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 Mail
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from Our Readers
Thanks
so much for a fabulous magazine. I look forward to receiving
it each month. I find so many useful and informative articles,
and I pass it on to my staff each month so they can also enjoy
and take advantage of all the great information in each issue!
I want to thank you particularly for the article [“Middle
School Girls Gone Wild,” July 2007] about the indecency in
some dance performances. I was glad to see that someone else
shares my disgust at the current trends in dance. It seems to
be what audiences crave; the scantily clad students, some as
young as 5 and 6, are rewarded for their efforts with
thunderous applause! This season we lost our entire senior
class of students to a studio that promotes that style of
dance. I’ve been a studio owner for 11 years and have always
been conscious of the fact that our young students are naïve
and innocent. We strive to allow them to remain children as
long as possible. My mantra has always been that I know they
are going to be exposed to lewd and inappropriate lyrics, as
well as choreography, in music, on TV, the Internet, and even
at school. However, it doesn’t have to be within my walls.
I’ve thought about the possibility of forming a group of
instructors and studio owners to promote decency in dance. I
believe that dance is a beautiful, pure art and I refuse to
teach a style of dance that is not suitable for family
entertainment. I don’t think I’m alone in my beliefs. If there
are others out there who feel the same way I do, I would love
to hear about it. Maybe, if enough of us joined together, we
can bring back the pure art of dance.
—Kim Yarborough, Director Step Ahead Dance Studio, Garner, NC
I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the article in your
August issue [“Big-Time Marketing,” which included Boston
Ballet School]. It was really terrific and I hope it gave some
of the smaller schools some good ideas. We actually received a
couple of phone calls from some companies asking for some
follow-up materials and our permission to borrow the format.
—Elizabeth Benjes, Managing Director Center for Dance
Education, Boston Ballet
Thank you, Dance Studio Life magazine and Sharon
DiCrosta! We were so pleased to finally see an article
about the reality of competition [Thinking Out Loud, “Turn
Back the Clock on Competitions,” September 2007]. For years we
have been frustrated that the majority of other competitions
have changed their award levels and the standards of
competition with their position that “everyone should feel
good.” Yes, we want all the dancers to feel good, but we also
want them to be proud of their achievements. At least when
they come to a Headliners competition they know they earned
the award they received. It’s nice to know that there are
teachers that still appreciate honesty and awards realistic to
the scores received and that are proud to have their students
work to reach a goal. Congratulations to you!
—Irma Ziegler and Shari Tomasiello, Nationals Directors,
Headliners Competition, Randolph, NJ
This is a first—responding to a letter in a magazine—however,
I was saddened by the events Kali presented concerning her
mother [“Ask Rhee Gold,” Dance Studio Life, September
2007].
Kali, your mother definitely should not give up. I am a former
studio owner with 25 years of ballet teaching experience. A
discourteous student is dealt with very quickly in ballet. Why
permit teenagers to destroy your confidence? Their judgment is
based on—what? You are a capable teacher; they are immature
teens. Keep the studio image you want and lose these ingrates.
Assure them their safety is a primary consideration and they
lack the ability to safely do hip-hop. Do recommend knee
insurance and send them on their way. I hope [your mother] has
had second thoughts and realizes she must continue to pursue
her life’s work. She is needed.
—Rita Colby Ballet Basics & DansArts, New York City
I received many lovely comments from a wide range of people on
the article you did on me and my studio in your Dance
Studio Life “Teacher in the Spotlight,” [September 2007].
I appreciate it very much. When I read the magazine I think of
Rhee’s mother. She was a fantastic teacher.
—MaryAnn DeNucci Langone The MaryAnn Studio of Dance
Springfield, MA
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