By SK Dancer

Flood damage update: SK Dance Studio to use a temporary alternative venue

As you’ll no doubt have heard on the news, many parts of Lancashire were affected by terrible flooding as 2015 drew to a close. It’s been a really difficult time for many communities across the UK, including our very own community of Appley Bridge, as properties became overwhelmed by flood water.

The SK Dance team were devastated when on Boxing Day, our dance studio in the hall at The Vale Methodist Church in Appley Bridge was flooded, along with the meeting space in the adjoining room.

Once the water receded, Susan and friends of the church tried their hardest to make the space usable for the first dance classes of 2016, but for the immediate future at least, it’s now clear that we’ll need to move to an alternative venue whilst building works are carried out to refurbish the hall.

At this point, it’s not known exactly how long it will take before we’re able to return to The Vale, though the estimate is currently thought to be in months rather than weeks.

SK Dance Studio classes will continue at an alternative venue
Please see below for temporary venue arrangements

In the meantime, we’ve arranged alternative temporary local venues for all our classes. You can find details below and also on our Facebook and Google Plus pages.

We know the next few months will be a bit awkward and we truly are very sorry for the inconvenience our dancers and parents will face. But we hope you’ll agree that SK Dance isn’t about the bricks and mortar of our hall, it’s about our wonderful, talented dancers and the high quality of tuition delivered by our dedicated teachers. Regardless of the temporary venue we use, that will never change!

We really hope you’ll stick with us whilst the building works take place. We have a wonderful year of dance to look forward to, with ISTD exams, a big show production at Blackpool Winter Gardens and our own full dance school show in the summer.

We’re determined that this awful flooding won’t beat us and would like to thank everyone for their patience and messages of support whilst we await our return to The Vale.

Update 26/05/16: With effect from today, all classes except those on Thursdays have returned to The Vale! Thursday classes will remain at Shevington Youth Club.

Saturday Classes – Now at Shevington Youth Club

All Saturday classes will be held at Shevington Youth Club & Community Centre starting Saturday 6th February 2016 until further notice. Address: Highfield Avenue, Shevington, WN6 8HB. It’s just behind Shevington Methodist Church, down the side of Muffin Man bakery.

Timings:
With effect from Saturday 12th March 2016, we’re pleased to confirm that ALL Saturday classes will return to their usual time-slots (that’s the standard class schedule we followed when we were at The Vale).  Click here to view our standard timetable.

Monday Adult Ballet Classes – Now at Shevington Youth Club

Our adult ballet class on Mondays will now be held at Shevington Youth Club & Community Centre starting Monday 1st February 2016 until further notice. Address: Highfield Avenue, Shevington, WN6 8HB. It’s just behind Shevington Methodist Church, down the side of Muffin Man bakery.

Timings:
In line with our usual timetable, adult ballet will run every Monday at 9pm to 10pm.

Tuesday Ballet & Student Classes – Now at Shevington Youth Club

Tuesday ballet classes will now be held at Shevington Youth Club & Community Centre starting Tuesday 2nd February 2016 until further notice. All Cara’s Tuesday classes for older students will also run from this location. Address: Highfield Avenue, Shevington, WN6 8HB. It’s just behind Shevington Methodist Church, down the side of Muffin Man bakery.

Timings:
All Tuesday ballet and student classes will follow our usual schedule.

Tuesday Adult Tap Classes – Now at Shevington Youth Club

Our Adult Tap classes on Tuesdays will now be held at Shevington Youth Club starting Tuesday 12th January 2016 until further notice. Address: Highfield Avenue, Shevington, WN6 8HB. It’s just behind Shevington Methodist Church, down the side of Muffin Man bakery.

Timings:
Beginners & Improvers – 8.45pm to 9.30pm
Advanced Tappers – 9.30pm to 10.15pm

Thursday Classes – Now at Shevington Youth Club

All Thursday classes will be held at Shevington Youth Club & Community Centre, starting Thursday 7th Jan 2016 until further notice. Address: Highfield Avenue, Shevington, WN6 8HB. It’s just behind Shevington Methodist Church, down the side of Muffin Man bakery.

Timings:
Grade 2 Ballet – 4.15pm to 5pm
Acro – 5pm to 5.45pm
Street Dance – 5.45pm to 6.15pm

Friday Ballet Babies Classes – Now at All Saints Church, Appley Bridge

Our Friday ‘Mummy & Me’ and ‘Advanced’ Ballet Babies classes will be held at All Saints Church, in Appley Bridge starting Friday 15th January 2106. Address: Finch Lane (off Appley Lane North), Appley Bridge, Wigan, WN6 9DT. It’s right next to All Saints Primary School.

Timings:
Mummy & Me – 10.30am
Advanced Ballet Babies – 11am

SK Dance Studio Show Dates Announced

SKUK - The Great British Dance Tour Show

We’re delighted to announce the dates for our next SK Dance Studio full school dancing show!

We’ll be performing for at least two nights (Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd July 2016) and potentially a third night on Thursday 30th June, so please keep this date free too.

Our show will be held at the lovely Playhouse Theatre in Preston, and our theme is “SK UK – The Great British Dance Tour”. 

As the name suggests, get ready for a celebration of everything British, with rousing music and fabulous costumes as we take our audience on a journey of dance through the British Isles!  We can’t wait to see all our lovely dancers shine on stage, and we’re sure you’ll all feel the same.

On stage rehearsals will be held at Preston Playhouse theatre the week prior to the show, starting on Sunday 26th June when all dancers will be required to attend. Theatre rehearsals will also run after school throughout week commencing Monday 27th June.  Please keep this whole week free and we’ll let you know the dates and times of your child’s rehearsals nearer the time.

Which classes will take part in the show?

This is SK Dance Studio’s full school show, so dancers from ALL classes will be taking part. This includes our Thursday Street dance and Acro students; our fabulous Tiny Tappers group and our Advanced Ballet Babies group (excluding children attending our “Mummy & Me” baby class – though there’s still plenty of time to progress to dancing on your own in our Advanced Ballet Babies class!!).

If your child is interested in taking up an extra class (perhaps adding tap to your Ballet Babies’ class, or joining our Street dance group), then please let Susan know. That’ll be an extra dance in the show!

Rehearsal Dates & Show Timetable For Your Diary:

Please make a note of the following dates in your diary:

Sat 25th Jun Classes as normal at The Vale
Sun 26th Jun Group rehearsal for all pupils at theatre
Mon 27th Jun Rehearsals for individual classes at theatre – dates & times for your class group to be confirmed
Tues 28th Jun Rehearsals for individual classes at theatre – dates & times for your class group to be confirmed
Wed 29th Jun Full dress rehearsal for all pupils at theatre
Thurs 30th Jun Either Rest Day or SHOWTIME (TBC)
Fri 1st Jul SHOWTIME
Sat 2nd Jul SHOWTIME

If you have any questions, grab Susan after class, or contact us for a chat at any time. Until then, here’s to a fabulous show!

SK Dance Studio & Tapathon are supporting Children in Need

Tapathon Children in Need Fundraising

An attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest tap dance is to be held on Sunday 15th November 2015 at hundreds of different locations across the UK, in aid of BBC Children in Need…. Including at SK Dance Studio!

Everyone is invited to take part and we’ll be teaching the special Tapathon2015 routine to SK Dance Studio tap pupils and adult tappers in class over the next few weeks. But don’t worry if you’re not perfect – it’s all about joining in, having fun and raising money for a very worthy cause.

What is Tapathon2015?

It’s not about duration – we won’t be dancing for hours. Tapathon is about the number of people across the UK who perform exactly the same routine at exactly the same time on the same day.

How is money raised?

Each tap dancer wishing to take part in Tapathon2015 orders a special Tapathon commemorative T-shirt costing £10 – all proceeds go to Children in Need. If you wish to raise even more money and donate it directly to Children in Need by getting sponsorship – feel free!

How do I register to take part?

To give enough time for the T-Shirts to arrive, you need to register to take part and pay your £10 by Tuesday 6th October. Please place your £10 in an envelope, write your name and t-shirt size (i.e. your usual clothes size for adults, or clothes age for children) on the front, and hand it in to Susan. And that’s it! Just learn the routine in class then come down to SK Dance Studio on Sunday 15th November at 12 noon to join in the fun and hopefully break a World Record!!!

Not danced with us before & want to join in?

No problem! Just come along to any of our tap classes in the run up to the event to learn the routine. Contact Susan to chat about the most appropriate class for you.

SK Dance Studio LOVES tap, so we’re super-excited to be involved in Tapathon2015 to use our love of dance to raise money for this very worthy cause.

Get practicing now with this video of the Tapathon2015 routine!

Celebrating success with a 100% pass rate in recent dance exams

Pre exam excitement and jitters at SK Dance Studio

The results from our recent Allied Dancing Association (ADA) medal tests and ballet exams are in, and we’re delighted to say that they’re absolutely fantastic with a 100% pass rate.

We’d like to say a huge well done to each and every dancer whose hard work has paid off, with everyone securing at least a coveted merit grade or higher, which is an outstanding group achievement.

“I’m thrilled with these results” said Susan Kielb, Principal at SK Dance Studio which is based in Appley Bridge, Wigan.  “All our dancers worked very hard to prepare for exam day and I’m delighted that all that work has been rewarded with such great grades.  You’ve made Cara and I very proud dance teachers indeed”.

Pupils of all ages took part in the medal tests on July 12th 2015, presenting performance dance pieces for the examiner in tap, ballet and modern dance. Some dancers also took ballet exams.

For some of our younger dancers, this was their first ever dance examination experience, but they overcame their pre-exam jitters and entered the exam room with lovely smiles on their faces, and with poise and grace.

“The Allied Dancing Association medal tests are the ideal complement to the more formal ISTD examinations into which we also enter our pupils” explains Susan. “They’re a great way to build the confidence of our young dancers, giving them an opportunity to really show their dance performance skills. The examiner looks for confidence, style, musicality and presentation, as well as great dance technique. Judging by the excellent grades, the examiner saw all that in spades in our pupils!”.

Congratulations once more to all our dancers. We hope you’re as proud of yourselves as we are!

Presentation Evening
4pm on Saturday 19th September at The Vale

To give our dancers the recognition they deserve, we’re holding a special presentation evening on 19th September at The Vale, starting at 4pm. During the evening, dancers will get an opportunity to perform some of their exam and medal test work for their families, and of course, they’ll be awarded with their well deserved certificates, medals and trophies. We hope that you’ll all be able to join us.

Refreshments will be provided – Tickets are £1 per person at the door.

 

Medal Tests & Exams: Sunday 12th July

SK Dance Studio Ballet class at the barre

We’re delighted to publish the timetable for the Allied Dancing Association (ADA) medal tests and exams, which will take place here at SK Dance in the dance studio at The Vale on Sunday 12th of July.

All Saturday pupils apart from the Baby Ballet class will be taking medals tests, along with students who take ballet classes in the week (excluding Baby Ballet).

Medal tests are less formal than an ISTD syllabus-based exam (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing), but they do give dancers a fabulous opportunity to receive recognition for their performance-based dance skills.

Here at SK Dance Studio, we give pupils the opportunity to enter medals tests as well as formal ISTD exams. We’ve found that medal tests are great for building confidence, which helps to prepare pupils for a more formal dance exam situation and of course, getting a medal or a trophy in recognition of their performance gives young dancers a massive sense of achievement.

Please arrive promptly at the time detailed below. As an exam is likely to be taking place in the dance studio when you arrive, we’d be very grateful if you’d be really quiet both outside, and in the waiting area.

Arrival Times

  • If your usual Saturday class starts at 9.30am, 10am or 11am – Please arrive for your medal test at 1.30pm
  • If your usual Saturday class starts at 12 noon, 1.15pm or 2.30pm – Please arrive for your medal test at 2.00pm
  • All Tuesday and Thursday Ballet pupils – Please arrive for your medal test at 4pm
  • Older grades – please check your specific timeslot with Susan

Hair for Medal Tests & Exams

All pupils should wear their hair in a neat bun which sits just above the nape of the neck.  Fringes are not allowed, so if your child has a fringe, please ensure it is pinned back securely and lots of hairspray is used to keep it back! Please use a hairnet and kirby grips to secure your bun in place.

Uniform for Medal Tests & Exams

  • UNIFORM 9.30 & 10AM SAT CLASSES:
    Pink skirted leotard. White ballet socks. Clean white tap shoes with fresh white ribbon. Pink leather ballet shoes for modern. Pink satin ballet shoes for Ballet. If you need ballet socks, please ask Susan.
  • UNIFORM 11AM SAT CLASS:
    Plum leotard & plum tights. Black ballet shoes for modern. Clean white tap shoes with fresh white ribbon. Pink satin ballet shoes with ribbon, white ballet socks and plum chiffon skirt for Ballet.  If you need ballet socks, please ask Susan.
  • UNIFORM 12.15PM SAT CLASSES:
    Plum leotard & plum tights. Black ballet shoes for modern. Black ISTD tap shoes & tap pants. Pink satin ballet shoes with ribbon, ballet tights and plum chiffon skirt for Ballet.
  • OLDER GRADES – Full uniforms please!

We’d like to wish all dancers taking a medal test or exam the very best of luck. If you try your very hardest, we know you’ll all do really well and you’ll make us very proud.  Don’t forget to smile!

Try our Strictly Come Dancing inspired exercise class FitSteps

Fitsteps classes at SK Dance Studio Wigan

We’re delighted to announce that SK Dance Studio teacher Cara Birchall has qualified as a FitSteps® instructor, so come along and try out this fabulous Strictly Come Dancing inspired exercise class on Thursdays at 8.40pm

Developed by Strictly Come Dancing’s Natalie Lowe, Ian Waite and Mark Foster, FitSteps® brings Latin and Ballroom to the exercise class! It’s a dance fitness programme that’s so much fun, you won’t even realise you’re working out!

“Since qualifying as an instructor, I’ve really got the FitSteps® bug” said Cara, who’s also a fully qualified teacher of ballet, tap, modern and jazz at SK Dance Studio. “FitSteps® is an amazing workout that will really get you moving, burning calories, toning up and most of all, having a really great time. The hour session goes so quickly because it really is enjoyable, yet you’ll feel like you’ve worked hard”.

The FitSteps® programme was developed around popular Latin and Ballroom dances that any fan of Strictly Come Dancing will recognise from the show, including Jive, Cha Cha, Samba, Tango, Waltz and Quickstep. During the class, you’ll learn dance sequences that are broken down into bite-sized sections so you can pick them up really easily. And because you can choose the effort level you’re comfortable with, FitSteps® is suitable for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

Come along to a FitSteps® class at The Vale, Appley Bridge, Wigan – Just £3. No dancing partner required!

Cara’s FitSteps® class takes place at the The Vale, Appley Bridge, Wigan every Thursday at 8.40pm. FitSteps® sessions cost £3 each, payable on the night. Wear trainers and comfy clothes (like your gym kit) and don’t forget to bring a bottle of water!

Introducing Tiny Tappers – new to the SK Dance Studio timetable

Tiny Tappers tap class at SK Dance Studio

Hot on the heels of our ballet classes for two and three year old toddlers, we’re delighted to bring you news of yet another new class to the SK Dance Studio timetable… Tiny Tappers – a tap class exclusively for 2 and 3 year old toddlers.

As the name suggests, this is an ideal first tap dancing class that’s designed especially to engage and entertain little ones with music, movement and of course, lots of loud tapping!

Susan Kielb, principal of SK Dance Studio explains more… “Our Ballet Babies classes have been a huge hit with toddlers and parents alike that adding a tap class for two and three year olds to our schedule seemed a really logical move. Tap dancing is such tremendous fun”.

Tiny Tappers is held every Saturday morning at 9.30am, straight after our Ballet Babies session at 9.00am, making it really convenient for parents who’d like their child to do both classes. Like all SK Dance classes, Tiny Tappers is held at our dance studio at The Vale, Skullhouse Lane, Appley Bridge, WN6 9DJ.

If you need tap shoes, they’re available from SK Dance Studio for just £10. Toddlers can join up at any time.

“Percussive dance styles like tap dancing are really engaging for little ones” explained Susan. “The sound of your own taps on a dance-floor is something truly exciting and helps children to develop rhythm, coordination and of course, burn off some energy. Tap dancing is fast and fun for both boys and girls, so come along and try out class”.

Like all our dance classes, Tiny Tappers is taught by a fully qualified dance teacher (registered with Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing I.S.T.D. and the Allied Dancing Association A.D.A.). For more information on Tiny Tappers, Ballet Babies or any of the other classes on the SK Dance Studio schedule, don’t hesitate to contact Susan on 07952 864 084.

Our top 10 dancers of all time: #1 – Gene Kelly

Gene Kelly at Number 1 in SK Dance Studio Top 10 dancers of all time list

Gene Kelly grew up in a working-class neighbourhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where instead of playing out with his mates, spent his free time in dancing classes. Trained in Classical Ballet and after working as both a dance teacher and a successful Broadway musical actor, Gene Kelly hit Hollywood with a bang in the 1942 film “For Me and My Gal” opposite Judy Garland.

Perhaps reflective of his working-class roots, Gene was famous for his distinctively relaxed dance style and favoured regular clothes and every-day settings for his routines over extravagant costumes and fancy sets. This common-man’s approach to choreography created some of the most memorable movie dance scenes of all time, like the unforgettable puddle-splashing, lamppost-swinging sequence in “Singing in the Rain”.

Gene was also the master of dancing with props which added technical complexity and humour to his choreography in equal measure. Take the amazing scene from the 1943 movie “Thousands Cheer” for example, in which Gene dances with both a mop and a broom. And you don’t get more complex than his outstanding tap dancing on roller-skates routine from “It’s Always Fair Weather” released in 1955. OK, so dancer and regular co-star Donald O’Connor may have tap-skated on film first, but Kelly’s interpretation a couple of years later completely blew it out of the water IMHO.

Click here to watch a video of Gene Kelly’s amazing tap-skating routine.

His technical brilliance, combined with comedic delivery and a knack for connecting with the audience, underlines Gene’s genius and puts him (now I’ve had chance to think about it), right at the top of the SK Dance Studio Top 10 Dancers of All Time list.

Our top 10 dancers of all time: #2 – Bill Bojangles Robinson

Bill Bojangles Robinson at Number 2 in SK Dance Studio Top 10 dancers of all time list

As you may have gathered from some of the other choices in the SK Dance Studio best dancers of all time list, we just LOVE percussive dance styles so there’s plenty of tap dancers in our top 10 list. And when it comes to tap-dancing in particular, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson was the absolute godfather.

Bill’s signature dance style was so relaxed and understated, it was virtually horizontal. Apart from a natural swing of the arms and the odd tilt of his hat, the upper-body hardly featured in his choreography at all and to be honest, why would you want to take the focus off your feet when you can dance like Mr Bojangles?

Born in 1878 as Luther Robinson (a name he apparently didn’t like so swapped names with his brother – strange I know), Bill was dancing from a very early age. As a child, he worked as a “hoofer” – a sort of dancing busker, then dropped out of school to pursue his dance career with a travelling company, which eventually led to huge success on Broadway.

Bill’s career was propelled to the big time thanks to the ingenious “stair-dance” routine he created for the 1928 Broadway revue, Blackbirds. And if you needed justification for Bill’s number two spot, then watch this routine for yourself. With no set, no costumes and no big band to distract you, all you can focus on is the quality and rhythmic brilliance of the tap dancing. I mean, how many beats can you possibly cram into a riff or wing? It’s ridiculous and absolutely, utterly mesmerising!

Click here to watch Bill Bojangles Robinson’s mesmerising stair tap dance.

Bill was still amazing audiences in his fifties thanks to a successful screen pairing with Shirley Temple in a series of smash-hit musicals. Through this endearing partnership, Bill got to recreate his famous stair-dance routine in “The Little Colonel”, as well as make social history by becoming the first African American male to ever dance with a white girl on film.

Bill… we salute you.

SK Ballet Babies now on a Friday or Saturday morning

Ballet Babies at SK Dance Studio Wigan

In November 2013 we launched a brand new dancing class to the SK Dance Studio time-table specifically aimed at 2 and 3 year old children. This special baby ballet class has been so popular that we’ve added an extra class to the timetable.

You can now choose either our 10.30am Friday morning class, or our 9am Saturday morning class.

This thirty minute class is designed especially to excite and engage little ones aged two and three years old and offers a truly magical introduction to ballet. SK Dance Studio Principal Susan Kielb explains: “We’ve had some really great feedback about our new SK Ballet Babies class which is especially structured to engage young children in age-appropriate ballet-based activities including dance, music, imagination and of course, lots and lots of fun” said Susan. “We found that many parents really wanted to bring their children, but couldn’t make the weekday class time, so we decided to add an extra class, this time on a Saturday”.

“The content and approach for the new Saturday SK Ballet Babies class is the same as that in the week. It’s a great way to get toddlers interested in a really rewarding and captivating activity that will keep on growing with them as they get older” said Susan.

Ballet is the ideal way to help your toddler child to develop a sense of musicality, build confidence, co-ordination and body awareness, as well as providing a great opportunity to make new friends and burn off some energy. At SK Dance Studio, we believe it’s never too early to introduce your child to dance.

How much do SK Ballet Babies classes cost?

SK Dance Studio’s baby ballet classes cost just £20 for a six week block and take place in our dance studio at The Vale, Appley Bridge, Wigan. You can start at any time during the course (we’ll simply adjust the price to reflect the remaining number of classes left in the block when you start).

“SK Ballet Babies classes are thirty minutes long, which we think is just about the right length for little ones. It’s not too short that our little dancers’ enjoyment ends just as they’re warming up, yet it’s not so long that children get too tired or lose interest” added Susan.

Contact us now to reserve your child’s place

To reserve a place for your child on either our Saturday or Friday SK Ballet Babies class, or if you’ve got any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us by phone, email or via our Facebook page.

Like all our dance classes, Ballet Babies is taught by a fully qualified dance teacher (registered with Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing I.S.T.D. and the Allied Dancing Association A.D.A.).

Hope to see you soon!