Of course there is a Santa Claus! He is as much a part of the world as you or I. No one will ever be able to prove his existence. But, no one will ever be able to prove that he doesn’t exist either. While you can’t see him, you can see his presence all around in the special time of the season.

Santa Claus exists in the first awakening of Christmas morning, when you rub your eyes and joyfully realize what day it is. He exists in your family waiting to see the presents under the tree until everyone is ready. He exists in Christmas breakfast and dinner with the ones you love.

If there were no Santa Claus, who eats the cookies and milk you leave out on Christmas Eve? Who knows exactly what to have waiting for you under the tree? Who reads the letter you send in the mail every year? Of course he exists.

Adults and children alike doubt the existence of Santa Claus every day. It happens all the time. Eventually, you too may doubt that there is a Santa Claus. But however much you or anyone else may doubt, never lose your faith in him. The Christmas spirit becomes dimmer as time goes on for those who stop believing,  but if you keep your hopes high in Santa, you will never feel the pain of lost spirit. If you never stop believing, you will never lose sight of the magic that truly is the Christmas season.

Make sure to tell your friends and all those around you that Santa truly exists. This year, when you wake up to an empty plate, an empty glass and presents under the tree, remember this. There is, and always will be, a Santa Claus.

I left off yesterday with Clara and the Nutcracker passing the Snowflakes and entering the Land of the Sweets. They arrive and land in a magical world filled with ice cream, cookies, candies and the like. They are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy and they tell her the story of how they arrived there. The sugar plum fairy then takes the two inside the Candy Castle for a festival filled with dancing.

The Spanish Fandango is the first to perform, also known as “Chocolate” or “Hot Chocolate:”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPcEY5MMtY0

The Arabian Dance is next, also known as “Coffee:”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpwuTiURwOM

The Chinese Dance follows, also known as “Tea:”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3kdY2vMO0w

Then arrives the Russian Dance, also known as the “Candy Cane” dancers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvu7F3bTJq8&feature=related

After this, Mother Ginger arrives on stage and eight little Ginger Bread children come out of her skirt. It was really hard to find a good video of this, but this is the best one I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJvhyRMrop4&feature=related

Then comes the Waltz of the Flowers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDwgK9JKUiw

After this, Clara and her Nutcracker dance until she awakes under her tree, with the Nutcracker doll still in hand.

Kim

So Thanksgiving is over, which means the Nutcracker is so close! I have a few videos to put up for previews. Just in case anyone is actually interested in going, here’s a synopsis of the first part of the show and some videos for a taste of what it’s like.

Most of the first act is what we always called “The Party Scene.” In the center stands a tall Christmas tree surrounded by lots of presents. Clara and her family are awaiting the arrival of their guests for their annual Christmas party. After every one arrives, Godfather Drosselmeyer shows up dressed in mysterious black clothing. He is a toy maker and has brought Clara and her friends gifts, including dolls for the girls and soldiers with drums for the boys. He brings Clara the most special toy of all: the Nutcracker. After the party, Clara falls asleep under the tree with her Nutcracker doll.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffy8lK7MUnc&feature=PlayList&p=5839A5DC076363D0&index=6

At midnight, she awakes to a frightening scene. The house, tree and toys all are growing larger, while she remains the same size. She is surrounded by large white mice dressed in soldier uniforms and a Mouse King leading the way. The Nutcracker organizes the soldiers and fights the Mouse King and his army. With the help of Clara throwing her slipper at the Mouse King’s head, the Nutcracker and the soldier army defeat the mice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp7wWCIWQVE

The Nutcracker is then transformed into a handsome prince, who takes Clara on a journey through the forest, where they travel through snow that turns into dancing women. Dance of the Snowflakes takes place at the end of Act I. It’s the last dance before Clara enters the Land of the Sweets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBeUxXSNiFc&feature=PlayList&p=5839A5DC076363D0&index=1

So that’s Act I. Check back for Act II!

Kim

Last night the dance team performed at the Royals Basketball game. It went really well, which is great because I didn’t think we were ready. I don’t have a video of the dance for today because no one posted it yet. As soon as someone puts it on YouTube, I will definitely put the video up for everyone to see.

It’s going to be a tough rest of the semester for the team. We are getting ready for Nationals in January in Florida. We compete in both jazz and hip-hop in the open dance section of the competition. This means that all teams that are Division III and all teams that do not have a coach (like us) can compete in this area. Last year, we placed 16 out of 40 in jazz and 12 our of 40 in hip-hop. This year, we hope to place in the top 10! We had two choreographers come and teach the team routines the weekend of Halloween. They are coming back the Saturday after finals to help clean and perfect it, so along with team practices for the rest of the Basketball games, we are now going to be having additional practices to prepare for competition. The dances are great, but when you add all of this extra practice at a very busy time of the semester, things can get stressful. Good thing we love what we do.

If you want to check out what Nationals is all about, here is the website:

http://uda.varsity.com/

It has great videos and information about competition, camp and other special events.

That’s all for now,

Kim

Tomorrow kicks off the start of the dance team performances at the basketball games. We have been working really hard for tomorrow night, so come out and support the Royals and the dance team! The game starts at 7 p.m. We are dancing to a Black Eyed Peas’ mix that has hip-hop, pom and kick line in it. We are also working on a Christmas dance for the end of the semester. I’ll be sure to post when we are actually doing that.

December is coming quicker than we all think. That means one thing in the ballet world: The Nutcracker! I used to dance with the En Pointe company and participate in the Nutcracker. Once I’m done with school, I’ll probably rejoin and start performing again in Philadelphia. Their show is on December 12. There is one scheduled in Scranton for December 26, 27 and 28 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The Ballet Theatre of Scranton is performing at Marywood University. Here’s the link to the website:

http://www.balletheatre.com/DS/welcome.html

Just click on “calendar” for all of their upcoming events. I hope to go see one of their performances soon.

That’s all for now,

Kim

I found these great videos of Pilobolus on YouTube that might give a better sense of what it does as a group. As I was going over the Web site, I realized that there aren’t any videos on there.

This one is from a performance on the Conan O’Brien show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPERVDVHAr4&feature=related

The last one is my favorite. It’s from the Oscars and it displays some of the nominated movies through movement like The Devil Wears Prada and Snakes on a Plane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHpHA4GK80&feature=related

There’s a ton of them on YouTube if you’re interested in seeing more.

The Dance Team is performing at its first 2009 basketball game next Tuesday. The Royals are playing Kean University at 7 p.m. Come out and support the basketball and dance teams!

These next videos are two of my favorite dance videos of all time!

A classic look at the moves of the decades:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

An impromptu choreographed dance in England:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM

I love the idea of the second video. It’s such a great way to portray communication with so many people. It made me want to jump in and be a part of it.

That’s all for now. Enjoy!

Kim

An open house is tomorrow in the Byron gym. The dance team will have a table there. If you’re interested, come check us out. We will be in the Athletics section under the Club Sports heading. We share a table with the other club sports, so don’t look for a sign that says “Dance Team.”

Anyway, I was checking out the Pilobolus Group. I heard about it last year when my friend went to go see a show and I have been addicted since. Just a brief overview: the group began as an outsider dance company in 1971. It’s a sort of modern dance combined with strange, extreme and dangerous movement. Here’s a link to the website:

http://www.pilobolus.com/

For anyone who says dance isn’t a sport, check this group out. It has intense movements and crazy stunts that no one had come up with before this. The members dance all over the world and show case their bodies to the extreme. For instance, they are performing in California right now, but are performing in Switzerland and Italy all before this upcoming March. I think the most interesting part about the group is that it has eight core dancers, and only two of them are women. It’s so funny to me to hear people consistently say that dance is for girls and that boys shouldn’t do it. Pilobolus is sort of breaking the mold for men in dance.

I know this was short, but I’ll have more next time!

Kim

*I am not being paid by the company Pilobolus to endorse it or its dances.*

Midnight madness was a big hit. We did the same dance as the last time I posted, but here it is again for your viewing pleasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weYkT9c1tKc&feature=player_embedded

We just got those great jerseys last week. I think they look so cool with the pom poms! And also I found a kick line from our first soccer game on someone’s Facebook, so I’ll post that too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YGgGllsC6s&feature=channel

I think this game was during family weekend (Sept. 28). Here’s a funny story – before we did the dance someone made a joke about the train going by during our performance. They thought it would be really difficult to hear the music. Then when we started the first kick line in the dance, the train actually did go by! S0me of the girls said it was a little hard to keep on track with the music, and other girls (including me) said they didn’t hear the train at all! You can always count on the train to go by when you least expect it.

Today I also wanted to blog about a book I read a while ago and have never forgotten. I got it from a dance teacher when I was in my junior year of high school. It’s called Winter Season by Toni Bentley. It’s basically a journal of a dancer who danced in George Balanchine’s Company. It really gives you a great insight into what dancers go through and what they are actually willing to go through to be part of such a prestigious organization like Balanchine’s Company, even when they doubt themselves.

http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Season-Dancers-Journal-preface/dp/0813027055

I think it really sends the message that when you love to dance, you can’t control it. Sometimes I think about every thing that goes into dancing. You have to stretch your muscles to new limits, you’re constantly on your toes and you’re out of breath after every dance class and performance. But when it’s something you love, it doesn’t matter (even when your toes are bleeding, your muscles are pulled, your breath is short and your body consistently smells like IcyHot). When you’re a true dancer, you will put up with any amount of pain or weakness in order to do what you love. It’s something you truly can’t control.

That’s enough philosophical thought for one post.

See you soon,

Kim

Just a reminder about tonight – make sure you all come to Midnight Madness! It starts at 10:30 p.m. and it is in the Long Center gym. The basketball teams will be showing their skills along with the Dance Team, Urban Beats and the University Cheerleaders. Come out and show your support for the team!

I really wanted to point out these great new shoes that I got over the summer. They’re called Dansleekers and they’re made by Capezio. They’re made for a mix between jazz and hip hop. They’re split sole at the foot, so they really allow for a perfect arch to form while you’re dancing. And they’re much lighter than my jazz sneakers or any sneakers I would normally wear for hip hop, so that’s always a plus. It’s much easier to do tricks and leaps when there is not as much weight on your body. Here’s a link to the discount dance ones:

http://www.discountdance.com/frame_set.php3?mf=/dancewear/shoes/page1

Also, I found the 2009 video from the girl I linked you to the other day. She dances to “Hey Big Spender” and again, she’s incredible. She really has so much talent and energy in her dances. She’s 16 now, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of her stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceWDKbNA1uA&annotation_id=annotation_307114&feature=iv

That’s all I have for today, so bye for now!

Kim

This week went by incredibly fast. The dance team performed at the boys’ and girls’ soccer games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. We did pretty well. Here’s the link to the video so you can all see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNMzV2_8QYM

Don’t forget! We will be performing at “Midnight Madness” in the Long Center on Wednesday night. The event starts around 10:30 p.m. If you do come, don’t forget to bring a canned good to donate to the Thanksgiving food drive! Thanks!

So I’ve been browsing around this weekend for some good websites to get good dance clothes and shoes for a low price. I found this one:

http://www.discountdance.com/index.php

They seem to have everything from leotards to tights to warm-ups. I hate ordering shoes online, but if you definitely know your size in a certain type of shoe, this is the place to get them. Right now, there is a “last chance sale” going on for Capezio tap shoes (only $15). They also have great canvas and leather ballet slippers for only around $8 to $10. I normally pay around $19 for my canvas ballet slippers at home, so this is a great deal. But this site is really the best for pointe shoes if you know your exact style and size. I paid $70 for a pair of pointe shoes around three years ago and the same style is on this site for only $45. That’s a great deal if you ask me!

Also, I was looking around on YouTube for some great dance performances that I think should be recognized. I found this amazing girl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTUDX9gFkqs&feature=related

She is absolutely incredible and she picked a great song! She was only 13 at the time of this video in 2006, so once I find her new videos from 2008 I will post them. Watch especially from 0:44 to 0:53 seconds. This is my favorite part because she is so graceful in doing such awkward movements. If anyone has a particular video, they’d like me to take a look at and post, let me know!

Hope you enjoyed!

Kim