An Invitation from London and Maddie to Dance with Them at Garden State Ballet in Randolph, New Jersey

Now that we're back to school, London and Maddie are happy to be back to ballet lessons with Miss Katie at Garden State Ballet in Randolph, New Jersey. This year will be their third year with Miss Katie at GSB, and Rex and I are quite proud and pleased with their progress…from "Baby Blue" to "White" to "Pink." Many of their friends are back for another year, and I received the following e-mail from Jody Jaron, Director of Garden State Ballet, and thought I would share it with you and issue an open invitation from London and Maddie to join the fun (as well as serious dance training and technique) at Garden State Ballet.

Dear Parents,

Welcome to a new year at the School of the Garden State Ballet! I hope you and your child have a wonderful year of dance. We are all working hard to make it the best year ever.

The reason why most parents come to us is because their children have a desire to dance. From there, parents want a school that will teach their children "how to dance." Many parents have found that a majority of the dance schools have one goal in mind: the recital at the end of the year, which leads to a huge investment in tickets, costumes and whatever. At the School of the Garden State Ballet, we strive to teach your child the proper technique, something we build on year after year. Your child learns about ballet and technique as she or he develops a true understanding of ballet and dance right from the beginning. At our concert, the children will demonstrate what they have learned and if you are new to our school, you will be impressed by the progress your child has made. Ballet is a discipline that will help your child throughout life. AND they will enjoy their classes and have fun. Many people think that ballet is too serious for their youngsters but if you watch your child light up when he or she goes off to class and comes out afterwards, you know she or he had a great learning experience.

With this is mind, I am reaching out to you to invite friends with children to come join our GSB family. The majority of our students and their parents come to us because someone had told them about our school - someone like you. We still have space available in several of our classes. If you know someone who has a child that would enjoy our program, please tell them to come in and watch part of a class.

We also welcome your child to "bring a friend to class." The friend can stay for the whole class and watch or participate, whichever he or she chooses. Hopefully he or she will enjoy the class and want to be part of this great experience as well.

Have a great year. Please always feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Jody Jaron
Director, Garden State Ballet

So, here's your invitation….call Garden State Ballet and make plans for your child to attend her (or his) first class, and be sure to tell them London and Maddie sent you!

While London and Maddie attend dance classes in Randolph, NJ, Garden State Ballet has three New Jersey locations: Randolph, Rutherford, and Newark. You'll also find classes for all ages and abilities. For pre-schoolers and kindergarteners, the 45-minute "Baby Blue" class provides a fun, musical introduction to ballet. In first or second grade, children move up to (or start with) a 60-minute "White" beginners' class. London and Maddie advanced this year to a 90-minute "Pink" class, more challenging but not yet "intermediate." As the dancers get older (middle school and high school), they tend to get more involved with Garden State Ballet, dancing several days each week and adding pointe classes and/or modern dance workshops to their intermediate schedule. Garden State Ballet's end of year recital showcases the talents of every age group. At the intermission, London and Maddie and the younger dancers come down to sit with us in the audience, and together we admire (and aspire to) the impressive performances of the strongest dancers in nine or ten professionally choreographed modern dance numbers. I hope we'll see you there in June 2009!