NYCDA Competition/Workshop in Orlando

January, February, March
2016
Studio Closed for
Presidents Day
Monday,
February 15
January, February, March
Studio Closed for
Spring Break
Monday, March 21 Saturday, March 26
NYCDA Competition/Workshop in Orlando
We had a great time at NYCDA at
the Hilton Walt Disney World Resort.
The dancers took classes for two
days in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical and hip-hop.
Lollipop, Music, Music, Music,
New York, New York and Variations
participated in the Regional Compe-
tition.
Lollipop, Music, Music, Music, New
York, New York received High Silver
Awards and Variations received a
Gold Award.
Lollipop and New York, New York
also received Outstanding Showmanship Awards.
Music, Music, Music received OutAt left: Minis
and Juniors
are ready for
the weekend!
standing Energy Award and Variations received an Outstanding Staging Award.
A Word
from
Ryan &
Ronnie
We will be starting recital
dances soon. Please be
sure that your child attends their classes on a
regular basis so that they
don’t miss any of the
choreography.
DANCE FACT
At right: The Teens and Seniors are
getting ready to take class.
Jazz dance is an American form
of dance that developed in the
early 1900s as both African and
European peoples began to mix
their dance traditions. Africans
focused on rhythms and torso
movement and Europeans on
musical harmonies,
folk and social dances.
Like us on Facebook (Ronnie’s Academy of Dance) and follow us on instagram @ ronniesdance
Ronnie’s Academy of Dance - January, February, March, 2016
dancing at Ronnie’s. Kindness and humanity was shown to me in life
changing ways… and I will always be grateful to each person that had a
part in my life in the midst of it all.
Alumni Spotlight
Elizabeth Weiss
My father began contracting work when I started 6th grade, and thus,
we began moving every year or so, usually to a different state where I
would be at a different dance studio. While dancing still brought me joy,
none of those studios felt like ‘home’ the way Ronnie’s did. When we
would visit Crystal River or move back every so often, I was always
welcomed back with open arms and a list of dance classes to get my
buns to ASAP. That is one thing that I know to be true of both Ronnie
and Ryan- when they invest their time and care into your life as a student, their enrichment and love is lifelong.
Dance has also taught me that that which is difficult, is often worthwhile. Both Ronnie and Ryan create an artistic environment in which
respect, responsibility, perseverance and dedication flourish. I will always be thankful to them for helping me to understand how to receive
corrections and criticism. They would often explain that corrections are
Elegance has never come naturally to me… I was a clumsy, accident
prone child, who’s grace was seriously lacking. I was (and unfortunately
still am at times) the girl who could trip over her own feet, trip up a flight of
stairs, and break bones several times. Everyone has their niche in life…
their one place where they ‘fit’ and feel confident and content. While surprising to some (given my affinity for falling), for me that place has always
been Ronnie’s Academy of Dance. I began dancing when I was three
years old, in 1989. I can’t remember a time that dance and Mrs. Ronnie
wasn’t a part of my world. My earliest memories are a hodgepodge of the
excitement of seeing my pink tights and ballet shoes laid out before
dance class, the safe feeling of being enveloped in Miss Ronnie’s arms
during stretching, and getting the chickenpox at the dress rehearsal of my
third recital, myself becoming a child pariah as parents shielded their own
children from my contagion. Untimely chickenpox aside, instantaneously,
I was enraptured with dance because of the love and acceptance that I
felt while there.
Dance has taught me numerous life lessons, the first ones early on: To
a young dancer (at least on the surface) it seems to be all about the performance- however, both Ronnie and Ryan have taught me that there is
so much joy, art and progress in the in between moments… in the failures, improvements and successes. The year that I got chickenpox and
couldn’t perform, I learned to find joy in the experience… dress rehearsal
became my personal recital. The night of the recital, I had to stay at
home, my mother making me wear mittens to abate my scratching (much
to my chagrin). While my six-year old swarthy self could have been devastated at missing the recital, instead, I remember my mother and babysitter helping me make the best of it. They set out a blanket and we made
popcorn in the popcorn maker and I danced my little heart out. I found joy
in the midst of disappointment and I was taught to make the best of what
is given, and to appreciate it the same. This is a lesson that helped me
not only in dance but also in every aspect of life. As humans, our bodies
will fail us, we will not always be perfect, get every job that we apply for,
or be able to be in every dance. However, finding and embodying joy in
the face of our inadequacies is an asset to finding fulfillment and happiness in life.
given because it’s the only way for us to take note of things that we need
to practice more, learn or adjust. While it can be a difficult lesson, it is a
very necessary one, as this is mirrored repeatedly in life in relationships
between family members, friends, employers, professors, and colleagues as we learn ways that we can grow in certain areas. Alone, no
one person has everything figured out- we all have areas that we need
to improve and we all need teachers, mentors, and others who have
traveled the path before us.
I am currently studying psychology at Nova Southeastern University in
Fort Lauderdale, FL with the goal of becoming either a Child Psychologist or obtaining my Master’s in Dance Therapy. I have continued to
dance throughout college, and on a daily basis, I draw upon the lessons
My family began to experience financial difficulties in 1995- my father
had lost his job, and because of that, we lost our house. As a child, it was instilled in me from my childhood at dance. I know that my life would be
a very scary feeling to have so much change all at once, and I was terri- so different if I didn’t have the consistent influence and support of
Ronnie and Ryan, and I feel so blessed that they’ve been my teachers
fied that I would also lose the one place that never ceased to be my
and role models, not just in dance, but in life as well.
‘home’, dance. Through the help of a multitude, I was able to continue
Ronnie’s Academy of Dance - January, February, March, 2016
More from the NYCDA Competition/Workshop in Orlando
Sporting our new studio warm-up jackets,
showing off awards and enjoying
dinner afterwards!
January Birthdays
13- Krissy Hackey
13- Addison Young
25- Ava Milidantri
February Birthdays
6- Kylee Holland
6- Dominika Mierzwinska
11- Rachel Halleen
March Birthdays
18- Isabella Torralba
Nutrition
Ronnie’s Academy of Dance - January, February, March, 2016
Award winners in competition!
Lollipop at NYCDA Regional Competition
High Silver
Music, Music, Music at NYCDA Regional
Competition - High Silver
New York, New York at
Variations at NYCDA Regional
NYCDA Regional Competition - High Silver
Competition - Gold
Ronnie’s Academy of Dance - January, February, March, 2016
An All American Christmas
Mr. Ryan, Jared, Gianna, Krissy, & Kaylee performed with dancers from
Tampa in “An All American Christmas” at Berkeley Preparatory School
Kaylee, Jared, Krissy, Mr.
Ryan & Gianna dressed as
sailors for the performance
Ages 9-13
Fridays - 6:15-7:15
$35 per month.
No dance experience
necessary!