Office hours, M-W, 4:30-9 pm; Encore School of the Arts will be closed for weather events when Dowagiac Schools are closed.

Recital 2012: Encore Celebrates 10 Years!

Sunday, May 20, two shows: 1 & 6 pm; $7 Members/$8 non-members, general admission; tickets on sale now at Encore, and at the door. Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center. The public is welcome!

[For Dancers: Get your picture taken in costume either May 7-9 at the studio from 4-8pm or after recital at the PAC when group photos will also be taken. Dress Rehearsal at the PAC Monday the 14th and 16th--get your class's rehearsal time in the office!]

Fall Music Classes

• M1. Guitar—Currently no instructor
  
• M2. Piano—Tuesdays* or Thursdays. Instructor, Melissa Whitaker
  
• M3. Voice—Tuesdays* or Thursdays. Instructor, Melissa Whitaker
  
• M4. Percussion (drums)—Wednesdays. Instructor, Bryan McNeary

All the above are individual 30-minute lessons at $20 per class with one class per week. Call for available times. *Tuesdays are taught at the instructor's Niles studio.

Encore Extreme Pom Team

Encore School of the Arts announces Southwest Michigan's first area pom team! Encore Extreme, under the direction of Kimberly Martz, a high energy, precision performance team for ages 14 through 20. The team will enjoy an exciting touring schedule including at least six different area high school basketball games, parades, and special guest performances at University of Notre Dame Women’s Basketball games! Tuition is an affordable $34/month (member rate), ($17/month for alternates). Scholarships are available; There is a $10 Pom rental fee; uniform and shoes purchase are extra.

 

Encore Arts Tour

Encore Dance Company will to go on tour this coming fall to area schools to promote arts education and student empowerment through the discipline and creativity of dance. This tour has been made possible by generous matching grant from St. Deny's Foundation.

Not only do students develop discipline through dance, they also develop a standard of excellence, a belief in themselves that carries over into all aspects of their lives. Students who are educated in the arts tend to have higher scores on their SATs. Research shows that the arts improve students' verbal and numeric skills...a bonus to those who already value the arts for more aesthetic reasons.

Artistic Director Amy Rose will work with area schools to develop both during- and after-school residencies. In each school district, the residency will culminate in a student performance that will expose students to arts education, while the youth members of the Encore Dance Company will have a chance to perform—sharing their talents and giving back to the very communities that support them.

Encore Dance Company is a performance group directed by Miss Eileen Springsteen for dancers from the 4th through the 12th grade, with membership through audition only. Company members will perform in two productions per season, September through August—the Spring Show and the Christmas Show—as well as area performances.

Senior Company members will be cast in a minimum of six dances per season (four for Junior Company). Additional optional opportunities will be made available to those who wish to participate on an à la carte basis, including master classes given by professional dancers, regional and national competitions, a Senior Company summer trip, tickets to special shows and concerts, as well as performance opportunities.

Company members pledge to pay or fundraise $75 per month ($50 for Junior Company) to support the Company and must be enrolled in at least one weekly ballet class. There is an annual costume rental fee of $90 ($60 for Junior Company) and a refundable deposit of $50. Rehearsals are usually on Saturdays from 9:00-Noon (9:00-11:00 am for Junior Company) at Encore School of the Arts.

ANNOUNCEMENT!

The Encore Dance Company is pleased to announce they have qualified to compete at Kids Artistic Revue National Dance Competition in Las Vegas in July. Encore competed at the regional level in Detroit May 4-6 where they earned 5 Top First Place and 2 First Place awards.

Special judges’ awards were given to tap routines Supersonic, choreographed by Amy Rose for Rockin’ Rhythm; and Say Hey, choreographed by Sarah (Smallbone) Northrup for Fancy Footwork.  Good Feeling, a hip hop routine choreographed by Eileen Springsteen, received Second Overall High Score in their division.

Encore Extreme Pom Team, directed by Kimberly Martz, also competed at Regionals where they received a Top First Place Award qualifying them for Nationals. 

Attending competition is a healthy way for the dancers to measure their own hard work. The dancers are exposed to a variety of dance companies from all over the state.