Contemporary School of Dance

Things you can control... ...not just in auditions, but in LIFE! . Make today a GREAT one!

CSD Dance Company would like to wish everyone at CSD a very Merry Christmas! I think we all need a little Christmas and all the joy and peace the season brings! Music: We Need a Little Christmas by Pentatonix Movement choreographed and filmed by CSD Dance Company Film editing by Maddie Reid

Hydrate dancers!!

Some inspiration for the CSD Holiday Dance Challenge!! Don’t forget to submit your dances on the CSD Dance Family private FB group page! #csdholidaydancechallenge

Many thanks to CSD families for their generous donations to our Toonies For Toys campaign! ContemporarySchoolofDance has matched donations and contributed a total of $275.00 to @KnightsofColumbusToyDrive #csdance #tooniesfortoys #toydrive #knightsofcolumbuswaterloo

Great virtual audition tips from The Brainy Ballerina!

CSD Students! Anyone interested in participating?

CSD classes start up again Mon. Jan. 4th! All classes will be on Zoom! Register now! www.csdance.com #csdance #danceclasses #kwdanceclasses #danceclassesinwaterloo #zoom #dancingonzoom #zoomingrightalong #backtodance #newyear #newgoals #kwawesome

We need the arts. Support your local arts organizations today so that they will be here tomorrow. #artisessential #danceisessential

This week, wear as much PURPLE as possible to your zoom classes!! #csdance #csdspirit #purple #getyourpurpleon #zoom #danceonzoom #keepdancing

It’s not too late to sign up for TODAY’s workshops!! #csdance #registeronline #happyholidays

In the interest of stopping the spread and with a goal of being completely transparent, we are sad to announce that a CSD faculty member tested positive for COVID-19 on Sat. Nov. 14th and unfortunately, a CSD student also tested positive for COVID-19 on Mon. Nov. 16th. The cases may or may not be linked, but we are hopeful that these are isolated cases. We wish both individuals a healthy and speedy recovery and are keeping them and their families in our thoughts daily. Here... is what we have done to be proactive about this situation: - When we found out about the first case on Saturday, we immediately stopped classes and closed the studio, out of an abundance of caution. - Region of Waterloo Public Health was contacted three times as of Nov. 17, we are still waiting for a response so have not been able to share information for contact tracing. When we hear back, we will update our dance families. - Although we are aware that Public Health will probably follow up with contact tracing, we also sent emails to students who would be at higher risk, especially if they were in contact with the individuals within 48 hours of onset of symptoms. The identity of the teacher and student were not shared to protect their privacy. - The studio was cleaned and disinfected. - All faculty members have either been tested or are trying to get COVID-19 tests - All of our classes have moved to ZOOM for November 16 27 - We are waiting for further direction from Public Health We are confident that we have done everything possible to keep our dancers and staff healthy and safe since re-opening in September. Our COVID-19 Safety Protocols include screening staff and students, wearing masks throughout the studio (including during classes), practicing physical distancing throughout the studio, regular daily cleaning and disinfecting the studios between classes (floors, barres, touchpoints, etc.), hand sanitizer (entrance & exit of the building, entrance/exit of studio rooms, and during class if necessary), no bare feet throughout, smaller class sizes, supervision of young children at our ,entrance and exits and management of traffic flow in the building (in the front/out the back), as well as following all other provincial and municipal health and safety guidelines and restrictions. We also feel confident that our response over the past few days with parents and students has been timely, clear and transparent, and shows our compassion and sense of responsibility to our dance community. We would like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to download the COVID ALERT App, stay safe, wash your hands, wear your mask, and keep distancing yourself from others. We are excited to stay connected with all of our students over zoom this week and we look forward to when we can all return to the studio again. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Copied from Google: In honor of Native American Heritage Month in the U.S., today’s video Doodlecreated in partnership with Native American guest artists Lydia Cheshewalla, Chris Pappan, and Yatika Starr Fields celebrates Maria Tallchief, member of the Osage Nation who was America’s first, major prima ballerina. Not only a trailblazer for Native American dancers, Tallchief is widely considered one of the country’s most influential ballerinas of all time. On this day in 200...7, a bronze sculpture of Tallchief and four other Native American ballerinas was unveiled in Oklahoma at the Tulsa Historical Society in a piece titled The Five Moons by artist Gary Henson. Maria Tallchief was born Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief on January 24, 1925 in the town of Fairfax on the Osage Indian Reservation in northern Oklahoma. She began her ballet training at the age of three and continued to do so upon the family's relocation to Beverly Hills in 1933. Determined to become a dancer, she moved to New York after high school and joined the esteemed Russian troupe Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo that same year. In 1944, Tallchief first worked with the now-legendary choreographer George Balanchine. Her virtuosic skill and electric energy proved a perfect match for Balanchine’s demanding works. After she became the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet, Tallchief returned to New York and joined the Ballet Society, which was co-founded by Balanchine and soon renamed the New York City Ballet. Her prodigious talent was recognized when she was named the company’s first-ever prima ballerina. Over the course of 18 years with the company, Tallchief starred in acclaimed productions such as The Firebird (1949), Swan Lake (1951), and The Nutcracker (1954)all of which are depicted in today’s Doodle. In her iconic role as the Sugar Plum Fairy, she helped elevate The Nutcracker from relative obscurity into one of ballet’s most popular, long-running productions. Following Tallchief’s retirement from dancing in 1965, she went on to serve as the artistic director of the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet and the founder and artistic director of the Chicago City Ballet. For her enduring impact on American ballet, Tallchief was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1996, received the National Medal for the Arts in 1999, and was posthumously inducted into the National Native American Hall of Fame in 2018. Here’s to a groundbreaking artist who forever raised the bar of American ballet.

Have you signed up!?

It's #NHSDALoveYourBodyWeek - the week dedicated to creating body-positive dance environments! We invite all individual participants and chapters of the Nationa...l Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) to join us in celebrating "NHSDA Love Your Body Week" - a national campaign to encourage body positivity and celebrate all the wonderful things our bodies can do. Preparation is key in creating a safe and healthy experience for all participants. Please be sure to carefully review and follow all guidelines and resources provided at nhsda-ndeo.org/lybw as you celebrate this week. Many thanks to Rachel Stewart and Mary Pisegna Gorder for their efforts in preparing all NHSDA Love Your Body Week materials.

Congratulations to CSD Faculty, Megan, on starting the Performing Arts’ Triple Threat Training Program at Randolph College in Toronto! #csdance #dancegoals #randolph #dance #triplethreat #postsecondarydancetraining

Don’t forget! Purdys Chocolate Order Deadline: TOMORROW! Sunday, November 15th! This chocolate survival kit is EVERYTHING!! Order here: https://fundraising.purdys.com/229164-79617

WEEK-LONG SALE! Save Up To 80% - No Promo Code Needed. - Available online and in-store through Friday, November 27

Love these memories! And miss being able to hug and put our arms on each other’s shoulders!!

The movie premiere of Hansel &Gretel is tonight!! Can’t wait!!

Many thanks to our supportive CSD parents and students!! #csdance #zoomingrightalong #zoom #keepdancing #zoomclasses #thanks #thankful #dance

So thankful to the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund!

We look forward to seeing all of our students over ZOOM this week and next! Never stop dancing!!

This looks amazing!!