We are bringing it to the Southwest Riverside County this year!  We are open for registrations for our new Autism classes, mornings during the week.  Download your registrations now, as it is limited enrollment. 
We have Theater Classes on Tuesday & Thursday Evenings open for enrollment in our theater, taught by working professionals.  Check the schedule.   Remember that we are the only facility that has live music, and all our performances are with the Symphony!

IVCCA announces its collaboration with Peter Kalivas & PGK Project North.  Bringing professional opportunities to Southwest Riverside County, we are pleased to announce the opening of Preparatory, Master Classes and Apprenticeship Program with Peter Kalivas’, PGK Project, San Diego.  These classes are designed to prepare dancers for acceptance into the Apprenticeship Program with PGK Project North, which may lead into placement as a Company Member with the touring group performing both nationally and internationally.   (Please note that all company members are paid both for rehearsals and performances.)  Mandatory classes and performances are part of the requirement for participation in this program.  Potential applicants must possess; strong dance background with classical ballet foundation; possession of desire, drive, ability and integrity to excel in a professional dance environment.  Call IVCCA@951-696-9800 to schedule an assessment for placement in this program. Intensive technique & training are available to excel in this contemporary, explosive and exciting performance style.
 Additional performance opportunities available to both registered students and Apprentice’s over the next year include but are not limited to;
Jan 22nd Master Class with Sean Curran Noon till 2pm @ SDSU Dance Studio (ENS 200) Advance Register @
March 4th & 11th
“San Diego Dances” in
Little Italy at 98 Bottles produced by The PGK Dance Project.  Presenting new work by Khamla Somphanh, Anthony Rodriguez, Peter G. Kalivas, Divine Desi Dance and somebody’s dance theater.

March 16th-18th
The PGK Dance Project workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma for Dance Olympus and Tulsa Ballet 

April 14th & 15th
PGK with Mojalet at The Vine co-produced by The PGK Dance Project

April 28th & 29th
Dance on the Edge produced by The PGK Dance Project for Mission Federal Credit Union’s ArtWalk in Little Italy

May 3rd
The PGK Dance Project
at The Point Loma Library

May 18th-20th
“Dance/Theatre” Directed by
Peter G. Kalivas for Diversionary Theater featuring new LGBT inspired work by Anjanette Maraya-Ramey, Justin L. Viernes, Michael Esperanza, Anthony Rodriguez and Peter G. Kalivas

May 28th to June 9th
The PGK Dance Project in residence/performance at Boston Center for the Arts with Harvard Dance

July 7th & 8th
The PGK Dance Project in concert at The Vine featuring a special musical guest

September 3-5th
The PGK Dance Project at ART San Diego Contemporary Art Fair in Balboa Park

October
“San Diego Dances” on Mission Bay produced by The PGK Dance Project

November
The PGK Project On TOUR to
Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts

Everyone here at IVCCA would like to wish our students and their families a heart felt wish for peace and happiness over the holidays.  A warm thanks for the amazing performances and the hard work all of your families did to make that happen! We were very proud of all the students who performed with the symphony, the evenings were truly magical!  We have recieved an avalanche of accolades from hundreds of people in attendance at the sold out performances.  I would like to thank our musicians who were outstanding! This was their first time performing for a Ballet,all of those in attendance were in awe! 

We are looking forward to our new schedule which will be posted next week after our short holiday break.  We are pleased to welcome our special needs students.  Classes will be held in the mornings daily beginning January 16th.  We are proud to announce that we will have two special needs trained Teachers on staff to accomodate these children.  Look for our Autism Movement Therapy Class on January 13th & 14th.  Please call 951-696-9800 to register asap, as space is limited.  We are also opening two adult classes on Monday, and Wednesday mornings.  Come join Miss Ivonne and get fit! 

Our theater is ready!  Look for the auditions and presentations of Jane Austen’s stage performances of Pride & Prejudice, Emma, and Sense & Sensibility this spring.  All in all you will see really wonderful things at IVCCA, come and see us soon to find out what we have in store for you and your family in the coming year.

We have come across th is problem time and time again.  Choices made in Dance training do not always yield the desired outcome.  People make choices based on a neighbors recommendation, the local ads, studio hoppers or just to be in a big studio.  What ever the reasoning it appears that many dancers have been sadly misled in their training causing injury.  Always of paramount importance to us, here at the IV Conservatory Ballet School, is to ensure that our students learn the correct and safe way to execute their ballet moves.   This school uses a very “hands-on” teaching method, with close attention to detail.  One of our deep concerns is the frequency with which students have been put on to pointe (toe) before they have sufficient strength throughout the body.  This can, and does lead to injuries, sometimes very serious ones.  Students who have danced incorrectly “en pointe” sometimes come to us, and we take them off pointe and retrain them until their technique is strong and they are truly ready, enabling them to perform beautiful and safe pointework, with much greater confidence

IV Conservatory Ballet School, is to ensure that our students learn the correct and safe way to execute their ballet moves. This school uses a very “hands-on” teaching method, with close attention to detail.

One of our deep concerns is the frequency with which students have been put on to pointe (toe) before they have sufficient strength throughout the body. This can, and does lead to injuries, sometimes very serious ones.

Students who have danced incorrectly “en pointe” sometimes come to us, and we take them off pointe and retrain them until their technique is strong and they are truly ready, enabling them to perform beautiful and safe pointework, with much greater confidence.

Jane Austen comes to Callaway Winery!!
December 17th Callaway will be hosting Austen Tea, Tapas, & Wine. In celebration of Jane Austen’s birthday, Christmas, the 200th Anniversary of Pride & Prejudice and the kick off of the opening of The Classical Theater Series Season 2012, Inland Valley Conservatory is pleased to announce the “Regency Period Tea”.
We begin at 11:00am with an exhibition by Mission Hills Croquet Club. You can learn to play if you like and watch their top level player demonstrate his amazing tricks. This is not your backyard game folks! Our delightful hosts, Callaway Winery are serving up a Regency inspired menu, paired with their award winning wines. Special Guest Speaker, Doctor Laura Brodian Freas, founder of the Regency Society in San Francisco Bay Area will provide a lecture and rousing session of Regency Ballroom Dance in the beautiful Barrel Room. Dancers of all levels are welcome. There will also be a reproduction of Jane Austen’s Regency clothing as illustrated in the Friendship Book/Album of James Stanier Clarke on display. Shhhh! Unconfirmed rumors suggest that Jane Austen herself may be among the many guests in attendance!

Get your tickets at Callaway or Inland Valley Conservatory (951) 696-9800, $45 for the event from 11:00am to 2:00pm (wine is an additional cost).

Following this event there is a special matinee of “Every Christmas Story Ever Told” at 3:00pm! Performance by Shakespeare In the Vines. Tickets are available at SITV.org for the matinee.

This will be the event of the year, please get your tickets soon as possible! It looks like a sell out, and we do not want you to miss out.

Once you have decided to take dance lessons, it is important that you find the right dance teacher. When you begin your search, keep the following qualities in mind.
• Experience
How long has the teacher been teaching? How long has he or she been dancing? Find out what dancing certifications, if any, he or she has. While credentials are important, don’t overlook retired professional dancers. These dancers often become exceptional dance teachers, with no previous certifications.
• Qualification
Does the teacher teach different styles of dance? Some dance teachers conduct classes for several dance genres, such as ballet, tap, modern, hip-hop and jazz. Make sure the teacher is actually qualified to teach the style you prefer, not simply filling up his or her enrollment book.
• Dedication
Does the teacher seem truly dedicated to dance? If he/she was a professional dancer, you can probably assume a great deal of pride and dedication for the profession of dance. Observe the way he or she teaches a class. A dedicated dance teacher will appear to be completely in love with the idea of teaching others how to dance.
• Punctuality
Is the dance teacher always running behind? Do classes continually begin late? A good dance teacher will always strive to be an example of responsibility, as responsibility is a trait of a good dancer. If you feel as if you are always standing around waiting for the teacher, it’s probably time to look for a new one.
• Respect
Do you feel invisible in your dance class? Every student in a dance class should feel important and respected. Even if you are dancing on the back row, the teacher should make an effort to make eye contact and communicate with you. A respectable teacher will pay attention to each student and correct them individually, helping them to gradually build their technique. A good teacher will respect every one of her students.
Clues that you should look for another teacher/Studio
• Teachers are not sufficiently trained for the class they are teaching; high school students are not a good choice for teaching either peers or younger children. Foundation is extremely important for any dance education.
• Chances are if the teacher is incorrectly dressed for the style of dance they take no pride in their work and are unlikely to impart anything of value. This means correct shoes, appropriate clothing and hair.
• Does the teacher focus on the students, do they have a program that will accommodate or address the level they are teaching.
• Is there a syllabus to follow? Is there a progressive skill level and adequate assessment of skills. Chances are if the studio or teacher cannot explain their philosophy to you, you may want to look for another place.
• I would like to add that just because a studio of teacher claims to follow a particular school or teaching program, this may not be the case. You need to look at the teachers qualifications or experience to make sure that they are consistent. For example: a studio claiming to represent American Ballet or a Russian Ballet Program (or any other good ballet program), but has no teacher who either danced professionally at that level with those programs or has attained level 6 training in those programs has no business teaching. Any bona fide ballet program requires that a student of dance attain at the very least level 6 before they are suitable to teach a class.
• These points are important to consider for a variety of reasons which may include: risk of injuries, proper technique, and cost. If you are paying the same price and in some cases less why not get the real deal? Stay tuned for our next episode!!

Inland Valley Conservatory is ahead of the pack once again!
Come see the wonderful new studio, complete with a professionally engineered state of the art dance floor, live music accompaniment, and black box theater which includes stage , lights, sound and action.
This is the first of our series of articles to our friends and families. We hope they help and provide some insight into some of the programs we offer, and answer questions that you may have wondered about.

How to choose a Dance Studio?
This is a question that plagues many Moms’ around the time their little girls turn 3 or 4. Everyone wants to see their little girls dressed in a tutu; the girls want to dress up and pretend to be the Princess Ballerina twirling around the room. But then the questions come. How do we know if they are real teachers, is it safe, what is good, what is bad, how in the world can I tell the difference?
Having done this myself I can assure you as a Mom, I have had all the same concerns. So here are some of the things I have learned. One of the first questions you need to ask is whether or not they are performance based or competition based. There is a huge difference in philosophy, training and costs.
1.) One thing that drives me crazy about some of the classes you will frequently see. I have to caution you against! There are people out there who will try and sell you on doing a “combo class” these people are nuts! You are not saving money , and this is not a two for one or three for one! Please, you know how long it takes to change your children’s shoes. One change let alone two mean that the teacher does nothing for 45 minutes, while you change shoes and pay someone to teach for 10 minutes or less. Your children learn essentially nothing! What can you teach in 10 minutes? If you are out to impress your friends that your children are taking several types of dance, you are sadly mistaken, they have learned nothing, and will tire of the class soon enough.
2.) Check to see who is teaching your children. What is their background? Where did they get their training? How long have they taught? Many studios’ keep costs down by letting teenagers teach the babies to defer their own tuition and keep the studios costs down. This is unacceptable; you pay the same money for a real teacher elsewhere. Keep on looking. Even the nicest teenager does not have the technical experience to teach an important foundation.
3.) What are the facilities like? Are they clean neat and free of distractions? Do they have proper equipment? Do they have sprung floors? This is important as your children progress in their development. We will discuss this more in a later blog.
4.) Now is the big decision about competition or performance. You must make a decision that is appropriate for your family and your budget. There are many things to consider here which will also be outlined in the future blog. For now it will suffice to say that you really have to decide what is your long term commitment? Whatever you decide please understand that ballet is the first and foremost class. Everything that is done is built on that foundation. I am told that even the popular dance shows support that philosophy. I can also tell you that the New York Ballet Studio only takes approximately 250 entrants every year into their program. Bigger is not always better, some children just get lost in the masses.

Stay tuned for next week’s topic!