Banks School of Scottish Dancing

Lauren found out last week that she has been chosen as a dancer for the Ozscot Tattoo Team that will be travelling to the US next April!! Lauren will be peforming at the Virginia Tattoo! This is such wonderful news! Well done Loz!!! MWAH!!!! xoxoxo

(thanks to dance.net for the this post. I just changed it to suit highland dancing... ) “Oh no! I am having my first highland class. What should I expect?!” Here is a, hopefully, complete and helpful post to answer your question. Oh! and welcome to join the dazzling dance world. Effort & Class conduct All dancers must be willing to push themselves to be the best dancer they can be. At all times dancers must show respect to their instructors and classmates. Be on time and ready to dance. Get Ready Dress Code Have you checked the school dress code? (Some schools have very strict dress code. Please pay attention to that before you purchase your dream leotard.) Leotards/Tights/Flats Thread: www.dance.net . . . Warm Up gears: www.dance.net . . . Hair in bun (preferred) or pony tail. www.dance.net . . . Turn yourself into a dance mode before the class start. It will always help you to get into the atmosphere quicker and get ready to dance. (Whatever you are worrying, stressing ...

Saturday 22nd was the annual Children's Festival at Bankstown. Wow - what a great day! It was organised by another teacher, who teaches at Yagoona, she asked me if I had any dancers who would be able to attend. Ceilidh and Danielle went to dance. That had a really lovely time!! THANKS GIRLS!

I was just over at the Turtleblue website, looking at the photos from the Championships in Gosford in July. Our girls solo has got its own section! I loved this 1st photo particularily!

Term 3 is almost over! Oh MY! I can’t believe it! It was a long term but it seems to have just flown!!The dancers have been working so hard on their choreographies and they look great! I can’t wait to seem them performed at the competition on the 30 th September. Lessons will cease on Saturday 29 th September and will recommence on Monday 15 th October, for Term 4. There will be two holiday classes during the break, I will let you know the dates of those closer to the time. SATURDAY CLASS - Term 4 will have the Saturday Class from 9.30-10.45. The younger dancers will be from 9.30 - 10.15, with the older dancers staying to complete their beginner dances in the last 30mins. EXAMS THURSDAY 22 nd NOVEMBER. Going home with this newsletter is an envelope with your exam information on it. Please fill it in and return to me asap, definitely before the end of term. I need to fill in all the paperwork and post it off during the holidays. The assessments (PrePrimary and Primary) are...

Thankyou to Greer, Ashley, Brodie, Ceilidh and Connor who represented the school at the Gaelic Singers 25th Birthday Ceilidh Night a few weeks ago. (Thanks also to Aidan and Darcy who decided to join in on the march and the pas de basques!) The kids had an absolute ball playing the games they had there, and peformed well too!

Last Sunday we had our annual display at Linnwood House at Guildford. The weather had been miserable all week, and it looked to be that way again for Sunday. Our first session we danced inside in the lovely hallway. This actually worked well as the stall holders could watch the dancing. Then, the sun came out! So we danced our 2nd set on the verandah! It was wonderful! Dancing for me were Averil (17) Sarah, Ceilidh, Lauren (all 8), Connor and Lauren (both 5) and Darcy (3 last week) also 'danced'! Thankyou girls (and Connor!), you were beautiful!!!

Craig got 6th in the Worlds!!!!!! WOOHOO!!! That is so exciting!! Kara Broughton qualified for the adults, so did Emily Ingram for the Junior. Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!! AND THREE BOyS IN THE THE TOP SIX IN THE ADULT WORLDS! THAT IS SO AWESOME!!! Full results are: Cowal Gathering 24 Aug 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Adult Championship Results 1) David Wilton 2) Marielle Lesperance 3) Daniel Carr 4) Kari MacNaughton 5) Angela Ramsay 6) Craig Johnston Dance Results Highland Fling 1 David Wilton 2 Daniel Carr 3 Marielle Lesperance 4 Kari MacNaughton 5 Angela Ramsay 6 Jocelyn Case Sword Dance 1 David Wilton 2 Angela Ramsay 3 Marielle Lesperance 4 Daniel Carr 5 = Desmond Worfolk 5 = Jocelyn Case Seann Truibhas 1 David Wilton 2 Marielle Lesperance 3 Kari MacNaughton 4 Daniel Carr 5 Craig Johnston 6 Anne Thomson Reel 1 Marielle Lesperance 2 Craig Johnston 3 David Wilton 4 Kari MacNaughton 5 Anne Tho...

I thought it had been a while since I wrote about who my other teachers and student teachers are who take classes for me when I am unable to teach. They are a great help to me and I know that they are just as enthused and excited to be a part of the Banksie's Team!! Leanne (whom you all know as 'Brodie's Mum!) - Leanne is a qualified teacher and examiner with the SDAA. Leanne also has her teacher qualifications in Tap. She is also a competition organiser and on the Council and Management Committee of our examining body. Up until 3 years ago Leanne had her own dancing school at Canley Heights that taught ballet, tap, jazz and highland. Alison (Ali!) - Alison is a qualified teacher with the SDAA and is currently a delegate for the NSW State Committee of Highland Dancing. Ali is also trained in ballet and contempory. Casey (Little Sis!) - When she is in Australia and not being a professional dancer in Europe! Casey is trained in Highland, Ballet (university diploma), Iris...

Congrats to all my PrePremiers who competed at Penrith on Sunday 19th August!! Sarah - First in Trophy Dance Fling and 1st in Swords Brodie - First in Fling, Swords, Pdbs and Pdbs and Hcts Lauren - 2nd in Pdbs and Pdbs and Hcuts Cailin - 2nd in TD Laddie and places in other section dances. Won most promising dancer award! Great work girls!!!

DANCING NEWS AUGUST 2007 Welcome back to Term 3 and welcome to our new students, Maddi, Hannah and Scarlette. Please make sure you say ‘hi’ to them and make them feel welcome!! We had a wonderful term 2, and I thank all of you dancers for working so very hard in lessons and at the competitions and displays that we had. I am very proud of you all! At the moment, the competitive dancers are learning their solos for the SDAA September competition at St Marys. So things are a bit hectic during lessons, and I apologise for that! We are not used to having solos in our kind of dancing. Please try and remember your solo (or get mum to write it down!) because my brain can’t keep that many new choreographies in it!! If you like, your mum can bring a camera to class and video you doing your dance, so you can practice it at home. At SDA September we will also be doing our troupe dances, all 3 of them – Knees Up, Faery Dance and Panic! So we will start back working on them v...

End of term This Saturday will be the last lesson of the term. I hope everyone enjoys their break. I am off to New Zealand to judge a highland competition in the middle weekend, so I am very excited about that. See you all on Monday 16 th July for the beginning of Term 3. Fees Anyone who hasn’t finalised term 2 fees, please fix me up asap. Concert Wow – you were all so wonderful in the concert!! I was very proud of you all, and I know that your family and friends must have been too! You ROCKED!!! I can’t wait for the dvd to come out!!! I want to sit there and watch the dances without having to hold my breath (like I was doing at the concert!!) You all looked so beautiful – WELL DONE!!!! Choreography Over Term 3 I will be starting some solo choreography for all the dancers. At the September SDA competition on the 30 th September there will be a solo choro competition – with a difference. For example, all the dancers in the 7 & U will dance to the same...

Lauren went over to the championships in Adelaide this weekend, even though she has shin splints and should be taking a few weeks off to rest. She got 5th in the Championship!! WOOHOO!! Well done Lauren!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus prizes in the section dances!!!! Way to GO!!!! RIGHT GIRL - WRONG COMP! But doesn't matter! WTG LOZZA!!!!