MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF A.T.O.D
What an unbelievable time we had at the Come Together Dance Convention in October! The enthusiasm of delegates, speakers, exhibitors and students was inspiring. The workshop content was not only informative, but also thought provoking and enlightening.
It was a thrill to host and welcome so many interstate and overseas teachers to the state of Victoria, some would say the Australian home of performing arts. I understand and respect that for some of you it was a struggle to attend financially, but I know that you took away invaluable inspiration, insight and ideas with a renewed enthusiasm to move forward in a positive way in your chosen field.
The keynote speaker, Rhee Gold, was inspiring and validated all teachers’ existence. He gave so many useful and helpful marketing hints for dance schools that will cross over to our company marketing strategy.
The closing address given by Li Cunxin was nothing short of emotive. He spoke from the heart, with truth, honesty, sincerity and humility. He would not be where he is today without the intervention, support and encouragement of some of his teachers. His message was clear – all teachers have the opportunity, and are in a privileged position, to touch and change the live of our students in a significant way (small or large). I do not think there was a dry eye in the house!
It is an appropriate time to once again thank you for your continued support and encouragement in my role as president. I see my role as a privilege to serve you. I thank my parents and my wonderful family for their continued support in continuing my work for this amazing organisation.
I wish you a peaceful and relaxing Christmas and New Year with your families.
Yours in Dance,
Karen Malek
QUEENSLAND NEWS
JANUARY SEMINARS
We would like to remind teachers of the dates for the January launches, as these will include the Hip Hop Syllabus and the up-dated Tap Syllabus, Street Tap, Classical Ballet, National Character and Jazz Moves.
Dates: January 20th – 23rd 2010
Members should keep an eye out for an invitation via email. If for some reason you do not receive one please contact us for more information.
STATE ELECTIONS
State elections for positions on the committee are due to be held at the commencement of 2010. All members are urged to please consider taking on a position on the state committee. Should you be considering taking on a position please contact Tracey Jonsson for further information.
We would like to thank the current committee members, Bonnie Bourke, Nicole Ashfield, Melissa Chora, Danielle Wilkin and Tracey Jonsson for taking on these roles during the past two years.
QUEENSLAND EVENTS 2010
The following are dates and suggested locations for Queensland events in 2010:
1st Meeting 8th February QLD Ballet Studios
Early Exam Day 28th March
Master Classes 9th – 11th April Capalaba
State Scholarships 29th – 30th May Cleveland
Sunshine Coast Comps TBA
Brisbane Comps 26th – 27th June Cleveland
VICTORIAN NEWS
COME TOGETHER DANCE CONVENTION
The Come Together Dance Convention was held at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and all Victorian members were very proud to make all interstate and overseas visitors welcome in our home state. The Come Together Committee included Victorian teachers Kaye Emmett, Paul Malek, Terri Maher and Karen Malek, who worked tirelessly to make this event happen. (Other committee members included Kerry Richarson, NSW, and Tracey Jonsson, QLD.)
The Victorian members would like to wish all their fellow teachers, both in Australia and overseas, the very best for the Christmas, New Year and holiday season. We look forward to seeing all our state members at the Teacher Workshops in January, 2010. Remember that attendance is important for inclusion on your membership form as ongoing professional development (and it’s also great to catch up, welcome new members, make new friends and have some fun). See you all there!
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY NEWS
ACT EXAMINATIONS
This year was the largest ever exam session with over 200 entries over five days of exams. Our sincere thanks to Miss Cheryl Witchell – we really appreciate how supportive she was, not only of the children but the teachers too! She made the students feel special and they’ve all reported that they had a great time.
FLORIADE
ATOD dance school students performed at Floriade in September. Floriade is Australia’s largest flower show, with almost a million flowers blooming in the spring sunshine. The students performed on the centre stage for locals and tourists alike amidst all the tulips. It was a lovely way to spend the weekend, and the students not only ‘tiptoed through the tulips' with grace but definitely outshone all those stunning flowers! Participating schools included Pointe2Pointe, Canberra Festival Ballet School and DancEdge.
COME TOGETHER DANCE CONVENTION
From a teacher’s perspective the Come Together Dance Convention was a huge success. Thank you for what was a fabulous weekend in Melbourne. We learnt many new tips, tricks and techniques that we are just dying to test out in classes this term. It was also a great opportunity to catch up with all the other ATOD members and meet some new faces too. We are looking forward to the next convention already!
STATE MEETINGS
The big ticket item for the ACT in 2010 is the viability of hosting our very own ACT competition. We’d like to encourage all ACT members to attend the state meetings and get involved. Remember, attending meetings is a good opportunity to find out more about ATOD, join in the planning for the ACT and, most importantly, get to know your fellow members. Hope to see you all there…
NEW SOUTH WALES NEWS
STATE MEETING
We all enjoyed an end of year luncheon on Sunday the 8th November following our final meeting for the year. It was a pleasure to have the National President in attendance who took the opportunity to inform us of future projects and items of interest. Most dates for 2010 were finalized and will be listed in the minutes of the meeting that will be forwarded to state members shortly.
JANUARY SEMINARS
Teacher refresher courses will be held on January 20th – 23rd at the Dorothy Cowie School of Dancing. We look forward to seeing you there and are particularly looking forward to welcoming all the new NSW members.