Star Search Finals 2014

You can spot his red boots from miles away

On Friday it was the finals of the Star Search talent competition at Coastlands Mall.

It was another opportunity for Salem to perform "Robin Hood" again.

Heaps of people were there and Salem had a blast.

He didn't get anywhere, but he never expected to, he just had fun entertaining people.

Well done to the winner and the second and third placed performers.

What was really nice is that a dance teacher came up to us after Salem had performed and said that he was really good and well done.

Later this month Salem has his last dance competition of the year.  There are actually two on at the same time, one ballet and the other modern, we decided on the modern one in Upper Hutt as he wants to debut his new tap dance and he will get to do his new jazz dance "White Trash" for the second time, plus get to do his "Cotton Eye Joe" acro dance again.

Today Salem was at the New Zealand School of Dance for the last Associate Weekend of the year.

He came home late tonight hungry and tired but all set for doing it again tomorrow.

He will sleep well tonight!!!!

A Quick Catch-up No.I : In the Paper, Junior Associates Weekend......

Dancing his way to the top
By JOEL MAXWELL

Reaching for the stars: Kapiti’s Salem Foxx, 13, will join New Zealand School of Dance’s junior associate programme in February.
A 13-year-old Kapiti boy has been selected from hundreds to join a New Zealand School of Dance's programme for talented young dancers.
In February, Salem Foxx will attend the first workshop for the school’s junior associate programme.  Salem, who has danced for a decade, said he was ‘‘really excited’’ he had been accepted for the course.  ‘‘It’s just such a great opportunity. Dancing is my life.’’ He was accepted for the programme majoring in contemporary dance, but Salem’s real passion is ballet.
Mum Michelle Foxx said the programme caters for talented dancers aged 13 to 16 and draws hundreds of
applicants for spots as either a contemporary or classical major.  ‘‘Salem is working for a career as a professional dancer. He lives and breathes dance.’’  She said Salem’s first weekend workshop runs on February 15 and 16.
‘‘They also do the Royal New Zealand Ballet master classes, which are every ballet season . . . they have to
go on them as part of the junior associate course. And he will also be going to the New Zealand School of
Dance winter school.’’ Salem starts the summer school for dance next week as well, she said.
‘‘It’s hard work being a dancer.’’

- KAPITI OBSERVER, 9 JANUARY, 2014

It's been a while since our last post, I've had some major issues with our computer and haven't been able to upload anything, emails taking forever, even resorted to going up to the library to use there computers and getting very frustrated.  I seem to have fixed things for the time being and am keeping my fingers crossed that this will be successful.

A well deserved fizzy drink at the end of the
Associates Weekend

Salem had his first Associates Weekend at the New Zealand School of Dance on the 15th and 16th of February.  We were up very early to get the train and buses in to Wellington for early starts.  He really enjoyed all the contemporary classes a lot.  He is the only male contemporary major and was one of only three junior contemporary majors.  He enjoyed making new friends.  There were plenty of boys doing the ballet and they were surprised that Salem didn't join them for the boy's classes.

They all worked hard over the weekend and just before it was time to finished on the last day, the parents were treated to a display of some of the work that the Associates had learnt.  It was very good to watch and I was very pleased with what Salem had learnt.

His poor toes had taken a beating over the weekend and I had to tape them up for him for his Intermediate and Grade One classes the next day.  I made sure he had a good sleep in.

That's a good start to our catch ups, more tomorrow night if my computer doesn't have another melt down.

Nearly end of term for 2013 and 2014 is going to be even better.

Only one more week of this term for dance classes and then it is the xmas and summer holidays.

Not that Salem will be having much of a break as he will still be having his private lessons and working hard on his BTDA Intermediate syllabus.  He has really been enjoying the change from RAD.

This year so much has been happening, competing in the Alana Haines Australasia Awards http://www.ahaawards.co.nz/ (a great experience), doing well in competitions and with his exams.

Having private lessons with Lois Solino, Sir Jon Trimmer and Lady Jacqui Trimmer.  

And also changing dance schools and syllabi.  Taking up Acrobatic Dance and Lyrical, and being teacher's assistant to the Monday Grade One ballet class which he absolutely loves.

Was a second year recipient of a Variety Gold Heart Scholarship. http://www.variety.org.nz/how-we-help/future-kiwi-kids/gold-heart-scholarships .

Plus lots of other good things happening.

Next year is going to be even better!!!!!!

Salem has been accepted into the New Zealand School of Dance Associate programme as a Junior Associate Contemporary Major.  http://www.nzschoolofdance.ac.nz/training/associates.html .

We have just found out and it was totally unexpected.  Well done Salem!!!!

Salem has also been invited to be part of the Waikanae Dance School's Performance Team for 2014 which will be going up to Auckland to take part in the British Theatre Dance Association Festival in June 2014.

Waikanae Dance School's timetable for next year is up now at http://waikanaedance.org.nz/
Take a look if you are out here in Kapiti.  They are also offering vocational classes for jazz and ballet.

To top off next year, Salem will be going to The National Boy's Ballet Summer School in Sydney, Australia.
http://www.boyssummerschool.net/ .

We will be doing some fund raising to help with airfares and summer school fees.

So watch this space ...............

Junior Associates Audition, ABTC Comps and Dance Journal

Practicing for Ameno.

Last weekend was very, very busy.
So much for a rest on Labour Weekend.
Friday evening it was class as usual and Salem had a very enjoyable class.
He is gaining more acrobatic skills.

He had to miss his Acrobatic class on Saturday as he attended the audition at the New Zealand School of Dance for the Junior Associates program.
We had to leave very early and got there in good time thanks to Grandma, so he could warm up in time for the classical class at 8.45am.

Salem will write more about that later in this post as he is now writing a dance journal as part of his work for doing BTDA Intermediate Ballet.

Being Siegfried.

After the audition we went out to the Hutt for the Associated Ballet & Theatre Club Inc's (ABTC) Competitions at the Little Theatre in Lower Hutt.

I had booked us into the Angus Inn as it was not worth going back and forward to Paraparaumu over the weekend.  This was so much easier.
Luckily they let us check in early as we had a few hours before Salem had his first dance.

It was so nice relaxing in a nice hotel room and not having to hang out in the dressing room for hours.
We enjoyed our stay there!!!!

Looking very Polish.

Salem did very well over the two days of comps especially as he was performing all new dances which he had choreographed himself.  Everyone commented on his Krakowiak costume which he loved wearing.

He has won another trophy for coming first for the Classical Impromptu.

His results are:

1st Place -  Classical Impromptu 12 years and over
3rd Place -  Barefoot Impromptu 12 years and over
3rd Place -  Character 13 years
VHC -  Classical 13 years
VHC -  Barefoot 13 years
VHC - Lyrical 12 years and over.

Salem will write more about the comps in another post soon.
Here is his first Journal entry:

Salem's Dance Journal

**************************

New Zealand School of Dance

On Saturday the 26th of October, I had to go to the New Zealand School of Dance in Wellington, so I could audition to try to get into the Junior Associates.

I had to be there very early in the morning.  There was a lot of other dancers too.  There were four other boys as well but the rest were girls.

We had to get our numbers, I was number 37.  Then we went into one of the studios to have a warm up.

Eating my cheese and crackers.

Then we all went into Studio 1 for a ballet class.  All of us boys had to go down the back so we couldn't see what was happening very well.  The class went for one and a half hours then we had a break.  I had cheese and crackers.

After that we had a contemporary class which wasn't as long.  The best bit was doing an impromptu.  That was fun but the music choice was horrible.

UPDATE:  Salem was accepted on the New Zealand School of Dance Associate Programme.
He is now a NZSD Junior Associate Contemporary Major.