Our November 2017 Turks and Caicos Workshop

Our workshop in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos was a success! It was such a pleasure for us to get to see four new faces, and five returning ones!

Although only two days, we accomplished and taught our budding ballerinas many beginner steps such as skipping, galloping, chassé, plies, piques, tendus, and more. We implemented these steps into dances that we did later in class, as well as allowed the students to explore what the music meant to them and express themselves accordingly.

Our theme was "The Nutcracker", a Christmas-themed, two act ballet. The craft lined up with the theme, as we made mice from Act One with delicious pixie-sticks for tails! Our stories also reflected our theme as we read "The Toe Shoe Mouse" about a mouse inhabiting and befriending a prima ballerina during Nutcracker season, and "Tullah's Nutcracker" about an aspiring ballerina being cast in a professional Nutcracker for the first time.

Thanks to our generous donors, we were able to pass out goodies such as coloring pages, candies, and cupcake supplies: all "Nutcracker" themed! We were able to distribute ballet shoes as well.

We enjoy coming to the Turks and Caicos Islands because of all of the diversity present in the classroom. In this workshop, students from America, England, Canada, Israel, and Turks and Caicos (natives) were present! It was very special to see such different cultures all coming together and having a genuinely positive first experience with the arts.

As always, we have to thank Barbara and Mark Pankhurst at the Turks and Caicos Friends of the Arts Foundation (TCFAF). This was our second time collaborating with them, and we are so grateful for them getting the word out and assisting us in launching this project. We have our parents to thank as well for raising $100.00 for TCFAF!

We also have to thank Natasha Leybush at Rock it Hot Fitness Center for advertising and allowing us to use her space.

Overall, we could not be happier with this experience. This island has brought us so much opportunity, and it has devastated us to see damage from Hurricane Irma impact it so harshly.

Therefore, we have made an arrangement with our studio, Wexford Dance Academy. Half of the money raised from our Holiday Performance Raffle will be going to Hurricane Irma Relief at the end of December!

We could not be more grateful for this experience! Best to all of our Turks and Caicos friends! We hope to return!