Raising Hope In Japan

      With the increasing problems going on in Japan it has become difficult for the people within the country to see a ray of hope. The dance community has come together to provide with some aid and love during this time. We saw this in donations being given by various dance companies and studios, at YAGP we saw another demonstration of kindness as well when the judges gave scholarships away to Japanese students who had lost their homes.

      Another way to provide the people of Japan with hope and to demonstrate to them that we care and are praying for their situation is through kind messages.

      There is a friend of So Danca’s called Takayuki Iwata, he contacted us recently with a request that I wanted to pass on to you, our online community. Takayuki wants to put a list together of storeowners, studio owners, dancers (from children to adults), that would want to send an encouraging message to the people in Japan. The messages themselves don’t have to be bigger then a few sentences, and if you include a picture as well that would be great.

      If you could send me those to my email I’ll make sure that they get sent to Takayuki and passed around the members of our extended dance family in Japan.

     This is an easy way to contribute, it’ll take just a few seconds of your time but will make a great impact on the people that receive it and get to read your kind words of encouragement. It’s always good to receive encouragement.

      Let us come together and aid them in this time of sorrow. Words are powerful.

  

Email your words of encouragement and love to: mransan@sodanca.com

    Love from your humble blogger,

K.Y.B.U.: Music Edition

            

 

            So I’ve decided to occasionally do a separate topic that focuses more on engaging the readers to this blog and give you some introduction to myself, your humble blogger, going to call these entries “Know Your Blogger Unplugged” or “K.Y.B.U.” (yes, it’s a catchy and awesome title, thank you).

            Music is an enormous role within the dance industry. The choosing of songs for a recital is of crucial importance. It can mean the difference from a stellar performance to a tragedy within a stage. From working out, to riding in your car, music surrounds us and can change our mood from angry to calm, from sad to happy, and vice-versa.

            There are songs that move us, change us, mold us, and define us. Who doesn’t love to hear a good song that defines what you’re going through in life and sing along to it? I think we all do it, and those that say they don’t, well, I fail to understand how that can be the case, I’m sorry, try it sometime, it’ll change your life.

            Personally I have some specific songs that I know I can always put on that will cheer me up. Whenever I have a bad morning, or I need to clear my head, or I’m on a road trip and just want to do silly dances in the car after being on the road for ten hours (long trips will do strange things to you), these songs come back to me and affect my mood in the way that only music can.

            One of my favorite ‘silly dances’ song has to be “Someday” by the Strokes, that whole CD always makes me happy, but that specific song makes me forget about all the cars that are around me, all the stress and worries and just beckons me to dance in the car like no one is watching.

            I know I’m not alone out there, what songs affect you like this? Do you have a CD you listen to when you’re angry or when you’re sad, or when you need a pick me up to stay awake for that last part of work? Well let me know what you like. Post a comment on the bottom of this post or shoot me an email with your response, you can also post a comment on our facebook or twitter (basically making it simple for you, whatever medium you wish, send me a letter if you like, lol), I’m going to be making a selection of the best three responses and posting them here on Thursday.

            If you feel like it, then let me know who your favorite artists are as well, or artist. Personally I love the Foo Fighters. Went to various of their concerts in the past, the two best ones had to be Jimmy Eat World opening for Foo Fighters and the other one was May, opening for Weezer, who opened for Foo Fighters, they called it the Foozer concert, twas’ epic.

            Hope you guys are all having a great beginning of the week, and wish you all a great rest of the month,

                    Love from your humble blogger,

Shoot your emails to: mransan@sodanca.com

Leave a comment on our Facebook: www.facebook.com/sodancapassion

Find us on twitter: www.twitter.com/sodanca

YAGP Review and Salutes

          

            The YAGP this year was filled with talent and So Danca is proud to announce that we will be one of the 2012 main sponsors. We were proud to see that one of the many dancers we sponsored won the main prize within the competition, and feel blessed to have been able to witness such amazing performances from the Stars Of Tomorrow and the Stars of Today.

            The Gala event was also brilliantly orchestrated and the performances were delightful, again demonstrating how far YAGP has come, while giving us an insight to how much bigger it will become as the years go by. It was great being within the event and getting to meet the many prestigious judges as well, it’s not every day one gets an opportunity to be surrounded by the leading men and women in the dance world.

            So Danca also wants to give praise to the many instructors that got their students ready for such an event. We feel that you also deserve credit for all the hard work and impact you had upon the dancers that you helped get to this point. They could not have gone so far without you. Your job is of crucial importance, providing the dancers with inspiration and guidance.

            We wanted to send praises to all the parents that were involved as well. Your support of the dance world is a crucial factor in the growth and development within the dance community. Without your devotion to your children’s dreams we would not be able to accomplish so much.

            The amount of Love demonstrated within the event is also worthy of highlight. I personally got goosebumps when I heard about this. The many directors of all the schools that were giving scholarships came together and provided all the dancers from Japan with scholarships to their respective academies, so that the students might be able to have a place to live. Even though their homes were destroyed, here we had the ability to witness companies keeping their dreams alive. This act of kindness brings a smile to my face. This was a great thing to witness.

            Tons more pictures were taken at the event and we will be posting them here shortly. We hope you all had a good week, and we look forward to next years YAGP, may it be even more successful then this years’ performance.

                     Love from your humble blogger,

YAGP!! NYC Finals!!!

           

 

So Danca was proud to sponsor the Youth American Grand Prix tournament in Brazil this year, and is extremely proud of all the 200+ Brazilian contestants that will be present in New York City in the next few days. So Danca has been actively sponsoring talented youths around the world in order to provide talented dancers from all around the globe an opportunity to be successful in their passions and receive the attention they deserve.

So Danca is proud to announce that it will be a major sponsor within YAGP: USA next year, again demonstrating our passion and devotion to the growth within the dance community.

            I’ll personally be present. The story will be covered next week on this blog so stay tuned for that article.

            We wish to give a warm salute to all of those that made it this far into the competition, and hope that everyone does well at the event.  

            The competition will be held from Thursday March 17^th, till Tuesday March 22^nd, for more information on the competition please go to:

       http://www.yagp.org/eng/yagp_2011_help_menu.php

                        For video on finalists from Brazil go to:

     http://www.passodearte.com.br/eventos/selecionados.asp?evento=youth

  Love from your humble blogger,

Come Together & Raise Awareness

Before and After Picture of the catastrophe 

             

 It is amazing how we all come together in times of conflict, be it a man made conflict or a nature made conflict. Through these situations mankind comes together and helps the parties in need, showing how great humanity can truly be.

            We at So Danca wanted to take this time to call attention to the continual crisis that Japan is undergoing, and hope that you may help increase awareness about the many needs in Japan right now. Be it a donation or simply raising awareness of the catastrophic events taking place, everyone can do something to help.

            There is a risk that Japan might be facing another earthquake in the next few days, and the added risk that is going on with their nuclear power plants. So please, if nothing else, pray for Japan and for this crisis to cease and for families there to be safe.

            We here within So Danca will be continuing to raise awareness about the many calamities going on, and will be praying for the many hurting families and friends suffering because of this tragedy.

           

                  

 

  Love from your humble blogger,

So Danca New Pointe Shoes!

            We at So Danca always excel in offering the best dance products within the market. Every shoe we design is expertly made and it is only offered to the market when it has reached the level of perfection we require from our products.

            New additions to our line are our new pointe shoes “Claudia” and “Toshie”, both designed by the top shoe designers in the field, and now are available to stores all around the United States and Canada. This revolutionary product will change the way you look upon pointe shoes. From comfort to elegance, these shoes have it all.

             So Danca has always excelled in delivering astounding products that change the market forever, and this is no exception. Here is a brief description of both these beauties, compiled by our own pointe shoe expert Anne Polajenko:   

“Claudia” (SD 09)     The newest in our line of Pointe shoes. V – shaped vamp with drawstrings and wide platform. The Full Soft shank allows excellent roll up/down from Pointe.

“ Toshie” (SD 40)      A sister to “Claudia”, this shoe also has a V-shaped vamp but tapers down more in the Box while the sides are cut a bit lower. The standard shank is a Full Normal.

                    All So’Dança Pointe shoes fit 2.5 – 3 sizes down from normal street size and are available from Adult size 1 (street 3.5 – 4).

“As I watched students work in this shoe, I was very impressed with the line, stability and balance it provided. This shoe is a winner.”  - Anne Polajenko

            Be sure to try them on, you will not regret the experience. This shoe has received praises from stores all over the United States and Canada, it is the most remarkable pointe shoe within today’s dance world.

        

  Keep checking the So Danca blog for more news on So Danca products!

                      

 

Love from your humble blogger, 

R.W.: Elizabeth Davidson

            There are many disadvantages to being a sales representative, traveling a lot, being away from home for a while, eating lunch and dinner by yourself, all of these plague the lives of all sales reps. At So Danca we have a team of capable, hardworking men and women that assume the title of “sales reps”, they go out every month regardless of weather patterns, or sickness, and travel through the regions they are in charge of.

            These men and women work hard so that every storeowner receives all the attention they need and deserve, doing so with the utmost care and respect. They are So Danca’s “Road Warriors” and without them we could get nowhere.

            So Danca has been blessed with a great team throughout the world, every month I’ll be highlighting one of these ‘Road Warriors’ from our North American family. This is the least they deserve for all their hard work.

            This month’s warrior is Elizabeth Davidson, our rep in Canada. She handles the western region of the great country, driving through warm and cold weather while loving the scenery around her every step of the way.

            There are many benefits of being a sales rep, and being able to see the natural beauty of this planet we live in is one of them. Elizabeth was kind enough to send me some pictures of her latest trip. It is impossible to deny the beauty within these. 

            “One of the best parts of being the So Danca rep for BC, AB and SK is getting to see Western Canada in all the seasons, but bar none, the best scenery of any trip is the mountains. They change constantly - with the light and the seasons - it's a beautiful beginning and end to each trip to Alberta and Saskatchewan. Add in all the great people I get to see in between the beginning and end - and we call this work?”

–        Elizabeth Davidson

      Elizabeth, we thank you for your hard work.

           Love from your humble blogger,

Aaron Tolson & Derick K. Grant! Tap2You!

Aaron Tolson and Derick K. Grant, both men are on the top of the charts when it comes to tap dancing. From performances on various studios, to workshops, to shows in Japan and Brazil, to TV show performances such as “Steve Katsos’ Show”, these men have distinguished themselves as not only being part of the best in the world at tap but also for having great character and a high sense of honor. The tap world is blessed by their presence in every way.

            Aaron and Derick have both been part of the So Danca family for quiet a while now, I’m sure you’ve seen their “heart” design on our professional tap shoes, they have been a great addition to our family for these past few years.

            Recently they have started a tap competition called Tap2You, where tap dancers from all over have come together to test their skill among other tap dancers. This is the only competition of its kind, and was started by them because of that fact.

            Here is a brief description of the competition taken directly from their site:

       

       “Tap2You was created as a way to educate people about tap dancing, and is a new kind of dance competition.  Instead of rewarding bigger, faster and flashier tap routines, Tap2You is about rhythm, musicality and timing with a strong focus on performance and education.”  --- www.tap2you.com

            Go and check their website for information on rules, judges, and a bio on the founders. The next two competitions taking place this year will be in Somerset, NJ on April 2^nd & 3^rd, and Lakeland, FL on April 9^th & 10^th.

            I will personally be going to both competitions and taking pictures to post on So Danca’s many social networks as well, so get some online coverage!

           Competition sign ups are now open, so go and register today!

          Love from your humble blogger,

DRN Expo!!

            Thanks for all of those that came by to visit So Danca at the “Dance Retailer News Expo”! It has been a great expo for us, we love the opportunity to show new products and catch up with customers on a face to face basis. Plus we’re in Vegas! How could a Vegas expo ever be a bad thing!

           Here are a few pictures from the show! 

       Keep an eye on the So Danca Forum, more pictures will be posted there!


                              Love from your humble blogger,