HD Newsletter - Fall Edition

    Hosanna Dance Newsletter

Fall Edition 2024 ∙ 119 N Deadwood St ∙ Ft Pierre

In Him we live & move & have our being! 

It has been a summer of surprises for Hosanna Dance. Ms. Sunny fractureds her upper left femur which kept her from participating in the June workshop at Dance Gallery in Sioux Falls. Ms. Sunny worked on physical therapy and getting her leg healed so she could travel to the Cecchetti teachers Seminar in Holland, MI, in July.

Mr. Josh and Ms. Sarah attended the Dance Gallery summer intensive along with four dance students, Hannah, Shawnie, Kourtney, and Hadassah. The students got to perform at the end of the week and enjoyed all of the classes as well as various evening outings. Mr. Josh and Ms. Sarah finally took their Grade V Elementary teacher's exam this summer, even with Ms. Sarah's injuries. We are so thankful that Ms. Jackie in Sioux Falls coaches and mentors all of us Pierre teachers and advanced dancers. South Dakota and the Northern Plains area is blessed to have her.

Mr. Josh, Ms. Sarah, and Ms. Sunny attended the CCA's International Summer School Teacher's Course July 21-27, in Holland, MI. The 930 mile trip was broken up by many stops to walk at gardens, arboretums and scenic overlooks. While at Hope College, where the CCA holds these events, Ms. Sunny put her cane away while dancing off to the side. Ms. Sarah also marked or watched when necessary while Mr Josh went for it out on the floor.

The CCA teacher seminar was running concurrently with the CICB (Cecchetti International Classical Ballet) competition hosted this year by the CCA. The competition was one of the many reasons for attending the summer teacher's course. We were able to see Becca Brusven compete in the CICB Competition. This is a very special experience as the CICB competition is only held every three years and in various countries around the world (almost like the Olympics) 😉. There are dancers sent from all of the different Cecchetti societies. This year the UK, Canada, South Africa and Australia were able to send dancers.

In addition to our lovely Becca, there were two more South Dakota dancers from Dance Gallery in Sioux Falls that qualified to participate. They all had to learn a lot of material for the challenging classes they had to present on stage as part of the overall adjudication process. We are so thankful that Ms Jackie was able to help coach Becca through all the many aspects involved in such a big endeavor. Becca received a couple scholarships and the dancers learned to network during the gala and received  even more interest from various ballet representatives. 

Becca was recently able to officially announce that she has received a spot at Kate Simmons Dance, a prestigious dance college in England. Becca says, "I'm so thankful for this next step in my dance career and for this amazing opportunity!" She will be very close to some of her favorite ballet companies in the world. Hint: look up Marianela Núñez and share something you learn.

Her words of encouragement for younger dancers are, "that dancing is supposed to bring joy to not only the viewers but the dancers as well. Remember to not look at mistakes as failure, but instead look at them as another way you can learn and grow." 

Becca will also be able to  continue working on Cecchetti diploma, the final and highest of the exams. It is like getting your PhD in ballet. While she has already been able to teach a little ballet and modern, in addition to assisting classes, she will be able to continue her professional development through KS Dance. While studying and dancing at Kate Simmons Dance, there will also be opportunities to audition for companies and productions including the touring company associated with Kate Simmons school.

Meanwhile, what will we be doing here at home? We will be cheering her on as we begin to prepare for our spring show of “He Lives In You” Lion King adaptation. Go Becca!

Performances will not be until April 25 & 26, 2025 so we will have a lot of time to work on our technique, a continuous process.

Check out the calendar page for important dates for the 2024/2025 dance season. 

HD Newsletter - New Year Edition

   Hosanna Dance Newsletter

New Year Edition 2024 ∙ 119 N Deadwood St ∙ Ft Pierre

Happy New Year! 

We have a very successful Nutcracker behind us and a New Year ahead. We believe it was the best Nutcracker we've ever done. Still basking in the afterglow. So many compliments from people we barely knew.

So, what's next? We are continuing with the constant task of working on our technique. For some classes, working on choreography improves our performance abilities but technique can begin to slip.

We will begin to work out some choreography for our Oz-themed end-of-the-year performance, even though we have four months before the showcase. Time will go fast, especially with the onset of spring school activities.

We have four young dancers preparing for Cecchetti exams sometime in the next year or two. Kate, Hadassah, and Hannah are working on Grade II. Kourtney Hughes and Shawnie Zeeb are preparing for Grade III.

Students wishing to do Cecchetti ballet exams should talk to their parents. Interested parents should talk with one of our ballet teachers - Mr. Josh, Ms. Sarah, or Ms. Sunny. It requires a separate class in addition to a student's regular ballet class. It takes time to properly prepare for exams and not just go through the motions, but for the technique to be truly absorbed. Students have to prepare and focus on executing the technique, developing their quality of movement, learning the terminology and theory, and eventually memorizing set syllabus exercises. However, in the end, spending extra time and developing through exams, helps a student improve. 

We teach the Cecchetti ballet method as well as a non-syllabus combination of styles in our ballet classes. Even other classes like modern will apply Cecchetti principles at times. 

Hosanna Dance sets itself up for excellent ballet instruction by attending continuing education, workshops, and teacher training events. We also offer great modern dance instruction where students can learn Horton technique, Graham-based movement, and other modern techniques.
And of course ballet and pointe nerd teacher, Ms Sarah, is always looking at the best ways and proper methods to develop and improve dancers' technique.
There have been questions about what is PrePointe class. PrePointe is not a pointe class -- do not go out and buy pointe shoes. PrePointe is a technique fixing, strength building, alignment improving sort of remedial ballet class. The goal of the class is to ensure dancers have the necessary technique, strength, and maturity to eventually, maybe, progress to pointe in the future. Ms. Becca is an excellent example of applying what she learned even in other ballet classes.

Here is a plan for spring- subject to change, of course.

Oz Showcase

In-house, limited seating - May 11

Dress rehearsal for all classes and class photos - May 10

Cast List

Dorothy - TBA

Over the Rainbow - Ballet V

Tornado - Acro

Pizzicato Lollipops - Ballet 1

Scarecrow Dance/Blackbirds - PreBallet

Cornfield Tap - Ballet 1

Dance of the Flowers - PreBallet

Apple Tree - Ballet II

Poppy Field - Ballet III/IV

Oz - Beg Modern

Winkies - Thu Pointe

Flying Monkeys & Winkies - Beg and Int/Adv Modern 

“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert

-- Isaiah 43:18-19

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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.