shoe list which they can either order through our studio or go to a very nice local shop called Dance Wear Etc. Heather Corneliess, the owner and also a dancer, is extremely helpful and carries mostly Capezio and Bloch for shoes and the trendiest attire for class. I will discuss some of the other brands she carries later on. You can read more about Heather here on NJ Dancers

For me personally I have two styles, one if I'm teaching and the other if I'm auditioning or taking a class. Like I said before if you are taking a class it's always a good idea to check for a dress code and respect it. If there is not one I will try to wear something that makes me feel good and flatters my body type, nothing too bold or over the top. Lets face it, when we feel good and look nice, our confidence is up and we will dancer better. Think about performance day in your beautiful costume, well I like to think of classes as mini performances and put a little effort into my appearance. You never know who may be watching. Auditions you have to dress the part, and most likely they will tell you what to wear. Again, you want to stand out but not be the talk of the casting panel (in a bad way). Don't wear all black (unless required) and don't wear florescent pink and mis-matched legwarmers.

For teaching, which is where I spend most of my time at this point in my life, I have some links and examples.

Sugar and Bruno: can be found at Dance Wear Etc. Nutley NJ

Eighteen21: can be found on the Dance Wear Solutions website

Urban Groove: also found on the Dance Wear Solutions website

Tia's Dancewear: The official site or Dance Wear Etc. Nutley NJ or Dance Wear Solutions

You may also want to check out some local designer for a unique look. I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderfully talented young women on Twitter who's designs are perfect for dancers. Studio owners may even want to contact her to make up an original logo or new line of clothing for their students. Follow and/or contact Im Soul Fly
Check out her stuff here imsoulfly.com.

I was also able to get the opinion of two dance friends on Twitter:

Victoria, owner of Allegro Dance Boutique in Evanston, IL
AllegroDanceBoutiques.com recommends her favorite leos:

~Vala Dancewear
~Yumiko
~Body Wrappers Premiere Collection
~Mirella Jozette Collection
Thanks to Victoria for this wonderful information. Make sure to follow her on Twitter or visit her store if you are in the area.

TerrenceTaps, one of my first dance friends on Twitter; a professional tap dancer, blogger and founder of tapdanceman.com. He recommends and wears Miller & Ben's. He also has a wonderful blog post about Tap Shoes on his website, this is worth the read tappers!! You will notice some really cute, trendy T's for tap class on the bottom left as well. Here is that link
Thanks so much Taps, you are the best and you are such an inspiration to me and other dancers. Keep up the great work you do!

I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to this post and all the wonderful designers and clothing and shoe lines who make dancers look and feel fabulous. I'm extremely excited about how many options there are for us now. Thanks to YOU too for reading, I hope you enjoyed and got some fresh new ideas.

Peace, Love, and Dance!!
~Miss Leslea

Dance Teacher Summit 09 Gala NYC

I'd like to start out by giving my thanks to Suzanne Gerety of DanceStudioOwner.com. She very graciously invited me to the Dance Teacher Summit Gala. I was so honored when I received her invite. Her and her mom Kathy Blake and their website DSO have been a huge inspiration to me. I am so thankful for our friendship and the wonderful work these women do for the dance community and dance studio owners. Keep inspiring ladies, you are awesome!!

The Gala was held at the Hudson Theatre in NYC on July 29th. I arrived right at 8pm(darn NYC traffic) and was greeted by Suzanne in the lobby. We have been chatting online through twitter and the DSO site for about a year now, so it was such a great thing to finally meet in person. Before entering the theatre Suzanne pointed out Travis Wall!(I no longer felt guilty for missing the SYTYCD episode that night, hehe) I absolutely love Travis, I am a huge fan and was proud of myself that I held back my inner 13 year old giddy screaming girl. As I calmly walked pass him and entered the theatre Suzanne introduced me to Marc Kirschner of http://www.tendu.tv, a twitter friend of hers whom I am now following as well. Before the show started I also got to meet a fellow tweep of mine, Chad Michael of http://www.realdealdancemarketing.com who I follow on both my twitter accounts. It really is a great thing to meet people in real life who you interact with on a daily basis online.

The show started a little late but it gave us time to chat more so I didn't mind one bit. The opening was wonderful, a piece by The Duke Ellington Orchestra, "Rockin N' Rhythm." Then a wonderful performance choreographed bye Kate Jablonski, the Capezio A.C.E award first runner-up. Mike Minery and Gregg Russell then did their rendition of "Moses Supposes." It was really neat to see the original up on big screen above them as they taped on stage.

I was really moved listening to the winner of the 2009 Dance Teacher Magazine Award (K-12 Education), Ann Shea from Tennessee Arts Commission and Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga. In her speech she talked about how important it is to provide dance to children ages K-12. It made me feel great that I'm a part of that in the dance community. My students may not go on to be prima ballerinas or professional dancers, but I'm making a difference in their lives by introducing dance and the love of movement to them. I got very emotional at this point but it just confirmed that I'm meant to do what I'm doing, I'm blessed to have found my calling in life.

"Shameless" a piece from the Broadway show Movin' Out was next. It was hot, hot, hot to say the least!! Performers Laurie Kanyok and Keith Roberts beautifully performed Twyla Tharps choreography.

A very interesting piece performed by Billy Siegenfeld and Kelly Malone Dudley followed. It was titled "Why Gershwin?" and kept you on the edge of your seat.

The Capezio A.C.E Award second runner-up Jaci Royal introduced her piece "One Worth Leaving" then Gregg Russell showed us some more of his awesome tapping skills. Awards were presented for teachers of higher education and private studios such as John Griffin of Ohio State University and Bonnie Scheutz of Boni's Dance and Performing Arts Studio.

Two beautiful performers, Ashley Bouder and Amar Ramasar, from New York City Ballet made a special guest performance then Lawrence Rhodes accepted the 2009 Dance Teacher Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award.

Finally, last but not least, Denise Wall introduced Travis, the Capezio A.C.E award Winner!! I don't know if its because I am already a fan of Travis, or his amazing work, or a combination of the both, but my jaw dropped and I had the chills during the entire piece. "Its Gonna Be a Long Walk" was one to remember for sure!!

After the Gala we took some pictures and even got to see Mandy Moore.

The night was truly amazing! Suzanne even gave me my own DSO t-shirt and chap stick as a memento, she is way too nice to me!!

For more information on the dance teacher summit please visit their website at http://danceteachersummit.com/

Also if you are a studio owner or teacher and are not already a member of Suzanne and Kathy's site please go visit and take a look for yourself at how valuable a membership would be.

Here is just a small example of how they motivate and inspire their members...


Thank for reading!
Peace, Love and Dance to all!!
~Miss Leslea

Start The Dance Year off Right

Summer is coming to an end which means a new school year is right around the corner. With a new school year comes a new season of dance. How can students prepare and make this year their most productive dance season yet? I will be sharing some of my favorite tips that i give to my students during the first month of classes so they can do and be their best throughout the year.



Prior to the start of classes- Call your studio and make sure you are ready to go. Have all of your shoes and attire you need for class. Make sure you know the times and location of your classes and put them into your planner. Ask if there is anything else you need or need to know before you begin class. It's great to start the year off organized and prepared.



First week back- I see nervous new students as well as comfortable faces. Before we start I remind everyone, both new and returning students, why we are here in class together... for our love of dance and to learn of course. My advice for those nervous new students, breath, relax, and know its normal to feel butterflies when you start something new. Remember why you are there and know that after a few classes you will feel great, you'll get use to your teachers routine, and meet new friends who share your love for dance. For those returning students who may be comfortable with the routine, aware of their surroundings and what their teacher expects of them... set your own goals. For example; this year I will become more flexible, I will get that triple pirouette, my grand jeté will be higher, my attendance will be better, etc. Also it's always nice to make the new students feel comfortable, introduce yourself, welcome them into the group.



Second week back- Getting to know my students and observing behavior. The excitement of starting something new is over. This is when I explain my goals for the year for each class. Students, I recommend you pay close attention and possibly even write down what your teacher expects of you this season. I'll talk about a "dance diary" later. I have noticed this is the week where I see some sluggish faces. Students feeling the effects of school and homework plus dance class. They are tired and miss their lazy days of summer. This is the perfect time to have a small nutrition/scheduling talk. Students, I suggest when you get home from school you refuel with a healthy snack and then get as much of your homework done as possible before dance class. You should make sure you are eating properly and drinking lots of water, not soda or energy drinks filled with sugar. I like to go more in depth with my teenage/adult students on how food fuels our bodies and what foods are best for dancers. Remember if you set a schedule and monitor your time you will not have to worry about that term paper you have to write while you are standing at the barr stretching. You should be focused in class on dance and this should be a time when you are not stressed about school. Dance is a great outlet and way to destress, its your time, and who needs to be thinking about the school work you put off and should have done before you got to class.



Week three-This is where we really start to get involved and are getting set with our routine. I'll explain the Dance Diary at this time. I think this is a great tool, in my experience it really helps a dancer improve and grow. I still use one myself. I tell my students to jot down their personal goals and the goals I have for them as a class. They can get more in depth if they choose by writing everything we did in class that day and their feeling while in class. For example, "It was great when stuck that balance in arabesque." or "I definitely need to work on that combo across the floor." In week three I also reinforce teamwork and address any negative attitudes I'm witnessing privately. Remember your dance class is like a team, you will have to perform and learn together all year. It is best to have a positive attitude at all times to keep things moving along so you and your classmates can learn, improve, and be your best together.



Week four- Really into the groove now. We are comfortable with each other and on a mission. Students, I recommend you stay positive and motivated. Keep your attendance up, use your dance diary, maintain healthy eating habits, balance your time between school work and dance, and practice what you need to work on. When in doubt remember why you joined a dance class, for your love of dance and passion to learn about this beautiful art form.



This sums up the first month back to dance and the tips I like to give out. Throughout the year I keep reminding my students of healthy positive habits for a productive dance season. I hope all that read this post find the advice useful. Make this dance season your best ever! I wish you all much success in your journey with dance.

Love and Luck,

Miss Leslea ;)