Hosanna Dance Newsletter
Fall Edition 2022 ∙ 119 N Deadwood St ∙ Ft Pierre ∙ Artistic Director, Sunny Hannum
Classes start Tuesday, September 6. Check the schedule for day of the week and time of your classes.
It has been a while since we have had a newsletter so we have a lot of news for you.
Our March 19, 2022, performance of "The Deliverer" was over the top good. Thanks to all the students' hard work, my partners, Josh and Sarah Easter, and all the parents and others who helped. We had done this show twice in the past and it just got better and better. I hope our Sleeping Beauty ballet next spring will be even better than the 2006 and 2013 shows.
When we select a show to do, we base it on the makeup of our registrations for the year. That means each time we do a show, we may have to adjust or change it to fit the students' abilities, age, and dance level.
Summer - June
Becca Brusven attended the 11-day South Dakota Ballet's Summer Intensive in Sioux Falls during the last two weeks of June. She was invited to be a trainee for the SD Ballet and thus got to take classes with the main company. All the intensive attendees got to participate in the opening number with the SD Ballet.
Summer - July
The studio took the month of June off and then Ms. Sunny and Becca Brusven taught an Encanto dance camp for two days in July. Josh assisted with crafts and Ms. Sarah found a fun butterfly craft for us to do. Ms. Becca taught a lovely character dance to "The Dysfunctional Tango" from the Encanto movie.
Mr. Josh and Ms. Sarah attended a week-long Lester Horton Teacher’s Pedagogy training from the Alvin Ailey School with Ana Marie Forsythe and other instructors in July.
Ms. Sunny taught four Cecchetti Grade 1 exam classes for students planning to take their exams in Sioux Falls the last week of July. Rae McVey, Walter McVey, Kourtney Hughes, and Shawnie Zeeb all took their Cecchetti Grade 1 exams and passed.
The last week of July, five students attended the Cecchetti Summer Intensive at Dance Gallery in Sioux Falls with their teachers Ms. Sunny, Mr. Josh, and Ms. Sarah.
Ms. Becca attended the Cecchetti Intensive on scholarship and was given a solo from the ballet Paquita to perform in the showcase at the end of the workshop. The showcase was outdoors at the Washington Pavillion. Argus Leader article
Ms. Becca attended the Cecchetti Intensive on scholarship and was given a solo from the ballet Paquita to perform in the showcase at the end of the workshop. The showcase was outdoors at the Washington Pavillion. Argus Leader article
Summer - August
Tuesday nights in August our older dancers took a ballet class and learned some of the variations from Sleeping Beauty including the Song/Canary Fairy, Lilac Fairy, Violente (nicknamed the Finger Fairy), Candide/Crystal Fountain Fairy, and one of Prince Désiré’s variations.
Fall workshops
Fall workshops
Dance Network of South Dakota is in Aberdeen this year, October 21-23.
Registration is open at https://dancenetworksd.org/ For ages 8+
Northern Plains Cecchetti weekend workshop in Sioux Falls, October 8-9.
Registration is open at https://dancenetworksd.org/ For ages 8+
Northern Plains Cecchetti weekend workshop in Sioux Falls, October 8-9.
More information to come
Save the date:
Make sure you have these dates saved for participation in the spring performance.
Rehearsals for all classes on Tuesdays from 5:30-8:00 pm on February 28, March 7, and March 14 at the studio.
Dress Rehearsal for all classes on Friday, Mar 17, 5:30-8:00 at Riggs Theatre.
Performances on Saturday, March 18, at 3:00 & 7:00 pm and Sunday, March 19, at 3:00 pm at Riggs Theatre.
Rehearsals for all classes on Tuesdays from 5:30-8:00 pm on February 28, March 7, and March 14 at the studio.
Dress Rehearsal for all classes on Friday, Mar 17, 5:30-8:00 at Riggs Theatre.
Performances on Saturday, March 18, at 3:00 & 7:00 pm and Sunday, March 19, at 3:00 pm at Riggs Theatre.
Fun fact and a little history:
The original cast of the Sleeping Beauty Ballet had Enrico Cecchetti as Carabosse (the evil fairy) and the Bluebird (he created those roles), while his wife was the Queen. Yes, that is our Maestro Enrico Cecchetti from whence came the Cecchetti method. Choreographer Marius Petipa was the ballet master of the Imperial Mariinsky Ballet (known as the Kirov during Soviet years as Kirov was a friend of Stalin).
Sleeping Beauty Characters
Princess Aurora/Sleeping Beauty
Prince Désiré
Catalabutte, Master of Ceremonies
King Florestan XIV
The Queen
Princes/The Four Suitors/Hunting Party
Courtiers, Maids of Honor, Pages, Lackeys
Lilac Fairy/wisdom
Carabosse, the evil fairy
Candide/Candor/Grace or Crystal Fountain Fairy
Coulante/Wheat Flour/Beauty or Enchanted Garden Fairy
Falling Breadcrumbs/Generosity or Woodland Glades Fairy
Canary/Singing/Musicality or Songbirds Fairy
Violente/Temperament (Force/Energy/Brave/Passions) or Golden Vine Fairy (often nicknamed the finger fairy)
Bluebird & Princess Florine
Puss in Boots & White Cat
Wolf & Red Riding Hood
Cinderella & Prince
Gold, Silver, Sapphire, and Diamond Fairies
Cast List
Princess Aurora - Becca Brusven
Prince Désiré - Josiah Corrales
Lilac Fairy - Joleh McCullough
Carabosse - TBD
Candide fairy - Rayna Tibbs
Canary fairy - Kylie Vermundson
Violente fairy - Rae McVey
King Floristan - TBD
Queen - TBD
Four Suitors - Josiah, Colby, Tyler, and Josh Easter
We Encourage All Our Students to Prepare for Cecchetti Examinations
This is such an excellent way for students to become technically proficient and thoroughly learn the terminology of ballet. There is something about preparing for an exam that makes students work harder and helps them develop as dancers. And bonus, you get a certificate as a memory of all the hard work, study, and effort.
If you or your student(s) are interested in getting started with Cecchetti student examinations let us know.
⇒ Ballet III and up are eligible to start working on Grade 1. Examinations take a lot of preparation, study, and commitment. (Normally 1-2 years is spent studying per grade. More as you progress through the grades.) Examinations - read more about what to expect here
Our studio is affiliated with the Cecchetti Council of America. We added the Cecchetti syllabus to our classes in 2013. All teachers are professionally examined by the CCA to hold certificates in the Cecchetti Method grades.
Hosanna Dance instructors attend all the Cecchetti intensives and workshops at Dance Gallery in Sioux Falls and attend the International Cecchetti Teacher's Summit at least every other year.
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Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.. -- Revelation 21:2 NKJV