Episode 8: Week of September 28th, 2020

Audio Transcript

Hey everybody. It’s Ruth and I’m here at our Silver Creek Clogging Dance and Movement Center in Silverton, Oregon. Hey and this is What’s Happening at Silver Creek Clogging for the week of September 28th.

Yeah, woohoo!

And right out of the gate, I want to say, “Wowee!” What an amazing difference it makes to have our performance in the theater. That was a great performance! We weren’t really sure if we were going to be able to have a theater performance and, yeah, there we have it. It was really awesome to just really, I don’t know, it felt like – especially after this year that we’ve had with like unexpected, unexpected, unexpected, unexpected, it just felt like a real gift to be able to have that performance in the theater.

And, I just want to thank everybody who came to celebrate our dancers with us. It felt like a really true celebration. Yes. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And some really awesome news is that we have that same exact theater already reserved for our recital next spring at the end of May, so that is going to be awesome.

And kind of along the lines of our recital and other things, we have some changes that we’re making in the studio. So, I want to let you know what those changes are. This is, there’s a lot coming up, so you know, settle in, grab your popcorn, whatever, and here we go. We’re going to just get right into it. And of course, your email has all of this information in detail, so I am going to summarize this as best that I can and here we go.

Recital.

So, we have two recitals every year. One is in mid-January and then another has been at the end of May or the beginning of June every year. So that is not going to change. Yep, we’re still going to do that.

So, here are some of the things that are going to change.

One: Our January recital (that’s a little bit tongue twisty for me), our January recital is going to continue to be held at like the Silverton Community Center or some other similar type of informal venue, okay.

We’ve have been having all of our recitals at the community center up until now, but now we’re just gonna have that January recital, our winter showcase, is gonna be set aside specifically informal. Welcome in the new year in a relaxed way. Our dancers will show off their routines and it’ll be really awesome.

We will be discontinuing the food catering and instead we’ll be having our studio families sign up to bring from a list, we’ll have a list of kind of things to for people to bring, and we’ll have everybody sign up to bring something from the list.

And then, of course, this year due to COVID we will not, we will not be having any refreshments for our January 2021 recital. So, this is for January 2022 that these are the changes that that you can expect.

We will not have any photography, professional photography, at our January recital. So, we are encouraging our studio families to take videos, take photos. We’ll look at getting a step and repeat or another kind of backdrop where you can take photos of your dancers. Informally, it will be really, it’ll be really fun. And, all of these changes are going to enable us to reduce the price of tickets significantly for our that January recital and, don’t worry each family still gets two free tickets but, we’re just going to reduce kind of the cost and make this more of an informal event.

All right, so that’s our January recital.

Then our spring kickoff, the end of the end of May beginning of June, will be our theater recital. We’ll continue to have it either at the

Historic Grand or some other kind of similar theater venue and this will be the recital where our students will show off everything they have learned for the entire year. So, as you know, our studio year runs from the beginning of June to the end of May and we will perform all of, this is like it. This is our big, boom, end of year bash and it’ll be, this it’s going to be our main show.

We will, whenever available, we’ll have concessions available for purchase and we’re not going to have any food catering at this event either.

We will, however, have professional videos and photos at this event and audience members will be prohibited from taking any video or photo during the show and, unfortunately, if we notice that somebody is taking a video or a photo during the show we’ll have to dismiss them from the performance. It’s just too distracting for performers and other audience members and, I noticed it actually at our recital this year and it was actually quite distracting for me I’m not sure how it was for other audience members but, we’re just not going to have it. And you, will be dismissed if we notice that you are taking any photos or videos during the show. So, we will have DVDs or digital download videos available for sale after the event. Of course, a photographer will be there taking portraits of the dancers as well as kind of action shots throughout the recital. So, there will be plenty of opportunities to get photos of your dancer from that formal show and, of course, as usual you will continue to receive one free digital photo of your dancer and you can select from any of the photos that are available to get that. And then, yeah that’s that.

Oh, and ticket prices, you can you can count on ticket prices being pretty much the same as they were this year; maybe a dollar or two more if you purchase in advance. But, you can count on that to be the same. Okay, so that’s our recital.

And I do want to mention that we’ve been looking to make this kind of a change ever since we started Silver Creek Clogging. We have been trying to get into the local high school, here, at their auditorium for three or four years now and we have been unsuccessful and so this year we just said, “You know what, we need to get into a theater,” and we made that decision to get into this theater. Luckily, due to all the COVID things that went on, that worked out and we were able to hold our performance in the theater; but this is this is a change that’s been coming for a long time and I’m thrilled that we’re able to, finally, make that change now.

Another thing that we’re going to change, this is for youth classes advanced or higher levels only. So, if you’re an adult student, this doesn’t apply to you; if you are a youth student at novice, beginning, or intermediate level this also will not apply to you. But, once you become an advanced youth student, we’re gonna make some changes to our curriculum for you.

This is another thing that’s been a long time in the making. We, over the last few years, we’ve kind of been introducing like a second period for some of our more advanced students. They could optionally enroll in a second class and we’ve just been seeing how that’s going, we’ve been evaluating the value to the students for their learning and progress and just seeing how that might work. And what we’ve noticed is, overwhelmingly, the students who have been taking that second class period have grown significantly. And we’ve recently anyway, we’ve all seen it in our Team Dynamite; when they were up on stage in August, at our outdoor performance, and then again it just last weekend where they were knocking it out of the park. Their sounds are clearer than they have ever been before, their knees are higher, their bodies are just moving with more energy, and their turns are sharper, and they’re more synchronized. It’s just been huge for their progress. And so, again this is something that’s been a couple of years in the making, and we just are making this kind of formal now.

It’s not going to change what’s currently happening, where we have two periods, two classes, for our advanced level students. They will still have those two classes, as they do now, it’s just that now we’re formalizing this as a part of our curriculum. So, it’s no longer an optional thing that they can choose. Beginning in January it will be two class periods for advanced, championship and pro level cloggers.

And this is how it’s going to work:

As the advanced students are right now, they’re going to just have two one-hour class periods per week, for two hours a week, yeah. Once they get into championship we’re gonna add 15 minutes on each class period, so it will be two one-hour and 15-minute class periods, for two and a half hours per week. And then once they hit professional, they’ll get two hour and a half class periods, for a total of three hours per week.

And, because of what we’ve already seen in the growth and development of these dancers, I’m really excited for what this is going to mean for our dancers ongoing.

And, so nothing changes about the tuition you’re currently paying. All that we’re doing right now, in January, is just formalizing this for our curriculum, for our studio structure, and for the growth and development of our students. So that is that. In effect you won’t really see any changes, but it’s just something to note and to be prepared for especially for those dancers who are up and coming, yeah.

Another thing that’s been a long time in the making is our instructor certification course. So, when I started Silver Creek Clogging, one of the things that was pretty much a given to me, right off the bat was that, because there aren’t a lot of cloggers and specifically the type of cloggers that we’re training here, at Silver Creek Clogging, in our area, I really knew that we were gonna have to train our own instructors internally. So, luckily Brooklyn came along, and has been a godsend to our studio in so many ways, that gave us a little time to kind of work on this and develop this as our students continued to grow. So now, we’re ready, we’re working on this curriculum, continuing to work on this curriculum and we’ll be ready to open it up for applications for people who want to apply to be accepted into our instructor certification program early next year. Still the details of that are still being worked out, but I do want to let you know that it’s coming, because this is going to be a really great opportunity for those dancers who are current Silver Creek Clogging students who want to check into what it would take to be an instructor here at Silver Creek Clogging.

And we have very high standards and that’s one of the reasons why this program is in development, is because I want to make sure that this is a formal learning program, this is not like just coming to this is not the same as your dance class every week. This is more like school where you’re gonna have some you know workbook at home assignments, some video assignments, there will be some in studio learning, in class learning. But, it’s not all dancing, it’s some brain work and internal kind of working things out and making sure that you have a level of brain knowledge about what you’re doing here as an instructor. So, we’re going to learn something about leadership, class management, choreography, music editing, in addition to actual like in-class instruction. So, those are the kinds of things that were that will be taught; and it’s a really good opportunity for those students who are current Silver Creek Clogging students to learn what it’s going to take to be an instructor here at Silver Creek Clogging. Again, it’s by application only. There will be certain criteria that will need to be met in order to be accepted into the program; such, as a minimum skill level and other things, so just be prepared for that.

And, also, there are going to be requirements that you will need to meet in order to successfully complete the program. So, not only will there be touchstones along the way, there will be kind of a holistic, I guess kind of exam, at the end where you will need to demonstrate that you understand, that you’ve learned something throughout this course. So, it’s a formal learning course. So, just know that, just know that.

And, if you successfully complete the program then you will be given preference when you apply for any teaching position here at Silver Creek Clogging, for which you’re qualified. So, that will be awesome and as soon as the details are finalized we will let you know, including the cost for the course and ,yeah, any of the other details. So, just be aware that that is coming. And I’m really excited about that.

And, again, these last these three things (our recital changes, our curriculum changes for advanced and higher, and this instructor certification program), these changes have been in the works for years, so I’m really excited that we’re finally able to roll them out.

Our last big change that we’re gonna roll out, starting this Thursday, is we’re making changes to our practicer of the month. So, practicer of the month is intended to encourage students to make daily clogging practice part of their routine and so we want to make sure that we’re spreading that encouragement across the studio a little bit wider. Therefore, we’re going to take the top three practicers.

So, whoever has the top three most days practiced within the given month is gonna be in a drawing. Those three people are going to be in a drawing and we will randomly select one of those top three every month. So, what you have to do is you have to log into your TeacherZone, you have to click the practice timer on when you start practicing, and then you need to click the practice timer off when you stop practicing. We will count the number of days that are practiced every month and then we will have the drawing of who’s our top practicer. Okay. Yeah. So, that’s that and we’ll talk about it in classes this week too, so everybody understands.

And then upcoming. Whew! We’re through the changes, now we’re on to what’s coming up.

So, this week, all week long in classes, we are going to wear our red studio t-shirts to class and whatever crazy socks you want to wear. Anything. Anything crazy, fun, happy that you think will be brighten up your day and your day of your classmates, just wear it bring it have fun it will be awesome.

This Friday, October 2nd is our first Friday open studio. This Friday we’re going to do an online workshop with our friends from Junior Cloggers, in Hillsboro, and High Impact Dance, in Lacey, and we’re gonna learn a version of Thriller to get us in the Halloween spirit. Yeah.

Then, guess what, we’re coming up on our studio anniversary. Yeah, two years in our Silver Creek Clogging studio and we’re going to celebrate. So that’s on October 17th and more details to come, but just keep that on your calendars, it’s just a couple weeks away.

The last week of October, October 25th, remember to wear your non-scary Halloween costumes to class. I love the Halloween costume week. It’s so fun.

And then on Halloween day, October 31st, we’re going to participate in our community trunk-or-treat and we still have a couple spaces available for anyone who wants to participate in that. We will be handing out non-food treats at that event and, yeah, that should be fun.

So, something a little bit sad announcement is, we’re not gonna be able to make it to Autumnfest this year. Just too much going on with COVID and we’re just not gonna risk it this year. I’m hopeful that next year we’ll be able to organize a carpool and joint lodging and make that a regular part of our competition calendar.

So, also in November, remember we do not have any classes at all for the entire week of Thanksgiving. So, that week of November 23rd, no classes.

Okay, so there are the changes that are coming and the announcements of what events are happening in the near future.

We have a lot going on here at Silver Creek Clogging and I’m really loving that you are part of it. You guys are really, really important to just the nice and joyful and supportive and energetic feel that we have here in the studio community and we really appreciate you and we couldn’t do it without you.

And we wish you, I wish you, happy dancing.

You are a Real Dancer

Have you ever heard (or been told) that there are prerequisites to being a “real dancer”? 

That you have to learn this style of dance – or that style of dance – or you’re not a real dancer? 

Or, that thus and such style of dance is the foundation of all dance and that you’re not going to be a real dancer if you don’t learn it?  

I know I have.

And, I know many dancers have, at times, let that story deflate them, leave them feeling like they will never be able to become a real dancer, and even have them on the verge of quitting dance all together – and, sadly, some do end up quitting.

I know – I have been there.  Luckily I never quit dancing.  But, I spent time trying different styles of dance.  I bought into the idea that I would never be a real dancer because I wasn’t doing a certain style of dance and didn’t look a certain way — and it left me feeling deflated – and even ashamed. 

But, in the end, I always came back to clogging. 

That’s because clogging is the dance that really speaks to me.  It helps me be more in touch with the core of who I am than any other style of dance I have ever tried.

So, Please!

Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not a real dancer because you don’t do whatever style of dance it is they say is the “correct” style.

The only unwavering truth about dance is that JOY is, without a doubt, the foundation – the heart – the very core of dance. 

Do the style of dance that brings you joy. 

Because, it’s with joy that we really become and know who we are.

That’s what I want for you; to become and know who you are and be confident in yourself.

Follow your heart. 

If you have found a style of dance that makes you feel deeply and truly who you are, YOU ARE A REAL DANCER.

I’ll say it again…..

YOU ARE A REAL DANCER!

So, dance and be joyful.  That is the heart of it all.

In the words of some of our students: 

“I have loved clogging so much.  I have finally found a dance that is for me.” -Gaby

“Clogging is the only thing that made me break out of my shell and taught me true passion for life.” -Rianna

If you’re ready to join our uniquely joyful dance community, now is the time. 

Episode 7: Week of September 21st, 2020

Audio Transcript

Hey everybody!

It’s Ruth and I’m here at our Silver Creek Clogging Dance and Movement Center in Silverton, Oregon, and this is What’s Happening at Silver Creek Clogging for the week of September 21st.

And super exciting this week, yay, we’ve been waiting for this week since June, is our theater recital. And, if you remember back, clear back to June (which seems quite a long time ago), we were supposed to have a recital in the theater, the first weekend in June that, due to COVID, was postponed. And, here it is, this Saturday! Woohoo!

Before we get into the details and information about that, I do want to share a little thought for the week (inspiration, if you will).

I didn’t include this in your email, but I did post it on the social media and I just want to give you a little update, because the quote of the week for inspiration is by Lynda Barr and she says that,

“Any kind of dancing is better than no dancing at all.”

And, I wanted to share this quote with you because I have heard and I’m sure you have also been told that, “If you’re not this, don’t do this style of dance or that style of dance, you’re not a real dancer.”

“This is the foundation of all dance, or that’s, you know, how you’re going to be a good dancer if you do that style of dance.”

Listen, I’ve been told that. I’m sure you’ve been told that, but I’m going to tell you, “Don’t believe it.”

Now with that said, if you want to be a certain kind of dancer, like, dance on Broadway or something, then there are certain prerequisites to that.

But, if what you’re wanting to do is be a dancer from your soul and joy, and do the kind of dancing that brings you joy, don’t let those things deflate you. Because, I have let those things deflate me.

I have heard you know, “I’m never going to be a real dancer because I didn’t do this style of dance or I didn’t do that style of dance,” and, listen, I’ve tried different styles of dances, different styles of dance; but I always come back to clogging, because clogging is the dance that really speaks to me. It really does get to the very core of who I am. It helps me be more in touch with the core of who I am than any other style of dance that I have ever tried and, believe me even tap dancing, I’ve tried tap dancing and, while I like tap dancing, it doesn’t get to the core of who I am. So, that is why I always come back to clogging.

And don’t let anybody tell you that you are not a real dancer, if you don’t do whatever they say is the correct style of dance.

You do you. You do the style of dance that brings you joy.

There’s one thing that I firmly believe is that joy is, without a doubt, the foundation, the heart, the very core of dance; and it’s with that joy that we really become and know who we are.

And that’s what I want for you – is to become and know who you are and be confident in yourself.

So, do the style of dance that brings you joy.

Do the style of dance that brings you joy.

Okay, now on to the announcements for the week.

Our Recital! So, tickets are on sale now. Online ticket sales do close September 25th, that is Friday, so be sure to get your online tickets by Friday. I will tell you that, any tickets that are purchased at the door, assuming there is space available, are going to be a higher cost than tickets that you purchase online. So, if you want the lowest cost for tickets, if you want your free tickets that are included with your tuition, make sure you do that online. We won’t be doing free tickets or low cost tickets at the door. There will only be tickets for purchase at the door and those will be a higher cost. So, so be sure that you get those.

Also, really know that we are following COVID protocols as best as we possibly can. We are limiting groups, this is per the state guidance, we’re limiting groups to no more than 10 people. So, if you purchase, fifteen tickets we’re gonna break you out into two groups and socially distance you and you will be needing to remain in your assigned, your, I don’t know, seat assignments, I guess, and not kind of go back and forth between groups. So, that is just so you know.

Also, if you want to be sure to sit by somebody make sure that you purchase all of those tickets in one order, because each ticket order is going to be treated as a separate group for purposes of seating, with social distancing. So, you’re going to just purchase, you know, the number of tickets that you want to purchase and then seat assignments will be made and you will get your tickets with your seat assignments a little closer to the show. So, just know that.

The schedule is in your email. The recital’s at the Historic Grand Theatre in Salem and we’re going to have our dress rehearsal and our portraits in the morning. Then, we’ll have a break for a few hours; where you can relax, get some lunch, regroup, and then come back to the theater. Dancers will arrive about 2:30, maybe just a titch before 2:30, and then we’ll open the doors for audience members soon after that.

Make sure that you give yourself enough time to come to the theater, get your tickets scanned, get your seats, and allow all that with the social distancing protocols that will be in place. So, you know we’ve got to have the six feet distance between every group and so one group will enter at a time, you’ll find your seats, all of that. So it’s going to take just a little bit more time than usual to kind of get in the door. So just make sure you allow yourselves enough time to get there in time to get seated before the doors close, because the doors will close 10 minutes before the show starts.

Okay, let’s see, I think that’s it.

There are some additional COVID protocols.

One, everybody’s got to have a mask; dancers/audience members, if you’re five and older you are required to wear a mask the whole time that you’re in the building.

Everybody will go directly to their seats, they’ll stay at their seats for the whole time, unless you are actively using the restroom or actively purchasing concessions, we’re just not going to mill about the theater. Just going to stay in our seats and maintain appropriate physical distance and that is that.

And, at the end, we’re gonna release everybody in a little bit of a staggered way, so that we can also maintain distance.

It’s not what we’re used to and, in some ways, it’s a little bit sad that our interactions are so physically distant. But, it’s what we’re doing to help keep you all safe and healthy and do what we can to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

So, that is the theater recital, this Saturday. Yay! I’m so excited for this! I just can’t wait. It’s gonna be really fun to be in the theater and, yeah, that’s that is that.

More information and announcements.

Please let your friends and family know how much you love dancing with us at Silver Creek Clogging. If there’s one thing I know, is that when you are able to share your love for us, and what a great education you are receiving here, or your child is receiving here, what a wonderful community we have here, that your word is gonna count for awesome things. So, if you know somebody who wants to participate in, and be a member, of a super joyful, supportive, amazing dance studio environment, let them know that this is the place; Silver Creek Clogging, this is the most joyful community around.

And, enrollment is continuing this week.

We are participating in the community trunk-or-treat that’s going to happen on October 31st. So, we would love to have a couple more people, students, participate in decorating and/or handing out non-food treats to the kids in our town this Halloween. I think we all could use a little extra joy this year. So, that will be a fun thing to do.

Also, Autumnfest registration is coming right up, so registration forms will be sent home this week, and this is for solo, well, individual and duet events only, so this would be freestyle, it would be acapella, it would be any of the solos, it would be any duets of the duet categories.

So, I will send those home with students this week.

Normally, what we would do for the Autumnfest is we would, you know, try to do some carpooling together. Kind of head to the Salt Lake City together, have lodging together; this year is just different because of COVID.

So, each dancer will need to find their own way, with their own family, there and hopefully next year we will be cleared to travel a little bit differently; but, for this year, just know that, that you just need to get your own transportation and arrange for your own lodging and then next year it’ll be a little bit different.

Let’s see, what else is coming up?

We have… Oh, next week, next week we’re gonna wear our brand-new red studio t-shirts to class with our crazy socks. It’s going to be so fun.

And, also next week, October 2nd, first Friday, we’re having a Thriller workshop with our friends from Junior Cloggers, in Hillsboro, and High Impact Dance in Lacey, and we’re gonna, yeah, just learn a fun Halloween routine to Thriller; a version of Thriller, that was taught by Andy Howard. It’s going to be fun.

And, let’s see, in October again, the last week of October, we’ll wear our costumes, our non-scary Halloween costumes, to class. I love that!

And then we’ll have our trunk-or-treat that we’ll participate in on the 31st.

And then, we also have Autumnfest, November 7th, the first weekend in November.

And then, the week of Thanksgiving, just a reminder that we don’t have any classes scheduled that week. The whole week we’re off, due to Thanksgiving break.

And that is what’s happening at Silver Creek Clogging.

Remember that you are amazing just the way you are.

And, that’s what I have to say.

And, of course, I wish you happy dancing!

Episode 6: Week of September 14th, 2020

Audio Transcript

Hey, everybody!

It’s Ruth and I’m here at our Silver Creek Clogging Dance and Movement Center in Silverton, Oregon and I’m just gonna start right off by saying, “Wow!” Last week was pretty crazy. Yeah, with all the fires and everything that was happening around us.

I’ve been really grateful to hear from most everyone that you guys are safe and healthy. So that’s been really nice to hear from you guys.

I hope that, as we all continue to move forward that, everyone will start feeling a little more settled and a little more at peace. There was a lot of high anxiety there for a while and I know that it’s not all the way over yet. I know that anxiety will linger for some time. But, I do hope, as we continue to move forward, that we will find that sense of peace and kind of calm and settling.

And, I did share with you guys, in your weekly email and on our social media accounts, this kind of quote that I think is really important for us right now. I’m gonna read it to you. Let’s see…

Don’t forget that you’re human
It’s okay to have a meltdown
Just don’t unpack and live there
Cry it out and then refocus on where you’re headed

And, I don’t know who to attribute that to, the author is unknown to me, but it seemed very, very appropriate. Because, I think that a lot of times, when we’re faced in situations like these, we forget to feel. We forget to see what’s inside of us and sometimes we don’t even give ourselves permission. Like we shut all that, all those emotions, down inside of us and I think that it’s important to remember that it’s okay to feel.

And it’s actually really healthy for us to feel, because when we kind of push our feelings aside, or our emotions aside, then sometimes it’s harder to go forward into the future. Because, those unacknowledged or unrecognized emotions are just kind of still in there, sitting in there, waiting to come out and so they kind of hold us back. Because we always know that they’re there.

So, feel your emotions, acknowledge your emotions, and give yourself permission to have a meltdown if you need to, and then, then you can bring your head up and look up and look out at what the future is before you.

So, that’s what I want, too, for our dancers.

So, here we go um on to the information and announcements.

So, smoke.

I actually saw the sun this morning, or not necessarily the sun but blue skies and fluffy clouds, That was awesome! Loved it! Gives me hope.

But, as for the smoke, I did want you guys to know that we do have HEPA and UV filters, air filters, in the studio. We got them back in June, when we were all facing COVID, So, they’ve been here, they’ve been operating and, yeah, they’re really helpful. So, I did want you guys to know that.

And, as far as class is concerned, this week, we are going to hold classes – regularly scheduled classes.  I know that there are a couple of you guys, like Team Dynamite and then Elsa’s class, we talked about moving those. So, this week those classes will be moved to their new scheduled times and I’ll reach out and confirm with everybody on that.

And, then brand new students! I’m asking you guys to please do us a favor and let everybody know that we’re still accepting new students. Let them know how much you love clogging here. Let them know that you feel safe sending your kids here, with all the COVID protocols, and everything, that that are in place right now. And that you just think we’re amazing.

And just spread the word that we are continuing to accept registrations for new students. That would really be amazing and we would really appreciate that, if you could do that favor for us.

Also, we’re going to try round two of our brand new, red studio t-shirts. So, these will be coming in classes this week and, again, just remember to hang on to these (know where they are) so that you can pull them out for use in performances and events throughout the year.

And, then, our September theater recital, that is just a couple weeks down the road. So, we are still planning on that. All the details are in your email. Ticket sales start tomorrow. Yeah, ticket sales start tomorrow. So, you have information about that as well in your emails.

Every student who participates in the recital is gonna get two free tickets. So, you’ll have a coupon code for that. Please know that, for families who have more than one student dancing in the recital, you get two tickets for each dancer, but you only have one coupon code and that one coupon code is for all of the dancers in your family.

So, make sure – for example, if you have two dancers you gey\t four tickets. So, just make sure that if you want four tickets that you get all of those in the same order, because that coupon code’s only good for one time. Okay?

Also, just, this is in your email as well but, just remember that due to the physical distancing, we are going to group people at appropriate distances. So, we’re going to treat each ticket order as one group and then that group will be seated in an appropriate distance apart from other groups. So, if you want to sit by somebody, then make sure that all the tickets for that somebody and you are in the same order, the same ticket order, and we’ll seat people accordingly.

We will have no more than 10 people maximum in any one group. So, if you do order more than 10 tickets just know we’re going to break you up into more than one group because 10 is the maximum in any one group.

So, we’re not going to be able to take seating requests or do reseating requests, just because of how COVID is, so just know that those are the parameters. And, that’s all outlined in your email.

Also, we’re still hoping to participate in our Halloween community trunk-or-treat. So, this is something that the Chamber of Commerce is organizing and we would really like to participate in that and could use some volunteers to help pass out our non-food treats and help decorate our trunk. So, please let us know, let me know, right away if you can do that and then we could let the chamber know that we can participate in that.

Please keep on your calendars that, of course, we have our recital coming up in a couple of weeks.

And then the week after the recital, the last week of September, we’re gonna do crazy socks and our new red studio t-shirt. So, that should be fun.

October 2nd is our first Friday in October and we’re gonna do a fun, online workshop with our friends from Junior Cloggers in Hillsboro, Oregon and High Impact Dance in Lacey, Washington. We’re going to learn a routine to a version of Thriller. It will be so fun!

And then coming up into October we have our – we’ll wear our Halloween costumes the last week of October for Halloween. That will be super fun! It’s always fun for me to have the costumes come to class.

And then, of course, on Halloween day we will be participating in the community trunk-or-treat.

And we’re still, we still have November 7th, the first weekend in November, for our Autumnfest solo and duet competition in Salt Lake City. We’ll be doing registration information in the next couple of weeks, because that will be due the beginning part of October so, yeah.

That’s what’s on line – it’s on tap, I guess, for us.

And, I just want you guys to know that – goll, if there’s anything that we’ve learned this year, it’s that things can really change quickly. And, right now there’s a lot of uncertainty and we’re all learning good lessons in living in the present moment, I guess, and for our part here at Silver Creek Clogging we, all along this whole – you know since back in March – we have been keeping the dancing going because we just know how important dancing and particularly clogging is.

And to keep this going gives us a sense of normalcy, it gives us a sense of consistency and it gives us something that brings us joy.

And, you know clogging has always been for me, and I have tried other styles of dance, but clogging, there’s just something about clogging that it helps me really connect inside me. It – with who I am – it gives me – helps me relieve stress, it’s good exercise, but really the big thing is that it’s a door into me, who I truly am, it helps me really truly be fully in in myself when I’m when I’m clogging. And that’s what I want for our students as well. And that’s one of the reasons why I want you to feel who you are and feel those emotions, because those emotions are you; they’re part of you, they’re real and I think clogging helps – well clogging does help me really get into myself and acknowledge and know that that’s real and that I’m real inside of me.

So, I hope that for you too.

And I really love you guys. and goll it’s been a really crazy, scary week. And I’m looking forward to getting back in the studio with you. Please get in touch if you have any questions. Let me know you know how you’re doing or just if you want to send a note just to chat, I’d love to hear from you, as always.

And I, of course, wish you happy dancing.

Episode 5: Week of September 7th, 2020

Audio Transcript

Hey, everybody. Hi!

Hey, it’s Ruth and I am here at our Silver Creek Clogging Dance and Movement Center in Silverton, Oregon.

Hey, we have some breaking news.

Breaking news.

This was not in your emails last night, because this has just come up this morning. You will get an email (you may have already by the time you see this), but today we are going to plan to hold all classes on-line. So, today, Tuesday, September 8th, please plan for your student’s classes to be conducted virtually through our Google Meet platform. I’ll remind you in the TeacherZone chat and in your email, how you can access the link to join your class at your class time. But, with everything that’s going on in our current area, I just want our students to be close to home and close to family just in case of emergency.

So, if needed, we will cancel classes for today so please keep check on your emails and your text messages for any updates about that. But, with the fire situation as it is, we’re just going to kind of play it by ear. But, for now plan for virtual class attendance for all classes today and, yeah, and then we’ll communicate if that changes.

So, in other news. Guess what I am wearing? I am wearing my new, red studio t-shirt. So, these will be passed out in classes this week and next week and ongoing throughout the month as we have new students joining us. Please keep your red studio t-shirt handy because we will be wearing these at our recital at the end of September, the last Saturday in September, and we will wear them periodically throughout the year. So, make sure that you know where your red t-shirt is when you get it and keep it available and handy.

Okay, also we are welcoming new, brand new students starting this week.  We will also be welcoming returning students, who may have taken the summer off, back this week and that doesn’t mean that this is the only week that you can return. That just means that starting this week and over the next few weeks we are accepting registrations for new students who would like to begin.

And, just one quick note, although our website only lists our class schedule for beginning and brand-new students who haven’t ever been clogging before, we do have classes for cloggers of all levels. So, however, we like to talk to people and kind of get an idea about where they are with their clogging and make sure that we get to know them so that we’re putting them in the correct class for them. So, anyone who is above a brand new clogging student level, beginning level just contact us and we can chat with you for a bit and make sure we find the right class for you.

So, family members, please, our studio families please tell your friends tell your families that we have classes for all levels of cloggers. So, just because those aren’t on the website doesn’t mean we don’t have them, all right.

Also, just a reminder again I talked a little bit earlier about our recital the last Saturday in September. It’s September, Saturday, September 26th. All of the info is in your email.

Just note a couple of things: one, tickets go on sale next Wednesday, September 16th.  Yeah, sometimes that happens when I’m writing emails; is I put the right day of the week, but the wrong date. So, that is the deal. Just remember that and I’ll correct it for you next week, too so, because next week is when tickets go on sale.

And also note that we’re filling up the first show for audience. We only have a maximum that we can have in the theater, we’re going to be social distancing there and seating people apart in groups of no more than 10 people. So, we’re limited on how many people we can fit in that theater.

And just know that right off-hand. So, we’ll fill our first one. We may not end up having the second show, depending. But, if we have a lot of raving fans (which we do, I know), then we will have that second show. Okay.

Also, I want to get your feedback right away on our community trunk-or-treat. We, Silver Creek Clogging, would be thrilled to participate in this community trick-or-treat that’s happening on Halloween from 3:30 to 5:00pm, in downtown Silverton, and we would love our cloggers to participate with us. So, we need to know from you as soon as possible if you can help. Ahead of time with the decorating of our trunk, for the trunk-or-treat, and if you can help handing out our non-candy treats. Okay?

Yeah, so just let me know, please, right away who can participate and what you can do and I would just love it, because I want get us signed up as soon as possible. All right? Yeah, that’s gonna be super fun.

We’ll wear our Halloween costumes maybe we’ll even do a little clogging routine, more on that in just a sec.

All right, so upcoming activity activities and events.

Of course, we have our theater recital the last Saturday in September; September 26th.

And then the week after that, the following week of September 28th, we’re gonna wear our red studio t-shirts to class – along with crazy socks. Yeah, that’ll be really fun and a good fun way to kind of celebrate and relax after our recital.

Also, October 2nd, this is super fun, that is our usual first Friday open studio.  We’re going to do something a little different. On October 2nd first Friday, usual time (6:30) we’re gonna have a virtual workshop.

Get ready here it is…. with our friends from Junior Cloggers in Hillsboro, Oregon and High Impact Dance in Lacey Washington. Yeah?

So, I will be teaching us all a routine to Thriller. It’s a different version, not the Michael Jackson version of Thriller, a different version. And, it’s gonna be fun and it’s going to get us into the Halloween spirit and maybe we can even dance it through a couple times during that trunk-or-treat, if you guys want to come. So, that would be super fun.

Also, the week of October 25th, that is the week (Halloween week) we’re gonna wear our non-scary, non-scary Halloween costumes to class.  That is always so much fun. I love it. So, be prepared for that.

And then, of course, please keep on your calendars the first weekend in November, November 7th, for Autumnfest; the solo and duet competition in Salt Lake City. We will be participating in that, assuming of course everything is COVID safe. So, yeah.

So that’s it. That’s our update for the week.

Again, please remember today – please plan for classes to be held virtually because, as I mentioned earlier, we want to keep you close to home (in case of emergency) with your family.

And, if something changes we’ll be in touch. Or, of course, if for some reason you can’t make it, just let us know and that’s fine too.

So, yeah, that’s our update.

As usual, you know what, we have… I was reminded recently about what an amazing and unique community we have here at Silver Creek Clogging. And you know what? That’s because of you. That’s because you guys live our studio values. Like, you embody them you.

You exude joy.  You are a true community, here, of support. You are you are willing to take internal risks and build and grow your courage, so that then you can take those external challenges. And all of that is what gives you the ability to grow.

And that’s not just our dancers that’s everyone in our entire clogging community, here; parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles.

You guys are amazing.

I say that a lot – that you’re amazing – and I really, I don’t take that lightly.

We have a truly unique community here and I’m, I’m amazed and I’m grateful, over and over and over again. (Oh my gosh, I’m getting a little teary.)

Anyway, just really, I am honestly grateful for you guys, as our community here at Silver Creek Clogging, because truly I mean it when I say how amazing you guys are.

And I really am so grateful.

I love you guys and I wish you happy dancing!