Mobile Uploads: 03/20/13

------Original Message------
From: Kris Stevens
To: 'christinabarrett2012@yahoo.com'
Subject: RE: Information Request from Dance Program Web Site
Sent: Mar 20, 2013 1:19 PM

Hello Christina,
I will do my best to answer your questions. First, we require our dancers to take equal amounts of Modern and Ballet because our Associate in Arts (A.A.): Dance Performance degree is designed, primarily, to transfer to a four-year college/university and those colleges require these classes of all of their undergraduates. In today's dance world, a dancer is expected to be well-versed in all dance forms and even major ballet companies require their dancers to have had some Modern training. We do not find that it ruins the training of anyone. Rather Modern, and especially a Graham-based technique such as we teach here at Valencia, complements and enhances Ballet training.
I am a little confused as to what your goal is here at Valencia, as you mention that you have already taken college-level classes for a college minor. If you have already received a bachelor's degree, then you cannot pursue an A.A. degree. That is not our rule, but a rule of the State of Florida. If you are not finished with your degree, and are wanting to finish an A.A. here at Valencia before transferring to a four-year college/university, then you would need to meet with an advisor to determine which of your classes will transfer. Dr. Salapa, the Chair of the Dance Department here, would then need to review your transcript for dance classes. If you would like to pursue a dance major degree, you would also need to successfully audition for the program.
Regardless of your level of training, you would still need to follow the prescribed order of classes, meaning you would need to take Ballet I and II, before potentially moving on to Intermediate Ballet. Please know, however, that simply because a class is listed as Ballet I does not mean it is a beginning level class. As with many college classes, the "level" of the class is dependent on the level of the other students in class. We structure our classes such that the Ballet I with Dr. Salapa is designed to be much more challenging than Ballet I with myself. In this way, we are able to serve the greatest population of students.
At this time, we do only offer Intermediate Ballet for our dance majors as we do not have the studio space to offer a non-major Intermediate Ballet. Our more advanced dancers who are not dance majors find that Dr. Salapa's Ballet I/II classes are challenging enough.
We do not teach lyrical here. Modern is not lyrical, and would be better described as Contemporary. As I mentioned, we teach a Graham-based Modern technique here, which is a classical form of Modern based on the technique of Martha Graham.
There are many good dance studios in the area that offer classes for adult dancers of all levels. Perhaps you simply haven't found the one that fits you best.
I hope that I have answered your questions. If you have any more, please contact me.

Kristina Stevens
Assistant Director of Dance
Valencia College
701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail MC 3-2
Orlando, FL 32825
www.valenciacollege.edu/dance
407-582-2954

From: christinabarrett2012@yahoo.com [mailto:christinabarrett2012@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 10, 2013 5:59 AM
To: Kris Stevens
Subject: Information Request from Dance Program Web Site

Information Request from Dance Program Web Site
FULL NAME
Christina Barrett
EMAIL
christinabarrett2012@yahoo.com
COMMENTS
I just wanted to ask why you require us to take Modern Dance. Doesn't it ruin the training and waste the time of a young, growing ballerina? I mean, I am under the pressure of deciding of taking non-major ballet lessons and after that if I can go straight into more advanced ballet levels. So, you do 2 semesters of the 1st ballet levels and then there is the 2nd advanced level, which I've already taken, + the pointe training over the summer available.. So, I guess I just want to know if I should be a dance major if I want to take Intermediate Ballet someday and if you can just take 1 semester of introductory ballet, say if you've already done ballet, also I did it as a college minor, the advanced called "repertory" level.. I came to Orlando and took ballet at 3 different places. I stopped because I felt like sleeping and felt too short. They seemed to think I had no hope in ballet compared to anyone else anywhere, that it was just too far-fetched a contest to be won. I was gonna do ballet at a studio with kids, like at Orlando City Ballet or Central Florida Ballet and hopefully later I would be accepted to a kids class at Orlando Ballet. However, I am busy in evenings, so I didn't know if I should do ballet here. I don't want to do adult classes at Central Florida Ballet so much. Plus, I'm here all day. So, the question is: (1) If I want to take Intermediate Ballet later, do I have to be a dance major, and if I take non-major Ballet now, will I have to take it as a major Ballet course again, even though they are the same class, in order to get into Intermediate Ballet, because if I am a dance major then that means I have to take modern and I don't want to take modern because I am not a lyrical dancer.. Let me know if you do not understand. Thanks. I came here hoping to dance in Orlando but found everyone very rude. I assume though that the classes are sorta known to exist. 8| I don't mean anything weird.. ,8{ I am a nice person, just have a hard time memorizing because I did do gymnastics as a child and toddler, like we were supposed to. =D I have seen your concert possibly up to 3 times. I see the teacher is talented.. I also like classical music and do music kinda a lot, so, that's why I like ballet, actually. Thanks. :| Oh ,8I and please respond.

~~~~~~End of form information~~~~~~

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