APRIL NEWSLETTER

On May 15:
Many of you are asking which concert your dancer will appear. That information will be posted on the lobby wall this week (and on page 4)! Sr. Co and Appr. Companies will appear in all three. Tickets are on sale April 12: $10each. The evening show will feature the companies’ full repertoire, so if you dance earlier, come back to the evening show to experience this inspiring show!
DRESS REHEARSALS May 10-14:
We will have dress rehearsals at the Grand Theatre on Tuesday-Friday, May 10-14. Each class will be given 15-30 minutes (sometimes more) to rehearse their dances on stage. We will have rehearsals somewhere between 3pm and 9pm for most classes (and in the morning for the morning classes), and yours should coincide, as much as possible, to your weekly class time of day. Be looking for the schedule in the coming weeks. There will be NO regularly scheduled classes that whole week (Monday-Fri.) to allow you time to get to the Grand. This schedule will be posted after Spring Break.


PICTURE DAY May 8:
Picture Day is Sat., May 8th. Some costumes are coming the end of April, so please be patient. We took pains to make sure we had the costumes we needed, and on time! After they are sorted and labeled, you will get to take them home! Many are already here and will go home the first week after Spring Break!
So on Saturday, May 8, we will meet HERE at SOF for professional pictures by Tonsmiere Photography. You will be able to purchase groups and individual shots of your dancer, and a percentage of all sales will go to SOF‘s ministry. We very much want EVERYONE to be in the group pictures (even if you do not intend on buying any) so that your class’ picture will be complete when I hang it on the studio wall! WE NEED ALL OF YOU! It’s so exciting to get to see your faces on our wall year after year. All schedules are on the back of this newsletter!!!!!


SUMMER PROGRAMS are SET
SOF’s Summer 2010 is going to be a another busy one: and will be our last in this facility-makes it kinda bittersweet! Make plans now to join us for DanceCamps, or our Summer Dance Intensives. Registration is NOW and forms are available in the lobby and online.

DANCECAMPS will be taught by our own Miss Natalie and, Miss Mary, and are like a “VBS” of dance and meets M-F: Cost: $115 or $150. June 7-11 for 3-5yr olds; June 14-18 for 3-5yr olds; July 12-16 for ages 6-10, July 19-23 for 3-5yr olds. . These DanceCamps are full of fun, food and faith! (Crafts, too!!) These DanceCamps fill up, so register NOW!

SUMMER DANCE INTENSIVES (must audition or be in current SOF class for placement): for serious dancers ages 6 and up as well as our Company dancers meets 3-5 times a week. Weeks are June 14-July 9; (and July 20-22 for ABC). Each level will only be offered a limited number of the five weeks, so please note on registration form available dates. Placement auditions for dancers who did not audition in March will be held on June 10. If alternative audition date is needed, contact us. There will be FIVE levels of classes this year (4 company and 1 pre-company/ages 6-9), and cost is dependant on level (which meets for different number of hours per week). Cost ranges from $50-155 per week. And a 10% discount will be applied for anyone signing up by May 15! (You can take one, two, three or four weeks!). Each week will feature similar classes and schedules. Guest and resident teachers in our upper levels will be teaching ballet, modern, drama, jazz, dance lectures, and other exciting classes to our company levels. We are again offering a combined level for our pre-company dancers (ages 6-9). Our loving staff will be teaching those younger levels and will include ballet, tap and jazz. NON-SOF dancers are very welcome and can return to their studios after the summer! The goal of the intensive is to actually help you IMPROVE your technique over the summer instead of simply trying to maintain it! Company members will be required to take a minimum of two (three weeks for upper levels) as a company requirement. See Ms. Theresa /Ms. Julie for more information!
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Dates to
Remember
April 5-9
Spring Break

April 16:
Tuition Due

April 24:
Flapjack Fundraiser at Applebees

April 30:
Deadline for sponsors for program

May 10:
Tuition Due

Sat., May 8:
PICTURE DAY at
SOF Studio

May 10-14:
Dress Rehearsals at the Grand
(no regularly scheduled classes 10-14th)

May 15:
CONCERTS

May 1-30
Early Fall Registration

June 7-11
DanceCamp (3-5yr)

June 14-18
DanceCamp (3-5yr)

Summer Dance Intensive
June 14/21 –July 9
(note diff levels each wk)

July 12-16
DanceCamp (6-10yr)

July 19-23
DanceCamp (3-5yr)

July 20-22
ABC Intensive (6-8yr)

TBA
OPEN HOUSE at New Building

Aug. 9
Fall classes start (as long as building is done!!)


TUITION DUE THIS MONTH
Since the 10th falls during our Spring Break, I will allow you until the 16th to pay for April’s tuition without penalty. If you can , please take care of this THIS WEEK so that my cash flow will go as normal as possible.
(My rent is due by the 15th.) Thank you for your cooperation!!

Early Fall Registration in MAY
Steps of Faith is having our early registration for the 10-11 year during the month of May. If you decide to go ahead and register, you pay a discounted registration fee. Registration forms will be available at the end of April. Registration is available ONLINE on our website: www.steps-of-faith.com. Simply click the link to register and it will take you to the fill-in form. It will be emailed to us. Payment will make the registration valid, so be sure to mail or call with credit card info or use the paypal button on the site. You may also register in the studio like normal. Make note that fall classes will begin on AUGUST 9th AS LONG AS THE BUILDING IS DONE! Should it change, we will let you know.
We will again have the colored leotard system for classwear, however, you will be able to choose your own design/style this year.
We will have a schedule of classes ready by mid April. Please pray for me as I put that big puzzle together! We will now have the capability of FOUR classrooms going at once, so this is a NEW puzzle for us. For the best selection in classes, register in May. We will be sending out a note to each student from their teacher in late April indicating which class level they should register for next year to assist you.
Ladies and young men who auditioned for company this week, as well as returning members will be notified which level they have been placed by April 12th. If you have not auditioned and are interested, please see Ms. Julie.
We are sending out a letter to our mailing list letting them know of our registration dates and new location, so if you know anyone who would like to receive more information about us, all we need is a name and address.
Be sure to take advantage of the discount and keep your spot for next year! We don’t want to miss a single one of you! We will be promoting many of you to the next age/level class. You will not want to miss all the new stuff you will learn next year! We hope that you and your family will continue to be part of this marvelous ministry!


Flowers for Spring Concert will go on sale soon!
Be looking for flyers in the lobby! You will be able to order at the studio and ONLINE this year! All proceeds benefit our non-profit ministry. Look for more details coming soon.


Flapjack Fundraiser at Applebees: April 24th!!
Tickets are going fast for our pancake breakfast at Applebees! Tickets are only $7.50 for all the pancakes/sausage you can eat! SOF Company girls will be your gracious servers! Seatings are at 8am and 9am. Purchase your tickets at the SOF office or through a Senior Company member.
Proceeds go to Steps of Faith Dance Company ministries!!!


UNDERWRITERS STILL NEEDED!
Our exciting Spring Concert is fast approaching! If you or a business you know might be interested in helping sponsor our Concert, please let us know as soon as possible! We need to raise about $4000 to pay for the Grand and the programs! Sponsor forms are available in the studio lobby. We have examples of last year’s programs available, too! Thank you to those of you who have already spread the word this year! Remember, we are ASKING that every family try to sell and/or buy at least one ad. This keep us from having to charge high ticket prices at the door. (Sponsors receive free tickets as a thank you. Note: 1/8 page=2 tickets, 1/4 page= 6 tick-
Ets. (Remember that your donation above the ticket value is tax deductible!) Sponsorship is what makes this Concert and this ministry to our Lord possible! We already have a few businesses and individuals committed to making this a spectacular worship event for 2010! Thanks for spreading the word about our concert and don’t forget to mention what a great marketing opportunity this is for local businesses! Please join us in helping make this Praise Concert a GREAT reality! Praise God for opening all the perfect doors! Remember, our deadline for the program ads is APRIL 30th!! (Don’t forget our best wishes boxes for only $45-you can go in together with someone else AND you can put a picture of your dancer in it!) WE NEED YOUR HELP; we have very few ads to date!!!

Happy April
Birthday to...

2-Alli Hagler
3-Kami Miller
4-Gabrielle Greeson
6– Becca Teal
8-Katrina Vincent
9-Ainsley Howard
13-Anna Martin
16-Madeline Fortin
17-Alex Kennedy
19-Carina Fortin
19-Maddy Hoerl
24-Lillie Arnold
29-Sarah Hyde




BIG NEWS: STEPS OF FAITH IS MOVING THIS FALL!!!! As you probably have heard, we were approved for financing (a God thing in this market) to buy land and build our own facility! We have been renting for 13 years, and now is the time to have our own place. And we are making it BIGGER to accommodate our growing ministry and SOF family!
Please be in earnest prayer that this thing can get built in record time over the summer. My husband and I should close on the property in the next two weeks, and we should “break ground” around May 1st. (Don’t worry, you will all be invited to a celebration!) Our goal is to have it move in ready by August 1st so that classes can begin on August 9th. There is a back up plan if they are running late, but I REALLY want to move in on time. God can do this, I know.
The new location is at 65 Walnut Grove Road, Cartersville, behind the new Zaxby’s off Hwy 113. It is only 8 minutes from our current location, and can be reached easily by South Bridge Road from Hwy 41 for those of you coming from the south or east or by Burnt Hickory for those of you coming from the north. I hope to have a sign up soon to help you locate it easier. The new building will be visible from Hwy 113! It is going to be GORGEOUS!!! Ron Goss Jr is our builder and he builds only the best!!!
And it will have FOUR dance rooms, a women’s bathroom with stalls and sinks, a large storage room, a dressing room with cabinets/lockers, a large office, and a break/microwave area. Yes we are excited. Final drawings/plans are being done now. I will post a layout as soon as it is final.
Of course, we need you to all come with us….you don't want to miss the excitement of the new building this fall! We are expanding our class offerings since we will now have the room!!! I’ll have a new schedule for the building mid April. You are coming, right???


SELAH and SOLACE
God continues to ask me to step outside of my comfort zone, and with that to minister to as many people as possible. If you haven't noticed, we have a great thing going here, and He is SOOO in control!
We have already begun the registration/audition process of our new Discipleship Training School in Ballet called SELAH. You have probably seen the posters around the studio or the page on the website. SELAH will be a 5 month program for college aged kids to come in and get focused training on discipleship and biblical studies as well as continuing ballet and dance training. There are many DTSs in the world, but none quite like this one. We have already had over 1200 hits on our SELAH webpage, and already a few applicants, and even more inquiries. We are partnering with OM-Dancelinks to help us set up their mission trip this November/December. We are currently checking out Bosnia and Italy. AND after much prayer and seeking the Lord, Miss Mary Binkley is coming on as SELAH’s co-director and discipleship leader. She is finishing up her third DTS herself and is ready to pour into our girls!!! Please be in prayer for this program and let anyone you know who might be interested about it. Check this out at…. www.steps-of-faith.com/selah It starts this August!!!
And while working on the summer dance intensives, I realized there was a need for a dance intensive for young adult dancers and for teachers. So within 24 hours, (this is so like God), we developed SOLACE, a weekend workshop for dance teachers/ministers/or graduates who want to learn more about teaching or who just want to take a class!!! So on Sat/Sun June 12/13 we are offering a large variety of classes. And I have brought in some wonderful gifted guest master teachers to teach: Angela Harris, Lauri Worrill-Biggs, Katherine Gant, Eleanor Rogers (these are all big names in the Atlanta dance scene), as well as some of our own staff. Oh, yes. This is going to be good. I cant wait to take the classes myself!!!! Classes can be taken individually or you can take the whole weekend for a great discount. Check it out….www.steps-of-faith.com/solace.



HOW DO YOU DO IT ALL????
This is the question MOST asked of me. I don't know… but by the Grace of God, go I. Really. I have no explanation for why or how. But I do know that God goes before me, and gives me the perfect staff and colleagues, parents and students to work with. I KNOW without a doubt that He has great things planned for SOF, the studio, the nonprofit company, and anyone who will partner with Him to make these things happen.
I know money is tight, times can be rough. But the harder things are, the more we need to lean into the arms of our Savior. He DOES have it all under control. I have seen that FIRST HAND especially over the last month.
Please continue to pray for this studio and her ministries here. No doubt we are going to need more students next year, but we will be ready for them. And we need to have everything we do covered in prayer.
I also want to mention that in house non-profit Company will be beginning a Patron program to raise money on a regular basis for her ministries. The studio has been giving the nonprofit practically free rent for all her rehearsals and paying for her staff for seven years. The board of directors of the non-profit would like to see SOF Dance Company become more independent and pay for her own expenses. Please consider becoming a SOF Patron. More details on that soon. No it cannot pay for the building (the studio LLC is doing that), but you can help raise money to make the ministries reach more people.
This whole SOF thing is so much larger than I ever even imagined. I am not an ambitious person, so it is a crazy ride for me. Who wants to join the ride????? ~ Love, Ms. Julie
In Service to Him, Ms. Julie



CLASS DAY/TIME PICTURES CONCERT TIME
Sat 5-8 @ SOF /Sat 5-15 @ Grand
Mom-N-Me 3:15** /12:30
Mon 1230 Preballet 3:30 /4:00
Mon 130 Ballet/Tap 3:45 /4:00
Mon 300 Ballet/Tap 4:15 /4:00
Mon 330 Ballet/Tap 2:30 /12:30
Mon 400 HipHop 5:15 /4:00
Mon 800 Adult Tap 9:30/ 4:00
Tues 1230 Ballet/Tap 9:00 /12:30
Tues 300 Ballet Prep 3:15** /12:30
Tues 600 Ballet 1 9:15 /4:00
Tues 700 Tn/Ad Ballet 10:15/ 12:30
Wed 245 Preballet 2:45 /12:30
Wed 300 BTJ (Tap) 4:30 /4:00
Wed 300 BTJ (Ballet) 4:45 /4:00
Wed 330 Ballet/Tap 3:00/ 12:30
Wed 430 Jazz/Tap 2 5:00 /12:30
Wed 530 Karina 5:00 /4:00
Wed 630 Ballet/Tap 4:00 /12:30
Thurs 400 Ballet 2/3 9:45 /4:00
Thurs 500 Adv Tap 11:00/ 7:30 plus one more tba
Thurs 700 HipHop 2:15 /12:30
Fri 530 Int Tap 10:00 /4:00
Fri 615 Beg Tap 10:30/ 4:00
Young Appr Ballet 11:30 /7:30
YC Ballet 11:15/ 7:30
YC Jazz 10:45 /7:30
Sr Appr Ballet 12:45 / 7:30 plus at least one other
Sr. Appr Jazz 1:15 / 7:30 plus at least one other
Sr Co Celebration 11:45 / 7:30 plus at least one other
Sr Co Jazz 1:30 / 7:30 plus at least one other
Beautiful Day/Sr Co 12:30 / 7:30 plus at least one other
Oh My Lord/Sr Co 1:00 / 7:30 plus at least one other
Appr Modern 1:45 /7:30 plus at least one other
Sr Co Modern 2:00 /7:30 plus at least one other

classes cancelled March 2

Due to the snow (can you believe we are having snow AGAIN), we are having to cancel classes this afternoon and evening.

Everything should be back to schedule tomorrow.