Greenville, NC Happenings!

We've had a great start to the year!  Many new schools have been added and our schedules are filling up!  It has been great to see faces from last year; as well as all the new ones in class.  We are moving into our favorite time of year---the holidays are so much fun in class.  It's not too late to register---so feel free to give us a ring if your child wishes to join us.  We want to welcome our newest schools to the program this year--and we're so glad you have joined us!

Congratulations to Charlotte Montessori for being our featured school of the month. They have been with LPCW since we started in the Charlotte region. We really enjoy working with their faculty, parents, and most importantly children. They give high praises to our curriculum and presentation of our program. Thanks Charlotte Montessori for your continued support.

We have had a great start to our year here in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. It is so exciting meeting new faces and getting reacquainted with old ones. As part of our introduction to our classes we have everyone jump up and grab a smile when their name is called and sit back down in pretzel position. Because children are so excited about our classes, they are already wearing a smile before I even arrive. As I was leaving my first class last week, I began thinking. Did I start my day by reaching up and grabbing my smile? Something so simple, but very effective. Sometimes we have so many other things going on in our lives we forget to think about our many blessings and what makes us put on that happy face. I was also reminded of these blessings this past weekend as one of my LPCW students, who is also a close friend, lost everything to a house fire. Forunately they are safe. I will see her in the morning in class, and I hope reaching up to grab a smile will help make her day!! So as you start your day tomorrow, take a little of our LPCW curriculum with you. Think about what puts a smile on your face, and put it on as you leave for the day. We are sending you smiles and good wishes from Charlotte!

Ms. Stephanie

New Region in New York!!!

We are so excited to announce the opening of our new region in the Central New York Area! What a wonderful area to be a part of---and with a wonderful Regional Director, Annie Latterell. Annie Latterell has trained in dance for 16 years in New York State. She graduated Cum Laude from SUNY Brockport with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Arts for Children and Childhood Education earning teaching certifications in Elementary Education and Special Education. Annie has been a featured performer in three musicals in Elmira, N.Y., and won the award for Best Overall Performance at the Stars of Tomorrow dance competition. She co-managed an after school Drama Club for students at Southside Academy Charter School in Syracuse, N.Y. Annie loves the theatre arts and is so excited about bringing her special love of dance to young children here in Central NY. Welcome, Annie!

Spring is here!!

Normally, we are not THIS excited for warm weather, but SPRING IS HERE!! No more snow, gloves, winter colds or long sleeves!! We are so excited for Spring in Northern Virginia and Richmond and it really shows in our classes!

We are having a blast with our April lesson plan, we are learning so many new dance moves and concepts. One of the things we are learning is "pantomime"- doing movement or actions with-out using our voices-which is kind of tricky for some dancers to do. They are doing a great job "turning off their voices" and using their body to show an action.

We are also doing puddle-jumps this month, which is fun to watch because we challenge the dancers to get over the puddle anyway they would like, it so surprising to see what our dancers come up with when they are asked to create their own movement. My favorite are the dancers who try to tumble or cartwheel over the puddle. How creative!!

We are looking forward to more spring weather and showing off our new moves next month at parent observation. (May 24-28th) We hope to see everyone there!

Happy Spring!

Jennifer Delfin, Northern Virginia

March Madness!

Whoa! We've had a very interesting month in Northern Virginia and Richmond!

We are still recovering from missing almost two weeks of classes due to the blizzard, so this month we are doing both March dances and mixing in some February cirriculum too. Classes are getting to do Shamrock leaps, the Hand Jive and our new favorite "The Any Way You Feel Dance." This dance asks students to listen to different music selections and dance anyway the music make you feel, (happy, sad, angry, silly etc.) and our dancers really know how to express themselves!! My favorite is when the music sounds angry, and the dancers get to stomp around, cross thier arms and show their best angry face.

This month has been a little hectic with make-up classes, but we are enjoying extra classes and seeing our dancers more than once a week. Thank you for your patience as we make-up classes this month.

Spring is almost here!

~Jennifer Delfin, Northern Virginia~

Valentine's Day!

February is a fantastic month in our classes! All of the dancers are enjoying learning a bunch of new curriculum and are doing an amazing job :) I hope over the weekend maybe some of your valentine's showed you our "heart arms" and "heart hops". The hand jive, which many us older ones know from the musical Grease, is a lot to remember for our little ones but they are doing a great job with and I know by the end of February they will be able to do it faster than all of us older ones!! We are really moving throughout the space in the month of February and our dancers are doing a wonderful job using their bodies is many different aspects of dance such as the tempo dance.

Parent Observations went fabulously in the Philly area and the dancers can't wait for the next "Informance" in May!