Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome back to the 89th season of the TAYB/Miami Conservatory! We hope you had a wonderful summer. We are looking forward to a new season of ballet with each of you. The Miami Conservatory continues to offer a carefully constructed curriculum for every level with emphasis on technique, alignment and artistry.

Tuition
Tuition is based on lessons received for an entire school year and not on the number of classes received each month. This is standard private school policy. There are 9 payments due the first week of each month. The first payment covers August and September. Please make your check out to the Miami Conservatory. We do not send out statements. There is a $10 penalty for payments made after the first week of each month. Remember that if your child misses a class, he/she has many opportunities within the week to make up that class. Please check with your child's teacher for the appropriate day and time.

Faculty and Staff:
Director: Ruth Wiesen
Program Coordinator: Geannina Burgos
Registrar/Operations Manager: Marina Ilinskaya
Ballet: Mariana Alvarez (full time faculty), Angelica Diaz, Maite Diz, Afua Hall, Jessica Schults, Rosario Suarez, Natasha Williams and Natalie Wright
Community Outreach teachers: Ballet/Modern: Natalie Axley, Asha Darbeau, Afua Hall, Jessica Shults
Tap: Natasha Williams
Community Arts Liaison/Administrative Assistant: Anna Talbot
Student Assistants: Karen Briceno, Georgette Fogel, Stephanie Fuentes, Bruno Jacques Louis, Rony Lenis and Sharyn Richards

Facebook: Please visit our new Facebook fan page to track alumni

Email notices: Please make sure that Marina has a current e-mail address on file for your family. We are trying to send out information electronically rather than sending out massive amounts of paper. You may have received a call this summer to confirm. If we have not confirmed your e-mail address this summer, please give it to Marina.

Congratulations
To Geannina Burgos and Jessica Shults. They will both be having babies in February! Ms Maite's baby boy is due any minute now. We welcome back faculty member Natalie Wright, who has been on the faculty at the Dance Theatre of Harlem for the past year and a half. Ms Wright will be covering Ms Maite's classes while she is out on Maternity leave. She will also cover for Jessica Shults and Geannina Burgos during their leave. We are also very proud of our TAYB alumni. This year, we produced 11 High School graduates. They will be going to colleges that include Julliard, University Of Florida, Florida State University, Boston Conservatory of the Arts, NYU-Tisch School of the Arts, NYU-Pre med, SUNY Purchase and New World School of the Arts. They have totaled over $275,000 in scholarship money! In addition, 3 received their Bachelors degrees and 3 received their Masters degrees. Ayla Weisz was a finalist in the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, High School Arts Recognition and Talent Search. Andrea Murillo was just offered a contract from the Martha Graham Company. We now have 4 of our alumni in that company. Congratulations to them all!

Audition and Ballet Competition Coaching
Many of the students are considering auditioning for an elementary, middle or high school magnet program or entering a ballet competition. If you have not already done so, now is the time to choose music and prepare the audition piece. Coaching is available at the Conservatory through any of the ballet faculty depending on their schedule and time constraints. Coaching fees are $45/hour and should be paid directly to the teacher, not to the Conservatory. If the fees are problematic for your family, please see Ruth Wiesen. Speak with the teacher that you wish to have coach you. If she/he is able to work with you please let Ms. Ruth know with whom, and when, you will work.

Hurricane Days
Conservatory closure due to weather will be consistent with the decision made by the Miami Dade County Public School Board. If public schools are closed, the Conservatory will be closed. We will leave daily updated messages on the Conservatory voice mail. Classes missed for any reason may be made up on another day. See Marina for days and times.

Dress Code
Girls: black leotard, pink tights and pink shoes. Boys: white leotard, black tights and either black or white shoes. Hair must be in a bun. If hair is short, please pull it back from the face and secure with barrettes. No leg warmers, sweatshirts, shorts or sweaters in class. No jewelry in class. No gum or food in class. The student may bring water. Be on time for your class. Once the class has begun, the student may not enter without permission from the teacher. Students that are late 10 minutes or more will not participate in class, but instead will observe and/or take notes.

Summer at the Conservatory
Our Summer Intensive was a huge success this year. Younger students refined technique and alignment skills. The Intermediate/Advanced students took classes in Technique, Pointe, Pilates, Character, and Variations. The session ended with a performance of excerpts from the classical ballet, "La Bayadere".

Summer in NYC
20 advanced high school and college students were sent to major cities in the US to study with one of the following companies: American Ballet Theater, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Joffrey Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Boston Ballet.

Parental Permission
Some of the older students want to leave the Miami Conservatory premises and walk to Starbucks, Winn-Dixie and sometimes even Sunset Place. We are asking that any child leaving the premises have a note from a parent or guardian. Please indicate exactly where the child is permitted to travel before or after class. We ask that the children always walk with a buddy and inform Marina of their departure and return. We will keep the note on file. (Of course, this does not apply to the students who travel by bus and metro rail.)

Adult Ballet and Pilates Classes
Intermediate and Advanced adult ballet classes meet every morning, Monday through Friday, at 9:30 AM. Beginner and Intermediate adult ballet classes will meet in the evenings. Please see Marina for information. Pilates classes are offered on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 9:30 AM.

Nutcracker Auditions
Wll be held on August 29th at 2 PM at the Conservatory for the juniors and August 30th at 1 PM, at NWSA for the seniors. See separate sheet for detailed information. The Nutcracker performance will be held on Saturday, December 5th at 7 PM, at Dade County Auditorium, with field trip performances available for all Dade County school children on December 2nd , 3rd and 4th.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Warmly,

Ruth Wiesen, Director