Ballet West Academy Spring Performance

Ballet West Academy's Spring Performance
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
138 West 300 South, Salt Lake City
May 31, 7:00 pm
June 1, 7:00 pm
June 2, 1:00 and 7:00 pm
Tickets are $20 and available through ArtTix

Both of my kids have leads in Act I of Giselle, and Drew is an understudy for the advanced kids in Act II so you may be able to see her in that as well. And I hear the advanced students' performances are superb. The lead parts are cast A/B and I don't know yet which casts my kids have the lead parts in. I'll update here when I know. This also would be a great opportunity to take kids to a ballet production that they could probably relate to a little more than the usual because it is being danced by other kids.

P.S. If you are reading this and you have had a conversation with me before about how your child really needs to become a Ballet West Academy student, my kids and I all want you to come to this. Also, your child is truly talented enough that they deserve the opportunity to get the best training around - or we wouldn't have said something to you. It is worth every penny.

P.P.S. Kudos to Amy Thomas Beckstrand for making my kids work hard at ballet and insisting they learn balance by NOT hanging on to the barre all the time. They both recognize this and have talked about it, noting that many of their peers still cannot balance like you required from the start. Thank you!

P.P.P.S. Kudos to Kalee Smith, also, for teaching innovative (the name fits!)  jazz/contemporary/modern dance that surpasses anything else my kids have done in those genres. You are an amazing choreographer and don't get the recognition you deserve from competitions that see so much of the same old thing that they don't know what to think when your dances pop up in the middle of it all. Drew has learned some valuable choreography skills along the way, and she knows that her contemporary dance skills are superior thanks to you.

You won't believe what I got in the mail

The envelope said there was a gift inside, and to be careful not to bend it. (It didn't say not to tear it.) Usually I just toss this stuff but I was curious as to what sort of gift could fit into a regular-size envelope. The envelope looked more like a bill than a gift box - presumably to get people to open it, just in case it is a bill. But how many bills come with enclosed gifts? Maybe people would be more willing to open their bills if the envelopes all said "Free Gift Enclosed". Someone should do a study and see if doing that decreases the number of late payments.

Here we see the free gift: a little guide (aka, a list) of things that are supposedly anti-aging. That means that they are against aging, right? I'm not so much against aging. I'm more against failing to get any smarter or wiser as you age. Aging happens whether you're against it or not, so I figure it's best just to accept it. Oh wait. You mean they are against the appearance of aging in the skin? I guess anti-appearance-of-skin-aging isn't as catchy.

HERE'S THE CLINCHER! If you buy their magazine for the low rate of $10*, not only do you save $34.88, but in addition to the magazine AND the free gift they ALREADY enclosed in this envelope, you get both a FREE Handbag and... WAIT! WHAT DOES THAT SAY? A FREE YEAR?!?

I could really use a free year, I tell ya. Sign me up now, baby! Right now I'd be content with a free week. Most days I'm thrilled just to have a free hour!

*I have no idea what the asterisk had to say for itself. I didn't bother to read that far. Too busy snapping photos of this unbelievable offer.

Addendum, because today is Star Wars Day

May the 4th be with you!

Favorite songs #37

Definitely one of my favorite songs evah: Whole Wide World, by Mindy Gledhill.

Once, while listening to this song in the car, I heard Duncan snort quietly in the back seat. When I asked what the snorting was about, he commented that learning to ballet dance is really difficult. I agree and I think Mindy Gledhill would, too. It's part of what makes this song so awesome. Get on out there and do hard things! Learn to ballet dance, kid! (He is, too, and doing really well at it. Ballet West Academy's spring performance will be June 1-2. I'll post up the details here when I have them. It should be really, really, really awesome! Also, my kids both have leads so that's a nice bonus.)