 Black History Month Spotlight: We're showcasing contemporary Black artists who inspire us.
Singer-songwriter Solange Knowles co-wrote and produced every song on her album in 2016 Seat at the Table where she turns "her gaze outward, exploring her frustrations with a country that draws its lifeblood from black art without sufficiently valuing black life." (Read the New Yorker article about her album addressing injustice for black people in America.) More: • Solange's album • Her Interview with Ari Shapiro on NPR • Knowles also speaks about her disability, ADHD • She has launched a free community library to make accessible rare and out-of-print works by Black and brown authors And more information about physical microaggressions, as Knowles sings about: • Information about touching hair as a microaggression for BIPOC • Why people can't touch black women's hair
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 Jacquelyn Diaz Photography Black History Month Spotlight: We're showcasing contemporary Black artists who inspire us.
PNB ballerina Amanda Morgan speaks out for inclusivity in the world of ballet: "For so long, ballet has just given a white narrative. We need to give different types of people the opportunity to choreograph in ballet companies, because then you’re going to see different stories." More: • Full interview of Amanda Morgan from Dance Magazine • Other leaders for equality through dance: Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham • How non-Black dancers can become a better ally  Hip Hop Beg/Int Workshop Friday, March 4: 6:00pm-7:15pm Hip Hop Adv Workshop Friday, March 4: 7:15pm-8:30pm Intro to Heels Workshop (ages 16+) Saturday, March 5: 6:30pm-8:00pm Kelsey Howard began dancing at the age of three, training at Dance Vision in Johnston, IA under the direction of Sabetha Mumm. Kelsey has 15 years of competition experiences, winning awards and scholarships through dance conventions including Hollywood Vibe, The Pulse, Tremaine, Adrenaline, Jump, and more. Kelsey has trained in intensives led by Brian Friedman, Tucker Barkley, Laurie Anne Gibson, Dave Scott, and more. Kelsey has performed in pieces choreographed by Brian Friedman, Misha Gabriel, Rustin Mathews, and performed in professional pieces including a piece for the Beach Boys. Kelsey was the captain of Valley High School Dance Team in 2009, and placed first place in the state solo competition. Kelsey was also a former soloist for the Iowa Youth Ballet. More recently, Kelsey is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a Bachelors in Psychology with a minor in Human Relations. Kelsey received a 200 hour yoga certification through Power Life Yoga, in Des Moines.
 Our year-end showcases and recital plans are taking shape, and we’re so excited to return to the stage WITH a live audience this year! This note serves as a save-the-date notice for the shows in which your students will be performing.
We have set up a family folder that will remain on our drive (hint: bookmark it for reference!). There, you will find details for our recitals and shows, broken down by activity:
Nolte Apparel
Apparel orders from our November online store will be available to pick up at the studio starting Thursday, December 16. Nolte Nutcracker Thank You Thanks to all who supported our return to The Englert stage. Our entire Nutcracker experience with Loren Williams at the helm was spectacular! Many thanks to the dancers, singers, musicians, families and volunteers for their tireless efforts. Hip Hop Classes Registration for all new Hip Hop classes with Kelsey Howard is now open! Classes begin the week of January 3.
Winter Break Nolte Academy is closed for classes from Monday, December 20-Sunday, January 2. Classes resume on Monday, January 3. Please enjoy a restful break with family and friends! Iowa City Youth Choir Auditions Students interested in Iowa City Youth Choir’s spring semester are invited to walk-in auditions for our choirs on Tuesday, January 4 from 3:30-5:30 pm at Nolte Academy studios. More information here. The BodyLab at Nolte TBL will be open over winter break! Check out our app for the class schedule, and to register. The BodyLab has gift cards and apparel available for purchase in the studio. Art at Nolte Looking for a last-minute holiday gift? Enroll your student in next semester’s art classes with Kyle Powell!
Preschool Playschool Our Preschool Playschoolers are thriving each morning at Nolte! We focus on socialization and learning through play in all content areas, utilizing a daily structure with circle time, centers and snack, and emphasizing hands-on, student-centered learning. Playschool is offered each morning from 9:00-11:30 am, for those ages 3-5, and toilet trained. There is a maximum of 12 children per classroom with 1-2 faculty supporting the students as needed. All classes are team-taught by our Nolte faculty, and children and instructors are masked. Check enrollment availability at our website. Farewell, ShawnT ShawnT, one of our Modern dance instructors, has accepted a full-time temporary position at Bard HS and Early College in Washington, DC as faculty in performing arts, and so will no longer be teaching at Nolte Academy in the new year. They will also be resuming their master's degree in Transpersonal Art Therapy at Naropa University (Boulder, CO) in the fall of 2022. A message from ShawnT: "I want to share my heart and gratitude with everyone at Nolte Academy and please know you will be greatly missed and always loved! To quote Cher, ‘You haven’t seen the last of me!'" We wish ShawnT the best in their artistic and professional endeavors! Recital Commitments We will begin measuring for spring recital costumes at the first of the year (see dates and venues below!). Those who wish to opt-out of our year-end performances should contact us via email by January 15, 2022. Performance-Related Dates
Nolte Nutcracker Tickets On Sale
Tickets for our December 3-5 performances at The Englert Theatre are now on sale! We hope you'll join us! If you prefer to avoid online ticketing fees, you may visit the Englert Box Office in person. The box office is located at 221 E. Washington St. and is open Tuesday-Friday 10:00 am-5:30 pm. Masks are required for in-person purchases. Please click here for information about the Nutcracker Covid Policy for attendees. ICon Beginnings ICon Beginnings Spring Semester is now accepting applicants! Iowa Conservatory (ICon) offers an in-person intensive arts education for dancers ages 11-19, designed to complement an online academic course of study. Join our afternoon program which facilitates authentic arts experiences and grows students’ skill and expertise through hands-on, innovative projects. Learn more and apply online by December 6. Art at Nolte Our art students are having an enriching fall together as they explore printmaking, moveable sculptures, color collage and self portraits. Follow along with their work on Instagram! There’s still time to join Kyle Powell for one of these classes:
Graffiti Wall Did you know the world “graffiti” derives from the Italian word “graffio,” which means a scratch? We have a community art exhibit in our lobby, and we’d love for all students to participate! You can scratch a word, symbol or small drawing that expresses what you are thankful for! Preschool Playschool Our Preschool Playschoolers are thriving each morning at Nolte! We focus on socialization and learning through play in all content areas, utilizing a daily structure with circle time, centers and snack, and emphasizing hands-on, student-centered learning. Playschool is offered each morning from 9:00-11:30 am, for those ages 3-5, and toilet trained. There is a maximum of 12 children per classroom with 1-2 faculty supporting the students as needed. All classes are team-taught by our Nolte faculty, and children and instructors are masked. Check enrollment availability at our website. Thanksgiving Break Nolte Academy is open for classes on Monday, November 22, and closed for classes the remainder of that week. This offsets Labor Day from the first week of classes. The BodyLab at Nolte The BodyLab has been open for just over a month in our new designated space. TBL specializes in equipment-based small group Pilates classes and large group hybrid classes for all fitness levels. If you’re new to Pilates equipment classes, start with an introductory class! Our large group classes are mixed level, and require no previous experience. Now’s the time to take advantage of our introductory offer for new clients: 5 classes for only $60! More information can be found at our BodyLab website, or download our app! TBL will be open Thanksgiving week, and we’ll be highlighting some Black Friday opportunities! Gift cards will be available soon! Nolte Apparel Store Our Nolte apparel store is coming soon. Items will be available for the holidays! More information soon! December Workshops Kelsey Howard will be hosting three dance workshops this December. Details to follow about Hip Hop, Contemporary and Intro to Dancing in Heels! Registration Remains Open Registration for classes remains open for Nolte Academy! Please email us if you would like to make changes to your schedule, or log into your Jackrabbit account to add classes. Recital Commitments We will begin measuring for spring recital costumes at the first of the year (see dates and venues below!). Those who wish to opt-out of our year-end performances should contact us via email by January 15, 2022. Performance-Related Dates
Halloween Week at Nolte Academy Calling all super heroes, kittens, clowns, dragons, unicorns, bats and whatever else your creative kids have in mind to celebrate Halloween this year! Students are invited to dress up in their costumes when attending classes the week of October 25-30. Participation in this Nolte Academy tradition is purely optional. For those who wish to dress up, but do not have a costume, we will have several on-hand for use during class time. When selecting your costume, please make sure it is not scary, or depicts violence. We also ask that you remain sensitive to cultural appropriation when making your choice. Students will be offered a small allergy-sensitive treat at the conclusion of their class. This week has been a long-standing and favorite tradition at Nolte Academy! We have as much fun dressing up as the kids! We will still be moving in classes, so intermediate and advanced students should plan to have dance wear under their costumes. Face masks will also need to be worn, in line with our current company policies. We welcome feedback for future celebration consideration. Please email Beth Brown with any questions or comments. Farewell, Marita Please help us in extending our thanks to Marita, our Company Manager, as she prepares to leave Nolte Academy later this fall. She has been a friendly face and wealth of knowledge for us and our families for several years, performing her job with professionalism, compassion and expertise. We wish her the very best in her new pursuits! Welcome, Bailey You may have noticed a new voice answering our phones and manning our desk, learning the ropes from Marita! Bailey Miller joins us as the new Company Manager. Bailey has been involved in the arts her entire life. She danced at Nolte when the studio first opened, and went on to study trumpet. She graduated from the University of Iowa with degrees in Music and Interdepartmental Studies, with an emphasis in Arts Management. She is excited to continue her career in arts administration with us, having previously served as the box office manager for Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts, and most recently working with marketing and ticketing for Orchestra Iowa. Welcome, Bailey! The BodyLab at Nolte Launches After two and a half months of renovations, we are thrilled to begin hosting classes in our gorgeous dedicated Pilates space! Jen Evans and her team have developed an inspired class schedule to create change! With more than 25 classes per week, there is something for everyone! TBL specializes in equipment-based small group Pilates classes and large group hybrid classes for all fitness levels. If you’re new to Pilates equipment classes, start with an introductory class! Our large group classes are mixed level, and require no previous experience. And, now’s the time to take advantage of our introductory offer for new clients: 5 classes for only $60! More information can be found at our BodyLab website, or find us on the Mindbody app under “fitness.” Nolte Nutcracker Tickets on Sale Tickets for our December 3-5 performances at The Englert Theatre are now on sale! We hope you'll join us! If you prefer to avoid online ticketing fees, you may visit the Englert Box Office in person. The box office is located at 221 E. Washington St. and is open Tuesday-Friday 10:00 am-5:30 pm. Masks are required for in-person purchases. Please review The Englert's Covid-19 policy for attendees before purchasing tickets. Nolte Academy will supply tests in advance to guests without proof of vaccination, as desired. Iowa City Youth Choir Assistant Director We are delighted to welcome Emily Pritchard as Assistant Director of ICYC! Emily earned her Master’s in Music Education, with a concentration in choral music from VanderCook College of Music and a Bachelor’s of Music in Commercial Music, with a concentration in songwriting/vocal performance and a minor in theatre from Millikin University. She previously taught choir and directed theatre at Limestone High School in Illinois. Before moving to Illinois, she worked in Nashville as a songwriter and was fortunate to study with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Craig Cornelia, and Lari White a part of the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. Most recently, Emily taught ear training and music appreciation at Bradley University before relocating to Iowa with her spouse and two young children. Welcome, Emily! Preschool Playschool Our Preschool Playschoolers are thriving each morning at Nolte! We focus on socialization and learning through play in all content areas, utilizing a daily structure with circle time, centers and snack, and emphasizing hands-on, student-centered learning. Playschool is offered each morning from 9:00-11:30 am, for those ages 3-5, and toilet trained. There is a maximum of 12 children per classroom with 1-2 faculty supporting the students as needed. All classes are team-taught by our Nolte faculty. Check enrollment availability at our website. Registration Remains Open Registration for classes remains open for Nolte Academy classes! From dance to theatre arts to visual arts, we have something for all levels and interests! Please email us if you would like to make changes to your schedule, or log into your Jackrabbit account to add classes.  Our Theatre Arts and Acro schedule is now available here and attached below, and registration is open! Classes begin the week of Sept. 7, and spaces are limited, so please don’t delay your registration!
Theatre Arts Classes We are super excited about our Theatre Arts Dream Team this year -- many of last year’s instructors are returning, we have some new faculty, and we’re welcoming back others! We have new class offerings for the drama-lover in your life, and we’re thrilled to be offering a weekly class that will culminate in a play performance for those ages 8-11. Students will be cast in Porridgegate, and rehearse each week in class. In addition, Broadway’s Patrick DuLaney will be returning with four-week Saturday Theatre Workshops for students in grades 9-12! His three workshops will cover Audition Prep, Acting and Song Workshop. Our theatre arts team: Kristen DeGrazia, Patrick DuLaney, Mia Fryvecind Gimenez, Evan Hilsabeck, Lauren Linder, Jaci Visser and Shelby Zukin. Visit our website to read about these amazing individuals! Acro Classes We are thrilled to welcome Shawn T. Stone to our Nolte faculty as both modern dance and acro instructor! Shawn has extensive experience teaching competitive gymnastics, yoga and dance, and will be instructing our Saturday morning acro program. Children's Fall Programming A reminder that our fall schedule for children 18 mo.-first grade is open for registration! This programming includes:
We are anticipating a fantastic 22nd fall at Nolte Academy, and hope to have you back in our studio with us! Our fall schedule for children's programming (18 months-first grade) is now available, and registration opens Friday, July 16 at 9:00 am. Our fall schedule for levels 1+ and theatre classes will be shared very soon, with registration opening Friday, July 30 at 9:00 am. Classes begin the week of Tuesday, September 7.
Celebrating Last Year's Achievements Our students were incredibly successful in the 2020-21 year with regards to growth in skill and independence! The absence of people in our studio lobby allowed for more space for students to develop communication and independence skills. Our lobby will remain closed for now to those with children over 8 years old. Thank you for understanding, and for helping us succeed with no community spread of Covid. Family/Staff Orientation New this year, we will have a brief Nolte Family/Staff Orientation via Zoom on Tuesday, August 24 at 7:00 pm. We’ll go over some basic studio policies, answer questions you may have and introduce new staff to our Nolte community. The meeting will be recorded for those who are unable to attend. Children's Fall Programming Our children's fall schedule has some exciting additions, along with dance classes for those 18 months and older! Preschool art classes with Kyle are now on our schedule for two mornings a week, and we are thrilled about our daily Preschool Playschool morning program for 3-5 year olds! In this program, children may register for one or more days. Kiddos will enjoy learning, playing and socializing with different daily themes and under the direction of our incredible staff. These days will be themed (Musical Mondays, Theatre Tuesdays, Wonder Wednesdays, Science Thursdays and Storybook Fridays) and incorporate art, movement, crafts, etc. with varied members of our children’s programming team. Spots are limited, and enrollment is for the school year, but changes can be made monthly as space allows. Our children's programming team: Leslie Nolte, Erin Taylor, Jayme Braverman, Kyle Powell, Kristen DeGrazia, Callee Grell, Alyssa Conrad and Katie Milani. |
