Happy Easter from 6th Position!
Happy Easter everyone!
I hope you’ve had a relaxing and safe long weekend with your nearest and dearest.
2025 Schedule
Dance is starting back tomorrow and there’s been a few changes to the schedule following feedback from students and teachers alike. You can look at the updated version HERE.
The most important changes to highlight are below:
Open Level Lyrical is on Thursdays now! You may have seen from the gorgeous choreography by Emily and Jess on our socials that this class is moving to a Thursday time slot. This means it no longer clashes with Contemporary or Beginner Ballet on a Wednesday, and those enjoying KLT and Intermediate Jazz aren’t shattered by the end of the night - enjoy!
Advanced Lyrical with Abby and Jess is still staying on the Mondays but swapping with Advanced Jazz to allow them an earlier start time. We will give Advanced Lyrical four more weeks at this new time to see how it goes with numbers.
If you’ve been loving KLT (Kicks, Leaps and Turns) and getting heaps out of it - drum roll…. This class is getting extended to an hour! Emily and Jess are super excited to provide you with more content for pushing your goals. This means Intermediate Jazz starts 15 minutes later at 6:30pm now.
Tatiana’s Friday afternoon Adv. Beginner Ballet & Conditioning class is moving to Wednesday afternoons at Mitchell! This class was a huge success at this time slot last year with Siobhan, and I was sad to not be available to continue it myself. I know you will all be in good hands with the lovely Tatiana.
Tatiana will be offering private lessons on Tuesday afternoons now to replace Ballet Conditioning at Mitchell. We understand this was a hard time slot to make after work. If you’d like to work on specific goals in ballet or pointe technique, she will be very happy to help you. Just send us an email!
Siobhan and Gino are excited to launch a Beginner Ballet on Saturday mornings at Mitchell at 9:15am! Those who recently graduated or are soon to graduate the Ballet Foundations Courses won’t have to travel to the city for the already busy Beginner Ballet Sunday class - or you can do both!
And lastly, the lovely Wenna and Veronica are moving Saturdays Pilates to the Northbourne Studio at 8:45am for anyone wanting to activate their deep core muscles before Adv. Beginner Ballet!
Workshop & Courses
The forever bubbly Leah is hosting a Giselle Variation Workshop this coming Thursday before ANZAC Day! Suitable for Beginners through to Elementary ballet students, this variation has already been modified by the Royal Academy of Dance and is usually one of the options to perform in the Discovering Repertoire syllabus. After a 30 minute barre, Leah will take you through the variation complete with our romantic tutus to really help you channel your inner Marianela!
There are new Ballet Foundations Courses starting soon! You can sign up for Monday lunchtimes in the city HERE or Saturday mornings at Mitchell HERE. Spend ten weeks learning from the ground up or take the course again to refine your knowledge. Workbooks are included in your confirmation email upon sign up.
The new Tap Foundations Course started last Tuesday but you’re still welcome to sign up HERE if you missed out. Nicole will recap last week’s lesson and then progress your tap skills a little further in the kindest and gentle way. Workbooks are also included for Tap Foundations in your confirmation email upon sign up… who knows I may come join you all!
Dance Week is next week and we are offering free trial classes for new students as well as 10% off 5 & 10-class passes for existing students! I am so grateful to our dance community for representing inclusion, supportiveness, and trying something new. Dance Week is a celebration of all the goodness that dance brings to our lives. Keep an eye out on our socials during dance week for the codes.
Studio Updates
Mitchell
My family has spent the long weekend building and making some improvements while the studios have been empty. Please don’t judge my kid’s varnishing jobs too harshly!
Mitchell has been generously gifted (yes, you read that correctly!) four extra large benches for the outdoor courtyards and alleyway. An old dance family that I have known for years purchased these to support all the good things 6th Position stands for and I was so touched I may have shed a tear or two. Whilst, they have asked to remain anonymous, please join me in sending them some good ballet juju. It has been an exceptionally expensive time with the set-up of Mitchell, the buying back of the nutcracker costumes and props, and signing the lease on the Northbourne Studio. It means so very much to me when our generous community steps up in completely unexpected and surprising ways. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Northbourne
Northbourne Studio is finally having its turn for some updates too! I’ve adorned the walls with gorgeous action shots of you all from previous concerts and the plaster and paint work touch-up. I love when new students can visit our spaces and see all that you have achieved in previous years. It is both inspiring and encouraging to new adult students. No reveals for which photos made star place on the walls though - you’ll just have to book into a class to see for yourself!
We are awaiting some quotes to close in the Northbourne balcony windows so we can give it little make-over for more a comfortable waiting room than the hallway. The building owner kindly donated us a couch which you may have seen in the hallway, but with so many of you waiting for the next class, we thought a dedicated space would work better. Some further updates we hope to provide for Northbourne in the future are floor length mirrors and the same unobtrusive lighting sticks that the Mitchell studio has.
And in case you haven’t seen it yet, the lovely Lauren at Xtend Barre gave the shower area a huge cleanup - so this is now useable for any students of 6P or Xtend. Thank you so much Lauren!
Lastly, several small business owners and landlords met with the ACT Government to discuss the parking situation with the light-rail extension roadworks. A few options were taken under consideration and I will keep you all updated.
More 6P Services
I’m always happy for the opportunity to highlight the many talents of our students, especially when they’re so keen to share it with their dance peers. Any small business owner knows that a word of mouth recommendation can go a long way:
The lovely Claudine Derz, whom many of you already know from class, is offering 6th Position students a discounted rate on hair and make-up bookings. Whether it’s for photoshoots, concert, nutcracker or the Floriade performances, Claudine is keen to highlight your best features. You can read more about her work HERE.
Our sweet Rachel also has her talented small business listed on our website now too: Tutu Flora. Rachel makes the most drool-worthy tutus and anyone wanting to feel like a real ballerina with ALL the trimmings should look no further.
Nutcracker Update
Volunteers
I posted recently in our private Facebook Community (6P Dancers & Prancers) a call out for any Nutcracker volunteers. With the expansion of the shows to include two more pieces this year, a bigger cast, and six shows, there’s a few more sewing, crafting or as always, ushering and candy bar roles. AND If you’ve got a flair for public speaking read on below for a very special volunteer role…
If you’re interested or available even just for a small job, please send me an email. Last year, our volunteers were the real MVPs of the shows and they personally also found it a great way to meet more of the 6P community outside their regular classes.
Sponsors
Have you got a business that loves to give back to the arts? Or would you like to get your name out there to a packed audience of local families and on our social media accounts? We have sponsorship packages available ranging from donations of services-in-kind to specific monetary amounts.
Last year, our Nutcracker shows sold out all three shows and I had to add extra seats with young families calling us on the morning of shows begging for a ticket! We also live-streamed the shows interstate and internationally.
Our family-friendly matinees were a particular hit with local families as we offered kids activities during the intermission: A colouring-in competition sponsored by Dendy Cinemas Canberra, selfie stations, dress-up stations complete with real dance costumes, and meet and greets with the principal dancers. We also had a quiet corner with sensory toys for overstimulated children.
This year we will run six shows over two weekends in the Canberra winter school holidays (middle and last weekend). We fully anticipate selling out all six shows this year. I’m also proud to say that the second Saturday matinee will be a sensory-friendly performance for children and adults with special-needs. The house lights will remain on but dimmed during the show, with lower sound, less intense show lighting and no snap blackouts. Our parent’s guide will be turned into a social story for audience members and emailed out in advance upon purchase of tickets.
So… If we have any Musical Theatre students with a flair for public speaking, we would also love to have YOU narrate the sensory-friendly show!
That’s all for now everyone. If you wish to discuss anything, my emails are always open or you can stalk me on the schedule!
Yours in an Easter-chocolate coma,
Anouska.