Highlights of this year’s performance include a special appearance by Dance Alive National Ballet’s principal dancers Andre Valladon and Michelle Incollingo, who will perform a duet from the classic ballet Carmen and a contemporary piece, Fused Tutu.

Dance Alive, which is designated as the State of Florida Touring Company, has had a long partnership with Gulfcoast Dance. That collaboration brings to Fort Myers not only the powerful performances of Valladon and Incollingo but also a special presentation of two pieces from the Dance Alive repertoire. Under the direction of Dance Alive choreographer and director Judy Skinner, local dancers will perform two of the company’s classical jazz pieces: I Don’t Wanna Be Lost, featuring the music of the University of Florida gospel choir, and Psalm 150, danced to the sweet sounds of Doc Sevrenson’s horn and band. These gospel-inspired works promise to lift you form your seat.

The show celebrates multiple other forms of dance, from ballet to tap to modern, and features dancers ages 3 through adult. Enjoy Cuddly Ducks, Hippity Hoppity Frogs, by the festival’s youngest performers, sense the drama of the young Black Swan corps de ballet, feel the Flight of unrestrained modern dancers and smile at the flirtatious Java, a ballet piece set to Al Hirt’s trumpet.

General admission tickets are $12, available now or at the door on the day of the performance. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, please call 239.334.3274.

Spring Break

Spring Break begins next week! The studio will be closed for the week of April 25; we’ll see you again on May 1. Monday night’s Style Class is the only class meeting over the break.

Volunteer Moms

Our Festival of Dance is coming quickly! This is a big undertaking and requires attention from all of us. For each class, we need two volunteer moms to be backsatge and care for each class. Let us know if you would like to do this. You are responsible to line the children up, get them to the stage, collect them as they exit and return them safely to the dressing room. It is fun to do and the children appreciate your involvement.

Costumes

Costumes are arriving and costs will be posted soon. Please keep an eye out! In addition, Ballet wears pink tights & shoes, Modern, Tap & Jazz usually wear tan with appropriate shoes.

Dress Rehearsal

Tech & Dress for all dancers in Festival of Dance information will be coming to you soon. Our theater time is a little different this year with rehearsals meeting after-school on Thursday or Friday, nothing on Saturday and our show on Sunday. You will receive a schedule.

Angels

We are seeking Patron Supporters & Advertisers for our Festival of Dance Show Program. Support and advertising spaces are available at several levels. For full details and an application, download our supporters’ brochure. You may also call the studio at 239.334.3274.

Our dancers will present two new pieces of choreography in Ballet and Modern Dance. Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker excerpt “Snow”, choreography by Jennifer Reed, is dynamic with a sense of a swelling snow storm and the calm that falls after. Continuing an introspective perspective “Undercurrent”, choreography by Alyce Bochette, is an expression of forces pushing us apart and swirling us together.

Dancers will perform downstairs before and after the Opening Ceremonies for the Art Exhibition – Passion on Paper -which will be upstairs.

The Art of the Olympians building is at 1300 Hendry Street, in downtown Fort Myers.

Classrooms are our dressing rooms for most students. Teens, Adults, and Soloists are in the Green Room or Third Floor Studio. Please come as near dressed as possible. We will do our best to stay on time.

Hair: Dancers secure hair off neck in buns, braid, or twist. (3-5 year olds should also try to accomplish this.) No bangs as it shortens your face.

Dressing Room Requirements: No food or eating in costume! No messy anything in the dressing rooms. Nothing that will spill or melt. We are guests at Bishop Verot and will be fined for any damage to classrooms! No writing on Blackboards, desks, papers etc. Use trash barrels in the hall.

Videos by parents may be taken during the rehearsals, not during the performance.

There can be no filming in the theater with personal cameras, tripods, cords, lights, flashes, or changing seats during the performance. House Manager will stop the show if not observed. Every exciting moment of your student’s performance will be professionally taped & available for purchase in the fall after viewing.

All children in the theater must be attended at all times. This is an insurance requirement.

Be alert to playing in the aisles, steps, pit, and/or lobby. Absolutely no eating or drinking is allowed in the audience area. The House Manager will be firm. Guests who cause a disturbance will be relocated.

Please enter and exit the theater quietly, and then only between dances.

Free school parking is available in the adjacent lots. There is a Security Guard on patrol.

Theater: Lobby and Tickets Open 2:00p.m. day of show. Tickets are $12.00 at the door. Seating open near 2:30p.m. Priority given to handicapped audience members. No strollers in aisles!

Everyone: please pick up your Dressing Rooms! Names on all articles helps us return them to you.

Tappers: use elastic in shoes (no ties please)!

Dressers/Helper Moms: Bring extra safety pins, bobby pins, sewing kit, hair spray, story books, quiet games, dry snacks. Release children to parents only.

Reminder to all: no costumes in the audience, please. It destroys the magic of performance. Bring a plain leotard to change into instead.

Dancers & Parents: We encourage you to stay for the entire show to give your support not only to our guest artists but to all those who have put their heart into dancing for you. By seeing all ages you may better plan your class choices for next season.

Dance Bochette partners with Gulfcoast Dance, Inc. (nonprofit) and guests from Dance Alive National Ballet in this year’s performance at the Anderson Theater.

You may be the perfect person to become an Angel! You love dance and know a dancer who is studying the art of dance now. Please help our nonprofit mission by securing as much support as possible on any level before we go to press. Family and friends’ businesses are great resources. Lift the educational and performance opportunities for yourselves and this community with continuing workshops for kids, master classes for pre-professionals, and scholarship by audition each January.

1,000 professionally printed souvenir programs will offer great exposure. All Gifts, Patronships and Advertisements are tax deductible donations to the nonprofit Gulfcoast Dance.

To become an Angel, or for information on submitting an advertisement to our program, download a printable submission form. You may also send us an email.

Many thanks to our guest dancers from Dance Alive, Carla Amancio and Andre Valladon:

You are the perfect person to become an Angel! You love dance and know a dancer who is studying the art of dance now.

Please help our “non-for-profit” mission by securing as much support as possible on any level before we go to press in May. Family and friends’ businesses are great resources.

Lift the educational and performance opportunities for yourselves and this community with continuing workshops for kids, master classes for pre-professionals and scholarship by audition each January.

1,000 professionally printed souvenir programs will offer great exposure.

All Gifts, Patronships and Advertisements are tax deductible with Gulfcoast Dance non-profit status.

For more information, pricing, and how to become a patron or submit an advertisement, please click here. You may also contact our studio via email.