April: Heather Hardesty

April: What are you plans for this summer both in relation to your dancing and personally?

By: Heather Hardesty – Professional Mentor

Summer is almost here and I don’t know about you, but I’m very excited.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and I love teaching but a break is sometimes needed.  Quite a few years ago I made the decision to not teach myself over the summer.  There are many reasons why which include:

1.       Avoiding burnout

2.       Creating extra time to go to conventions to train

3.       Having more family time

4.       Enjoying not having a schedule

I’m very fortunate that I can hire teachers to teach for my business so I don’t have to and that the studio I teach for understands my need for summers off.  My summer is jam packed with things that are meant to nourish my mind, body and soul.  This summer I will start with a week-long singing tour in Canada with my choir.  A year ago we were asked to do this and now it’s just weeks away.  This is one of those bucket list items for sure!  I’m excited to visit Canada (I’ve never been there before) and I’m learning a bit of French to be able to converse with the locals. 

Following that trip, we take our annual vacation as a family.  This year we are going to the Grand Canyon.  We are also super excited as none of us have ever been.  This will be the first half of our vacation while the last half will be spent in Scottsdale, AZ at Camp Pulse Nationals.  My daughter and I will take part in 3 ½ days of dance training and the resort it’s at is super nice!  

Late in July my daughter and I hope to make it to Dallas for Hip Hop Fest and from there we are traveling to L.A. for a week at Monster’s of Hip Hop – L.A. Tour Finale.  Hallie received a scholarship in January to attend and while she’s in class I’m going to fit in some classes at the Edge.  After L.A. it will be back to home and planning for the new season and choreography camps.  Although our summer is busy, there’s lots of time for sun and fun!  It’s just what I need (as well as my family) to start the new year out fresh and ready to go.  Have a wonderful summer everyone!

April: Juwan Alston

April: What are you plans for this summer both in relation to your dancing and personally?

New Beginnings

As my first season as a professional dancer comes to a close, I can only reflect at how much I have grown personally and artistically. I have been challenged to push myself even more. I have learned how to fuel myself according to the demand of what I am working on, after all our energy comes from food. I have learned how to soak everything in and the importance of paying attention to detail. But the most important thing I have learned is how to work smart and be patient with myself. Overall I feel that I have had a very successful year and can’t wait to see what next season has in store for me.

Check out this video on why I joined Charlotte Ballet:
Juwan Alston on Why He Joined Charlotte Ballet

This year my summer starts on May 1st, and boy am I excited for it. I will be taking some much needed recovery and rest time for my body. As many of you know, I will be returning to Texas to teach a series of master classes and spend time with my family. As well as doing some guest artist work. Then the company will begin rehearsing for our summer Chautauqua season in June, and I will be in Chautauqua, New York for a month. Following that I will be teaching at 3 different summer intensives. The grand finale of my summer, is just taking time to myself for relaxation and pure enjoyment of the summer weather before I go into hiding inside of a dance studio again.

I hope all of you have had an incredible school year! A special congratulations and shout out goes to the class of 2016. I wish you all great success in where the next step in life is for you. Have a wonderful and safe summer!