That’s right–our holiday painting party was a great success – and it’s all because of you! Thank you so much for offering your valuable time during the busy holiday season. You’re painting talents were incredible and our new facility looks fantastic!

Also a special thanks to those people who brought the food and drinks that kept us happy and working non-stop, and those who donated to our “paint fund”. Thank you all sooo much!

Rachel and I wish all of you the very best for the holiday season and look forward to seeing you in January. Oh, and by the way, Santa told me to tell everyone to have Happy Holidays and a Healthy  New Year!

More pictures from the painting party:

Work continues to move forward at our new studios and theater space. It is so exciting to watch it all take shape. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. Better yet, I can’t wait to see all of our students bring the facility to life with dance!

Or more than a few, even? We’re dreaming big!

When you donate to Robin Welch Dance Arts and Core Training, you’re not just helping us create the best dance and training facility in the area, you’re also helping your business increase its visibility. Imagine—all those families every week waiting for their children to finish lessons. They’re milling around, admiring the beautiful dance studios or enjoying watching their children in class through our large viewing windows, and they see exactly which individuals and businesses they have to thank for it. They’ll remember that the next time they need those products or services.

They’ll remember YOU.

These are some different ways we at Robin Welch Dance Arts and Core Training plan to honor our donors and help promote their businesses:

• In our studios – Your business will become a member of our Wall of Donors with your business name prominently displayed at our facility.

• On our web-site - Your company info, ad and pictures (prepared by you) will go on our website and reach a whole new group of potential clients.

• In our performances – All programs for performances in out intimate studio concert hall will include your company name/or ad (prepared by you).

• In our Spring Showcase program – your prominently placed business ad will be seen by hundreds of parents, friends and family members of our school.

What Can Your Donation Provide?

• Your gift of $15,000 provides flooring for all three studios—high quality raised wood floors covered with high-grade dance floor vinyl. Perfect for protecting our young dancers’ hard-working feet.

• Your gift of $10,000 provides theater lighting and light board as well as necessary electrical updates to our facility.

• Your gift of $5,000 can complete an entire studio, and we would be pleased to name it in your honor with a plaque over the door.

• Your gift of $3,000 will provide stereo systems for all 3 studios, including speakers and variable speed CD machines.

• Your gift of $3,000 can also provide theater seating for an audience for our studio concert hall.

• Your gift of $2,500 provides for a Stott Pilates reformer. We need two for group Pilates reformer classes.

• Your gift of $2,000 will provide mirrors, barre, and raised-wood flooring for our coaching/Pilates studio.

• Your gift of $1,500 provides sound proofing between studios.

• And finally, your gift of $1,500 provides the quintessential piece of ballet equipment– ballet barres for all studios.

We would love to have you partner with us in reaching our goal of providing the best dance instruction and training to the young people of our community. If you’d like more information or to discuss further partnering opportunities, please use the contact link on our website. Thanks!

Everything is moving forward as scheduled for our new studio facility and I have been working on a summer course that is the “best ever” for students age 3 to adult! I will publish more information on summer classes in the next few weeks but here is a little taste!

• “Live the Dream” intensive summer workshop is for Pre-Professional through Intermediate students and will include ballet, jazz, creating choreography, rehearsing dance pieces, and a studio performance.
• “Dance Arts Full Day Adventure Camps” for Ballet I and Ballet II students will truly encompass many dance arts. In addition to offering high-quality ballet and jazz training, these camps will include classes in theater, voice, musical theater, and arts and crafts.
• “Dance and Theater Adventures for Little Ones” for Creative Movement and Pre-Dance students will include both dance and theater classes that stimulate children’s imagination while introducing them to the fascinating world of the arts.
• Core Training and Adult Ballet Classes are for absolutely everybody! Join in on the fun with a graceful ballet class, or Zumba, aerobics based latin dance to latin music, or any of our other great exercise classes!

This summer is our GRAND OPENING  with a GRAND selection of creative and wonderful classes, workshops and camps. Don’t miss the chance to get in on the best training in town…and all the fun!

Some of you have asked for construction photos of our new facility. Here they are, so go ahead and take a peek!

But remember to IMAGINE the beautiful state-of-the-art raised wood sub-flooring covered with a beautiful new dance vinyl called “marley”. Think about the finished ceilings, nice carpeting and vinyl flooring in the hallways, lunchroom, and dressing rooms.

Then don’t forget to visualize the beautifully painted walls that you will have helped paint. And finally, best of all, imagine the sounds of laughter, excitement, and music! Can you feel the energy?

(You can click any photo to see it at a larger size.)

Our new email address is very simple. So simple I forgot it and had to do a bit of research! Here it is-

robinw@robinwelchdance.com

Our new facility will be located just off I-80 at the 84th street exit on F street and should be convenient for everyone! The exact address is 8801 F street.

A Message from Robin Welch
September 29, 2009

Dear Dancers, Students, and Friends of the Omaha Theater Ballet:

As you may have heard, The Rose Theater has announced that 2009-10 will be the farewell season of the Omaha Theater Ballet.

My heart is heavy as word goes out that our present season will be our last. I have spent more than ten years building the company, and 15 years developing our school. It has meant so much to me I cannot even begin to explain the sadness I feel.

What has made the Omaha Theater Ballet so special is the dancers and other remarkable people who have given their all, time and time again. Together we built the company, together we believed in the company – and now, together, our hearts are broken.

It is important to understand why the Omaha Theater Ballet is bowing out after ten seasons as Nebraska’s only resident professional dance company. It is not because we failed! In fact, our past season was our most successful ever, both artistically and financially.

But it is a fact that nonprofit arts organizations often are hit hard during difficult financial times. They are called nonprofit for a reason: Ticket prices cover only a small percentage of their ongoing costs.  To make up the rest, nonprofits must depend upon individual donations, grant and foundation support, and earnings from endowments.

I would like to focus again on the talented and dedicated dancers, staff, and special friends who truly ARE the ballet —  our family. There have been many such wonderful people over the years. But at this moment I would like to concentrate on some who are with us right now, giving our company life:

Dancers: Rachel Vickrey, Avi Gold, Carrie Wanamaker, Sarah Hubbell, Erika Overturff, Angela Zolczyinski, Natasha Grimm, Sasha York, Clayton Cunningham, Alberto Liberatoscioli, Kristen Goeringer, Claire Goodwillie, and Bret Samson

Staff: Deborah Carr, Emily Huddleston, Mona Schlauttman, James Drake, and Deb Jennings, Terry DeMari, Lance Glenn

The best ever volunteer for absolutely everything: Jim Williams

Thank you; you are all beautiful artists and remarkable people. You have given so much to the community. I have enjoyed every minute with you!

Our family circle reaches far beyond the individuals I’ve just mentioned. It also includes our  supporters and audience members, who throughout the years have surrounded us with enthusiasm, friendship, and appreciation. They are too many to name — and too important ever to be forgotten. Thank you so much!

To you, our dancers and staff pledge to make our farewell season our very best ever. Please join us!

Last but not least, the Omaha Theater Ballet family circle also includes our wonderful students. They are the future. Whether they plan to become doctors, graphic designers, librarians, or professional dancers, our students share something special with our teachers. It’s not only a passion for dance, but also the focus, determination, and concentration that thorough dance training encourages.

To those students, I want to assure you that your training can continue with us.

Your classes at The Rose will continue as usual through May. And in June 2010, I am opening my own brand-new school, offering the same high-quality, multi-faceted classes to which you’ve become accustomed.

This new school will be housed in a new facility and will offer the same classes, syllabus, levels, and many of the same teachers that you already know. We’ll continue already-existing programs such as our student company and Spring Showcase —  while adding lots of fun new classes, an in-house concert series, and potential performances with the Omaha Symphony. I hope you’ll browse our website robinwelchdance.com to learn more about it.

Life is always full of change. I will miss working with all the wonderful professional dancers and staff of the Omaha Theater Ballet — I had the best job in the world!

Once we’ve taken our last bow, I look forward to turning all my energies and attention to Robin Welch Dance Arts and Core Training. I hope to see you there!

— Robin Welch