Open Dance Nationals at Lagoon

Open Dance Nationals at Lagoon
May 8-9, 2009
Farmington, UT

Parents and Participants,

We are almost ready for the big competition at Lagoon! Brian and I are very excited for this event, and we know you will do really well. This letter will hopefully clear up any questions or concerns that you’ve been having, and also give you all the information you need before you go!

Schedule
The competition is going to be May 8-9th at Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah. I’ve included a map and directions on how to get there from Ontario. It takes about five and a half hours to get there, so you’ll want to leave plenty of time for travel.

If your participant is going to be performing a solo or a duet, they will need to be there for Friday afternoon. I’ve included a tentative schedule of events to help you gauge when you’ll need to arrive. If your participant is only doing the team events, those will all be taking place on Saturday, starting early Saturday morning. Do not arrive any later than 7:00 am on Saturday morning, or you might miss out on your event!

Transportation and Accommodation
We will be having a van that can take any participants without a ride. The van will be leaving at 3:30 pm on Friday afternoon (May 8th) so no one has to miss school. The van will be driven by Brian (Hobbs) and Alan Vickery (our assistant instructor). If your participant needs a ride, they will need to be at Fit for Life by 3:30 pm on Friday, or they will be left behind. In order to arrive before it gets too late, we will not want to be leaving much after this time. DO NOT BE LATE! Participants: try to remember that you’ve paid money and put in a lot of time, hard work and effort into your routines this year, don’t throw that away by being late to the van or late to the competition!

A lot of you have expressed that you have relatives near Farmington where you are planning to stay. If you do not have a place to stay, Brian and I have reserved a block of rooms at the Quality Inn Airport, in Salt Lake City. The hotel is a short drive from the competition site. We’ve managed to reserve them for $49.95 a night. The rooms have two double beds in them. If you are interested in staying at the hotel, let me know as soon as possible. I will only have this awesome price until April 30th, then you’ll probably have to pay full price (which is around $80.00 a night).

We know that some of the participant’s parents are not able to attend the competition with us. Because the dancers are minors, this means that we have to take extra measures for safety and responsibility. We’ve included a waiver that parents must sign for participants. This also means that if your participant is not riding down with a responsible adult, we would like them to ride in the van. We would ask that they bring $10.00 with them to help cover Alan’s gas costs.

Also, if your participant is not staying with a parent or close relative (that must be cleared with us…sorry, we’re paranoid!), they will have to stay at the hotel with us. This means that they need to bring an additional $25.00 with them to cover their cost. (We’re basing this on having two same gender participants per room, if we actually have four in a room…the cost goes down to $15.00 each. Once we’ve established who’s staying, we can give you a more accurate quote.)

Meals
Those riding down in the van Friday night will stop for dinner on the way, which they will need to have money for (it will be fast food…nothing over $10.00).

Those staying at the hotel with us will get breakfast for free (hooray for hotels with free breakfast!). If you are staying with relatives, you are on your own for breakfast.

Brian and I will provide lunch items at the park. We will have a tent in the competition area with snacks, drinks, and lunch. If you choose to, you can eat inside the park, but you will need to bring your own funds for this.

The dance team will be going out to dinner following the competition. The participants will not need to bring money to pay for this. We will leave the park at 5:00 pm (tentatively) to caravan to dinner. Those riding in the van will leave to travel back to Ontario immediately afterward. If you drove with a parent/guardian you are free to leave as soon as we are finished with competing, but please let us know you are going.

Lagoon
Participants who have paid their competition fees have already paid for their Lagoon ride passes. Brian and I will distribute the passes to participants closer to the date. I am able to get discounted passes for family members, but I need to know how many you will need. Please come to me to let me know by April 30th, or you may have to pay full price, which is nearly double the discounted ticket price of $27.95. Participants have paid for ride passes for one day, so if you would like to have a full day of rides…you may want to arrive at the park on Friday. Otherwise, you are free to ride the rides anytime you are not dancing, although there will be a strict time schedule to ensure that you don’t miss any performances. DON’T LET YOUR TEAM DOWN BY NOT SHOWING UP IN TIME FOR A PERFORMANCE. I will have the final schedule about a week before the competition. I will be distributing it so you can plan accordingly.

I also have plenty of parking passes for those of you who are driving. Let me know, and I will give you one. It is a reduced price parking pass.

If you want to go to watch the competition, but not ride the rides, I can also get you a discounted Spectator Pass. It is only $5.00, and allows you to watch all day, just not ride. Let me know how many you need and I will get them to you.



If you have any questions about the competition, please let me know as soon as possible. I will also need any parents that are coming to help me with keeping track of the schedule and getting participants ready to go onstage, as well as taking a brief shift at the tent (I’ll provide seating and drinks) to help any lost or questioning participants. I’m hoping with your help this competition will go very smoothly and everyone will have a good time.

Contact us with any questions!

Krista and Brian Hobbs
kristahobbs@gmail.com

Spring Recital and Lagoon Competition

Parents of Ballroom Students,

We are very excited to finish up dance this year. It has been a great first year for our performing class. We've had a lot of success with our competition in Nampa and with our other performances. We appreciate all of the hard work your kids are putting in and all of the cooperation we've gotten from all of your parents as well.

We are getting ready for our final recital. It will be on Tuesday, April 21st at 6:00 pm. We'll be performing at the Payette High School Auditorium. There is no charge, please come and bring your families and friends.

We are also getting ready to go down for the final competition of the season in Farmington, Utah at Lagoon Amusement Park. The date for that competition is May 8th (Friday) for duets and solos, and May 9 (Saturday) for team events. If your student is in our group they will definately need to be there for Saturday, if they have signed up for a duet or solo, they will need to be ready to perform on Friday afternoon. The final schedule for Saturday is not yet finalized, I'll let you know exact times as soon as I know them.

There will be a MANDATORY parent meeting immediately following the recital on April 21st (Tuesday). It won't be lengthy, but I have informed the kids that they will not be allowed to go with us to the competition if their parent's do not attend this meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting, please call me as soon as possible or email me. I have paperwork for you to fill out that is required for safety and legal purposes, and I also have important information about the competition that you will need to have. I need you to try to come if at all possible so I know who is driving and where everyone is staying. I have also told the kids that if their parents don't come with them, they will be required to stay at the hotel that Brian and I are staying at. There is a lot more information that you will need, so please call me or email me if you cannot attend the mandatory parent meeting.

Thanks!

Krista Hobbs
541-889-9678
kristahobbs@gmail.com

Ballroom Summer Dance Camp at BYU

Youth Ballroom Dance Camp

August 3–6, 2009Boys and Girls, Ages 10–18Beginning–Advanced

NEW AND SEPARATE REGISTRATION DATE FOR THIS CAMP!!!

Registration for the 2009 Dance camps will begin Friday, February 6, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. MT.In its 20th year at Brigham Young University, the Ballroom Dance Camp for youth offers an exciting four days of dancing, socializing, and performing. Youth will gain up to 20 hours of training in a variety of dances. Participants will be taught under the watchful eye of top ballroom instructors.

Recreation includes a pizza party, trip to Seven Peaks Water Park, and closing banquet/dance party where each participant will showcase what he/she has learned! Come make new friends and enjoy dancing with some of the nation’s top professionals.

Benefits
Learn from top professionals.
Attend a closing banquet with dinner and dancing.
Receive a camp t-shirt.
Spend an evening at Seven Peaks Water Park
Enjoy a pizza party.

Closing Banquet
The camp concludes on Thursday evening with a closing banquet and dance showcase. Participants will perform what they have learned during the camp for their peers and parents. The evening includes a catered dinner (camp participants only), slide show of candid shots taken during the camp, performances by dance participants, and guest instructor performances.
For those who are attending the dance showcase who need special assistance and/or seating, please contact our office 2 weeks in advance with your request. Spectators will not be allowed in the room until the banquet is complete and therefore should be prepared to stand in line. NO personal seats of any kind (besides those medically necessary) will be allowed in the room.
Class OptionsUp to 20 hours of classroom instruction will be offered during the camp. Participants are grouped by four skill levels (beginning, intermediate I, intermediate II, and advanced). This year will also include advanced competitive choreography classes and a technique lecture demonstration.

DirectorsBYU dance faculty member Marci Edgington is the director of BYU’s American Social Dance program. Claudia Hill, also a BYU faculty member, is the BYU Ballroom Dance Company promotional director. Marci and Claudia are members of the Imperial Teachers of Dance and have been instrumental in the development of the youth ballroom dance programs offered at BYU.

DVD (New this year!)We will be offering a camp DVD this year. More details to come.

Guest InstructorsTo be Announced Soon. Please check back.

Dances to Be TaughtTo be Determined. Please check back.

TuitionCamp Package (lunch included): $329 ($25 nonrefundable)Camp Package with Campus

Housing: $429 ($25 nonrefundable)*Only participants ages 12–18 yrs. will be able to register for the campus housing package.

Special Registration Announcement
Please note that a Continuing Education login must be created for each participant in order to register for the camp. The login is for the participant, not the parent/guardian. Registration Tips.
RegistrationBecause we try to maintain an even number of males and females attending this camp we must limit the number of each gender that can register.

Three convenient ways to register:
Online: This is definitely the quickest method! (Available beginning February 6, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. MT)

Online Registration Information Coming SoonManage My Continuing Education InformationCreate a Continuing Education Login
By phone: Call (801) 422-4851. Phone registration will be open between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. (Available beginning February 6, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. MT)
In person: Harman Continuing Education Building lobby at BYU between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. (Available beginning February 6, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. MT)

Registration Notes
A full refund (minus $25 nonrefundable) will be granted to all cancellations requested by 5:00 p.m. Monday, July 27 (one week before the camp begins). No refunds will be given after this deadline.

Full tuition is due at the time of registration. No deposits will be accepted.
Information packets with updated check-in times will be available on our Web site six to eight weeks before the camp begins.