Please be sure to complete and return the 2006 PG Closing Dance Practice form by March 20th.

Calendar

The majority of our dancers (and/or their parents) wanted to attend only ONE other convention besides Dance Caravan in Anaheim for this year.  Therefore we will be attending the Hollywood Vibe convention in April. Teachers feel that this works out best considering that as of last week, we still have been evaluating dancers and moving them from one performing group to the next. 

Disneyland

The Hoctor’s Dance Caravan convention is June 27-30, 2006.  It is held at the Disneyland Hotel.  Dancers should arrive in Anaheim on the 26th because classes begin early on the 27th. Many new dancers and parents have inquired about going to the Disneyland Park and/or California Adventure.  Please be aware of the following information:         

Dancers can NOT go to the parks on the days of the convention.  We have found the kids to be too tired to do so. Therefore, if you are going to do “park days” please make sure that it is before or after the convention dates. 

The convention schedule in the past has been: 
The first, second and third day of the convention begin at 8am and last until about 3 or 4pm. There are a few breaks throughout the day, including an hour lunch break.  The first and second night of the convention are the competition nights. These nights usually last until approximately midnight. We do not know which group is performing which night until about a week prior. The third night is usually the “Faculty Night” where the choreographers/dance instructors from the convention perform in a show. We try to attend this performance as a group.  There is usually time before or after this show to go out for dinner.  The last day has varied during the years. 

The last time we attended, they held a “Dance-Off,“ where the top winners from the previous nights of competition competed  against each other, to chose the top 3 da

nces of the convention. This competition lasted until early afternoon.  If any of our groups do qualify for this, all of our dancers need to plan on attending and supporting their fellow dancers.

Because our dancers represent our studio, it is necessary that we do not “sit out” of any classes at these conventions. Unless a dancer is sick or injured, all dancers need to be participating in every class.  I feel that this shows respect to the instructor teaching and to the convention itself.  When dancers are tired, it is hard to give 100% to the dance classes.

To sum it all up, I expect our dancers to participate in all of the classes.  Not only because it is respectful, but because that is the reason we are attending the dance convention. Parents are spending a good deal of money to give their children this opportunity. Dancers need to make the most of being exposed to other teachers/choreographers and their teaching methods/styles.  Each teacher is unique, and has their own way to explain things.  As a dancer, you may learn better from Teacher A, than from Teacher B.  Consider each class as a gift…..see what you will learn.

Attending Disneyland prior to the convention is up to each individual parent.  You know how much sleep your child needs; how much she can take before she becomes overwhelmed.  The classes at the convention ALONE are enough to tire someone out.  To add the Disneyland part to it is your call.  Please be aware of our expectations. We do expect that our girls be up to par for the competition. It would be a shame to do less than our best, after working all year towards this goal.

If you are planning on staying at the Disneyland Hotel, please call: 714-520-5005.  Tell them that you are with Hoctor’s Dance Caravan. However, as of today, they do not have the “contract” signed yet, so they do not have room rates ($179 last time we went) and can not take room reservations. They said to keep checking back periodically.
If you would like to make a reservation at the Holiday Inn please call:1-800-824-5459. Tell them that you are with Devney’s Dance and the dates of your stay.  People who wanted suites will need to call right away because they have a limited number of them available. If you need more information regarding the Holiday Inn, please call Laura Hallows-623-933-4139.

I realize that if you are a “NEW” mom to this, it can be overwhelming. Please call me with any questions.

Thank you,
Devney