Agape Dance

Here is Catrina Contini posing after her wonderful performance at the Youth American Grand Prix Semi-final in San Francisco.

Agape Dance Academy sent their elite dancers to this event at the end of February.

Click her to see our YAGP showcase in Scotts Valley California. Beautiful images of our dancers right before they left for the regional semi-final in San Francisco, California

http://animoto.com/play/T7k59Tacx0ZFW6hEAeyA1g

Yeah for ballet in Scotts Valley!!

                                                                                Our wonderful journey to the YAGP semi-finals in followed by master classes at San Francisco Ballet.  We can hardly wait to go again next year!!!

Lots of great news coming from Agape Dance Academy, the premier classical ballet traininggrounds  in Scotts Valley, CA. (Santa Cruz County).  

10 dancers from Agape Dance Academy  are entering the regional semi-finals Youth American Grand Prix  competition in San Francisco at the end of this month. We are so proud of them for their amazing growth in skills and tenacity in training.  We have also included the dancers in the design  process of each of their tutus lead by costume designer Terri Contini.  The overall learning process leading up to this competion has been amazing.  We will be having a showcase at the studio Wednesday February 20th  at 6:30. Following the competition the students attend master classes at San Francisco Ballet which will be invaluable professional exposure to world-renowned dance professionals as well as a great time to add to their skills set..  

Our goal at Agape Dance in attending this competition is not focused on winning, but we are looking to improve each students personal best at reaching personal goals.  We also encourage the students to help set a precedent and example of being  encouragers of each other and  all attendees in their best efforts at whatever level they are dancing at.  This helps to create an atmosphere where competition can be full of camaraderie, growth, and great memories.

Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) is the world's largest student ballet scholarship competion that awards over $250,000 annually in scholarships to leading dance schools worldwide.  The copetition is held annually around the world and in New York City, and is open to dance students of all nationalites 9-19 years of age. 

Ballet in Scotts Valley.  Actually it's really exciting that we have classical ballet happening in Scotts Valley.  After Shuffles moved to Ben Lomond, there was a few days with NO dance classes in Scotts Valley!!  With the exception of Skylight Ballroom Studio.

All of Santa Cruz County has always had great art.  I am glad to be part of that tradition. Were looking forward to a year of great technical training, a lot of camaraderie, and great perfomances.

The Chamber mixer was a great time and the performance was short yet beautiful.  We hope to do more classical ballet and choreography for the town of Scotts Valley in the future.   

  Why bring them back to ballet at 8?? Because this is the age where cognitive and physical maturity is ripe to apply and retain classical,  technical ballet training.  Being the only girl after three boys meant my mom was was busy with her three teen boys when the Los Gatos Academy of dance told her to bring me back at eight, which she did and I loved it from the start.  During my years of performing with ballet companies, countless women would tell me that they regretted quiiting ballet.  On further inquiry I found that most of them had quit between the ages of 4 and 5 thus never having really studied beginning ballet technique.

  So why does Agape Dance Academy in Scotts Valley offer pre-ballet??  Because little girls love to dance and most parents will sign them up at these ages for the thrill of watching their daughters first ballet class (a beautiful thing I might add), and for great photos and memory making.  The goal at Agape Dance Academy in Scotts Valley is to provide the shorter sessions of pre-ballet classes so that the children have a wonderful early experience of dance, and are inspired to continue.  Shorter sessions will help the children avoid burnout in which  their begging to start ballet turns to into  begging to quit ballet before they ever got to the age of beginning technical trainging.

  To encourage this age group to not miss out, Scotts Valley's Agape Dance Academy is conducting a yearly talent search/ audtion that offers a one year full scholarship to one male and one female dancer between the ages of 8 and 10.  This year the audition takes place at Agape Dance in Scotts Valley September 19th at 3:00pm.  Call for details and restrictions apply.

   After all this is said, I have met plenty of professional dancers who did begin ballet at age 3 and never quit. So I wouldn't dicourage young dancers from following their dreams.  And its never to late to begin to study the skills of dance that will last a lifetime.  

   And at the other end of the spectrum, I met one girl on scholarship at San Francisco Ballet who took her first ballet class at the age of 15.  She threw  herself in whole heartedly and was on scholarship st San Francisco Ballet  three years later.  Unusual but inspiring!!

   Call to find out when our pre-ballet sessions begin this fall!  Bring a friend, and hope to see you there!!!

 Ballet dancers of all ages have flocked to study ballet at Agape Dance Academy, a new ballet studio in Scotts Valley, California.

 It's never to late to learn to dance.  It has been so great to see so many adults registered for absolute beginning ballet and how far they have come in just six weeks.  Adults sometimes think that ballet is for little girls in pink tutus and that's it, only to find that taking ballet as an adult has many benefits and is really fun.  One of the outstanding benefits is it is great exercise.  Many adult dancers tell me that after taking ballet classes they feel that no other form of exercise they have tried has the full body work out that ballet does.  And as you are getting a fabulous workout, the appreciation of the art form grows hand and hand with the training.  Never again will you watch ballet and think it's super easy!!  It just looks effortless!!  We are going to continue to have an ongoing newcomers ballet class in Scotts Valley so people can get caught up to an already running level and study the basics at their own pace.  Bring a friend , and come on down.  It's never to late to learn to dance!!!