Episode 72: Week of December 20th, 2021

Audio Transcript

Hey, everyone.  It’s Ruth.  I’m here at your Silver Creek Clogging Dance and Movement Center in Silverton, Oregon and this is What’s Happening at Silver Creek Clogging the week of December 20th, 2021.

This month, all month long, we have been focusing our Tapping into ExcellenceTM leadership chats on teamwork.  In classes all month long we have been chatting about what makes a good team, what makes a good member, a good team leader, and how we can all work together to accomplish our team goals. 

And, we would love to hear from you how we’ve been doing as a team here, at Silver Creek Clogging; what benefits your student has received from being part of our Silver Creek Clogging team, what benefits you have received from being part of our Silver Creek Clogging team. Please let us know.

Let us know how your student has grown over this last month and please also let us know if there is something that we can do to help your student grow and improve.  We would love to hear from you.

We are all part of this team that is working together to give our students the skills to excel, not just on the dance floor but also in life. And, so, you are an important part of that team and just let us know.  Let us know what we can do to better serve your family and help our student succeed.

Because… “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” That’s something that Helen Keller said and it’s really true. 

This week, in the studio and next week.

So, this week, we have classes scheduled Monday, the 20th, and Tuesday, the 21st; regularly scheduled classes. 

Then, beginning on Wednesday, the 22nd, all the way through to the new year, we will be on winter break.

So, we have a week and a half that we are off for winter break.  And, the first part of January, that first week in January, classes will resume as scheduled.

So, just know, Monday/Tuesday this week, we have classes. Starting Wednesday the 22nd, all the way through the first of the year, no classes; we’ll be on winter break. 

Competition students, that first week when we get back from winter break, your competition dues… Your competition fees are due. 

So, entries for Kick-Off Oregon and Kick-Off Boise are due on Thursday, January 6th.  In classes Monday/Tuesday, we’ll just give you another copy of your registration forms.  So, if you have questions, that’s a good time to ask as well.

And, then, coming up in January, the big deal is our winter showcase recital. 

So, it’s scheduled for Saturday, January 22nd.  This winter showcase is our super informal, super relaxed showcase.  We hold it mid-January every year.

And, this is the time when our students can just show off what they’ve been working on so far.  It is a very informal event, a very relaxed event.  It’s meant to be just super easy and just a community building event.  So, we will have it at a very informal venue and we’ll, if we can, we will have refreshments after, depending on COVID. 

So, just look for more information to come about that.  You do have a draft schedule of what that’s going to look like, in your email.

There will be tickets available.  All the information about that is in your email as well. 

Tickets will go on sale starting Friday, January 7th; so that’s a week after we get back from our winter break.  

And, just so you know each student is eligible to have up to 2 complimentary tickets.  We do not reserve those tickets for you.  Those, and all tickets, are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you want to be sure you get your complimentary tickets, if you want to be sure you actually get any tickets, you’re going to want to get your seats asap.

Because, especially this year with COVID, we do have restrictions on our audience capacity. 

So, just know that complimentary tickets are not guaranteed.  In fact, tickets at all are not guaranteed.  Dancers do not need a ticket.  If you’re actually dancing in the show, you don’t need a ticket. 

But, the best way to make sure that you have somebody in the audience cheering for you is to make sure that they get their tickets right away.  All that information and the ticket link will be coming to you that first week of January, once ticket sales open.  Yeah, keep a heads up for that.

So, here’s what’s on the studio calendar and what’s coming up. 

Winter Break starts Wednesday, December 22nd and goes all the way through Saturday, January 1st. We will not have classes that entire period.

Thursday, January 6th is the competition entry deadline for Kick-Off Oregon and Kick-Off Boise

Saturday, January 22nd is our Winter Showcase recital.

Saturday, January 29th is Mid-Winter Festival in Albany. For those of you who are eligible to participate in that, handouts are going to come in class.   

We have competitions coming up February 4th and 5th in in Portland, February 10th through 12th in Boise, May 13th and 14th in Salt Lake City (that’s Nationals, actually, in Salt Lake City.

And, then Saturday, June 4th we have our Summer Kick-Off dress rehearsal & recital.  This is our big, in the theater, on the fancy stage recital it’s at the Historic Grand Theatre in Salem on Saturday, June 4th.

Please keep all of those dates and all of those events on your calendars.

We will see you in class for dancing on Monday and Tuesday, and until then Happy Dancing.

Episode 71: Week of December 13th, 2021

Audio Transcript

Hey, everyone.  It’s Ruth.  I’m here at your Silver Creek Clogging Dance and Movement Center in Silverton, Oregon.  This is What’s Happening at Silver Creek Clogging the week of December 13th.

This month our Tapping into Excellence™ Leadership focus is on Teamwork.

Every single person has unique abilities, and skills, and even strengths.  And, an effective team is able to bring everyone’s skills and abilities and strengths together to reach a common goal.

Let’s think about an example of that for just a minute.  Let’s think about a play.  The goal of the play is to put on this wonderful play, right?  So, let’s think about a play that doesn’t have any lighting or sound technicians.  Let’s think about a play that doesn’t even have any actors. 

Everyone on the team, putting that play together, from the actors to the sound and lighting to the stage directors – everybody on that play… Guess what, even the audience members are part of the team of having that effective play, right.

So, just think about that and think about how good the play would be if it was only costume, only director, only… it would not be a very good play.

And, just think about putting on a play without any audience members to watch. 

So, a leader is just one member of a team.  And, it’s really tough to be an effective leader if you don’t know how to be a good team member.  And the purpose of the team leader should be to help the team to reach their common goal.

And, you, out there, you are a really important part of your dancer’s team.  So, when you give your time, when you give your energy to support your dancer, you are helping them to reach their goals. 

We all of us on this team, at Silver Creek Clogging, we are working together to give our students the skills to excel both on the dance floor and in life.  And, thank you for doing your part as part of our team, we all have role to play. 

This week in the studio, we are wearing our holiday shirt to class.  Of course, I don’t have my holiday shirt on.  I may not end up having a holiday shirt, but I will have a holiday something – you will see.  And, I would like to invite you to wear a holiday something, too.  You can wear holiday socks.  You can wear a holiday shirt.  You can wear a holiday bow in your hair.  You can wear a holiday anything that is dance friendly.  So, just remember, whatever you wear, it needs to be dance friendly and we’re going to spread some holiday cheer in the studio this week.

Next week in the studio, we only have classes on Monday and Tuesday. Scheduled classes will run on Monday and Tuesday, next week – and that’s all.   

Just a quick reminder that we have updated COVID check in procedures.  All of the information is in your email, so check for that.  And, please remember that students are required to wear masks upon entry and exit, when they’re in the studio.  So, when putting their shoes on, when they’re going to the bathroom, all of that, masks are required.  The only time masks are not required is when a student is actively dancing.  Of course, masks are recommended to be worn at all times, when in the studio.

But, yes; that’s the deal.  All that’s in your email.

Competition students, please keep track that the competition entries for both Portland and Boise are due on Thursday, January 6th.  They’re due in the studio, Thursday, January 6th.  Those competition entry forms were sent home with students last week.  And, if you need another one or if you have questions about that let us know.

So, remember, this week, we are wearing our holiday attire to class.

Next week, starting on Wednesday, the 22nd all the way through New Year’s Day, is winter break.  We do have classes next Monday and Tuesday.

Thursday, January 6th is the entry deadline for Boise and Portland competitions.   

Saturday, January 8th is our Silverton Farmers Market.

Saturday, January 22nd is our winter Showcase recital. We are only having a recital, no dress rehearsal.  It’s just a super low key, just a fun event, a relaxed event; we are finalizing all the details on that and you should see some more information about that in the next week or two.

And, then, Saturday, January 29th, for those who are interested is the Mid-Winter Festival in Albany.  We will have handouts for students coming very shortly.

And, then, Competition students, you’ve got competition February 4th and 5th in Portland; February 10th through 12th in Boise; May 13th and 14th in Salt Lake City

And, then, everyone, you’ve got our summer kick off recital on Saturday, June 4th at the Historic Grand Theatre in Salem.

So, we are waiting to see how things turn out with COVID before we schedule our performance at the Davenport House, but it is something we are really wanting to do.  We had planned it before COVID and then we weren’t able to get in because of COVID, so we are keeping that on our radar because it is something we really want to do to get to those folks and give them a performance.

And, that is what we have coming up on the studio calendar.  Please keep those events and those dates on your calendars. 

Remember, you are an important part of our team.  And, you have a part to play in the success – not only of your individual dancer – but of all of our dancers here, at Silver Creek Clogging.  We thank you for everything that you do to support your dancer, to support the studio, to support the whole team.

You are awesome.

We will see you in classes this week, with your holiday attire on, and until then happy dancing.

Episode 70: Week of December 6th, 2021

Audio Transcript

Hey, everyone.  It’s Ruth.  I’m here at your Silver Creek Clogging Dance and Movement Center in Silverton Oregon.  It’s the home of Dance Classes that Make Kids HappyTM and this is What’s Happening at Silver Creek Clogging the week of December 6th.

December all month long in our, our Tapping into Excellence™ leadership program, we are talking about teamwork.

And, did you know that a team is a group of people working together toward a common goal? Yes.  Being part of a team, who is working together, That’s teamwork. And it can be so amazing to work together as part of a team and it can also take practice.

So, we are challenging you this month, to practice teamwork by doing one of the following challenges:

One; identify the teams you are part (teams come in all forms). Make a list of the things you’ve been able to accomplish as a result of being part of a team and working together as a part of a team, that you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to accomplish individually. That’s one.

Another challenge is to make a list the characteristics that you think make up really amazing teamwork.  And, then, start working to embody those characteristics yourself.  Yeah? That’s the real challenge.  Is once, you have that list, to start working on being the kind of team member that you think is idea.

And, if you didn’t know, you – as a member of our Silver Creek Clogging community – you are part of our team.  We really appreciate you. We are working to give our students the skills to excel on the dance floor and also in life and we appreciate you and everything you do to help us and work with us to help accomplish that goal.

We are grateful for you as part of our team and here we go.  Go Team.

We have some updated student check-in protocols at the studio.

Recently, I think just before Thanksgiving, there were some changes at the state level that are impacting our check in protocols. And, so, here’s the deal.  We are no longer – at least for the time being – we are not asking the check in/pre-screening questions at the studio.  You, at home, you are required to assess the health of your own student at home. 

There are some specific questions that your student must answer, “No”, to.  If your student can answer, “Yes”, to any of the questions that are outlined in your email, then your student should not come to class.

So, if your student has had a new or worsening cough, if your student has a fever, if your student has shortness of breath, a sore throat or loss of smell and/or taste, if your student has been in close contact with anyone with those symptoms or whose been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 10 days – you should not come to the studio, okay.

So, if you’re not well, if you answer, “Yes”, to any of those questions, please don’t come to the studio.  You can join your classes virtually.  That is definitely an option.  If you don’t know how to do that, just let us know and we’ll help you understand how your student can join classes virtually. 

Please also know that students are required to wear face coverings while they’re inside the studio at all times, except while actively dancing.

So, you’ve gotta wear it to get in.  You need a mask to enter the studio and if you don’t have one, we have some and we’ll give one to you.  So, just a heads up on that.  Please let us know if you have any questions about that.

We have a couple of announcements for our competition students.   So, competition students – one, you have a fundraising opportunity. This Saturday at the Silverton farmers market, if you want to make any craft to sell at the farmers market booth to earn money for your entry fees or travel costs associated with competition, please do. 

This is a really great time, pre-holiday season, to sell little trinkets for people.  So, just let us know, we’ll be getting final info from students this week in classes.

And, also, competition students – the competition entry deadline for both Portland and Boise is right around the corner.  It’s just one month away, actually.  We will be sending entry forms home with students.  We’ve already been working on our competition events. So, this will just kind of bring it into reality when you see that on paper.

Competitions at Boise and Portland and Nationals are required for Team Combustion; all other students may participate if they choose.  So, just let us know if you want more information about that and we would love to have you join us. 

Here’s what’s on the studio calendar and what’s coming up.

This Saturday, December 11th is Silverton Farmers Market performance. If you’d like to perform with us, we would love for you to perform with us at 10:30 and we will get RSVPs in classes this week.  Also, that’s the day for competition students who may want to sell items to raise funds for their competition entry. 

And next week, the week of December 12th is wear your “ugly”, or not ugly, holiday t-shirt to class

And, then, the week after that, winter break starts on Wednesday.  So, winter break is Wednesday, December 22nd through Saturday, January 1st.  We will not have any classes during winter break.

Thursday, January 6th is the competition entry deadline for Kick-Off Oregon & Kick-Off Boise. Heads up on that.

Saturday, January 22nd is the Winter Showcase recital. And, we are not actually going to end up having a dress rehearsal, so all the details are going to come on that. Low key, super fun and, yay, we’re finalizing all those details now.  So, you should hear more about that next week. 

And, then Saturday, January 29th is Mid-Winter Festival in Albany. In the next week or two, we’ll have handouts for that

February 4th and 5th: America OnStage Kick-Off Portland

February 10th through 12th: America OnStage Kick-Off Boise

May 13th & 14th: America OnStage Nationals, in Salt Lake City

Please keep on your calendars Saturday, June 4th.  That is our Summer Kick-Off dress rehearsal and recital at the Historic Grand Theatre in Salem.

And, then, as soon as we can get a performance scheduled for the Davenport House we will let you know.  In the meantime, please put all of those events and all of those dates on your calendars.

Please remember to practice developing your teamwork skills by doing one of the challenges that we described for you.

Thank you, again, so much for being part of our team here, at Silver Creek Clogging.  Thank you for everything that you do to contribute to the education and the growth of our students.  We really appreciate you, we are grateful for you, and we wish you happy dancing.

Episode 69: Week of November 29th, 2021

Audio Transcript

Hey, it’s Ruth. I’m here at your Silver Creek Clogging Dance and Movement Center in Silverton, Oregon and this is What’s Happening at Silver Creek Clogging the week of November 29th.

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones. I hope you were able to rest, relax, regroup and give thanks.

We are coming back into the studio this week. All week long, regular classes, and today we are having the pie-ing.

As you know we have, all month long, as part of our focus on community service in our Tapping to Into ExcellenceTM leadership program, we have been conducting a fundraiser as one of our community service projects in the studio. And, you have been donating your pocket change all month long by voting with your pocket change for the staff member that you want to see to get a pie in the face today. So, that’s happening today at the studio at 6:30pm. Please join us, even if you don’t have classes come join us. We’re going to have the pie-ing we’re going to have a few slices of pie for you to eat and just celebrate the end of our month-long focus on community service and also celebrate our own really amazing studio community, here at Silver Creek Clogging.

And, we would love to know from you what you saw in your student this month, as they were focusing on community service. Did you see them doing any sort of community service projects, serving people – even in your home setting? Yeah? We would love to hear what impact our focus on community service had for your student and we love to hear about how our students are living these leadership principles in their daily lives. So, please let us know. Please shoot us an email, make a comment on the Facebook page, talk to your instructor… Just let us know. We would love to hear from you.

And, thank you so much for everything that you do to make our studio a great place to learn and grow.

On December 1st we are going to introduce the topic of teamwork as our leadership focus for the month of December, so keep on the lookout for information about that. We’re going to be focusing on the importance of teamwork, how to build better teams and, you know, there are a lot of different kinds of teams, and we’re going to be talking about those, and what makes a great team and what makes a great team member. So, ask your student what they’re learning about being a team player, as we focus on that in December.

And, competition students, we have a fundraising opportunity for you. Competition students, you are invited to sell your non-food/non-agricultural items at our farmers market booth on December 11th.

If you want or need to raise funds to help pay for your entry fees or your travel expenses, to go to competition, please start creating today. We only have two weeks left until that December 11th booth. This is a great time for people to be buying holiday gifts and little trinkets so make your crafts now and ensure you have something to sell, so you can raise money for your participation in competition this coming competition season.

It’s just, actually, in not very… Like, in eight to ten weeks, I think, it’s our first competition in Portland. So, here’s what’s on the studio calendar and what’s coming up.

Today, Monday, November 29th at 6:30pm, at the studio, please join us to finish our let them eat pie fundraiser. We will have the pie-ing, we will eat some pie and we’ll also have some fun celebrating our month-long focus on community service, as well as our own spectacular community.

And, Saturday, December 11th, we have Silverton farmers market performance, and anyone who wants to participate in that; this is a great time, especially for those who want to kind of get a little practice performance out before our recital in January or people who just like to perform, it’s a great, great time.

The week of December 12th we’re going to have wear your ugly or fun holiday shirt to class. So, whatever holiday anything you want to wear, just that’ll be super fun.

And, winter break; we are having winter break from Wednesday, December 22nd through Saturday, January 1st. there will be no classes for that week and a half, for our winter break.

And then, Saturday, January 22nd is our winter showcase dress rehearsal and recital.

Saturday, January 29th is Midwinter Festival in Albany, for those who want to come.

And, then, competitions. We’re getting close to competition season. We have February 4th and 5th is the America OnStage competition in Portland.

February 10th to 12th is America OnStage competition in Boise.

And, May 13th and 14th is the America OnStage competition; that’s nationals in Salt Lake City.

So, our competition students, please put those on your calendar.

And, then, Saturday, June 4th is our summer kickoff dress rehearsal and recital, at the Historic Grand Theater in Salem.

We are still waiting till we see what happens with COVID, to have our performance at the Davenport House, but we do still have that on the radar and hopefully you do too.

Please keep all of those dates and all of those events on your calendars. We love to have as many of you participate as possible. We will see you in classes this week. Please remember to come to the pie-ing today, Monday, November 29th at 6:30 at the studio. It should be fun. I think it’s gonna be yours truly that gets a pie in the face. So, if you want to see that come, come, come. That should be really, really fun.

So, we look forward to seeing you there, we look forward to seeing you in class, and until then happy dancing.

Episode 68: Week of November 22nd, 2021

Audio Transcript

Hey, everyone. It’s Ruth. I’m here at your Silver Creek Clogging Dance Movement Center in Silverton, Oregon. This is What’s Happening at Silver Creek Clogging the week of November 22nd.

First, right off the bat.  This week, in classes, we only have classes on Monday and Tuesday this week.  So, scheduled classes will occur as usual Monday and Tuesday, so please join us for a bit of dancing right before the Thanksgiving holiday. We love dancing with you, so of course it’s always fun – but, just a heads up on that.  Classes will occur Monday and Tuesday this week.

All month long, for the month of November, our Tapping into ExcellenceTM leadership focus has been on community service. We’ve had a couple of community service projects that our students have been participating in and, of course, we’ve also been talking about just communities in general and the importance of contributing to and begin part of a community.

So, I did want to report on our community service projects.  First, we assembled hygiene kits.  Our students, in a matter of days, were able to assemble 100 hygiene kits that will be donated to Sheltering Silverton today.

I’m just really so impressed by this because it’s just one example of how quickly little, small acts of service – even tiny periods of time – can just compound when a group of people come together to support a cause.  It’s just a really amazing example of that.  And, I’m really proud of our students.  And, for those of you who would like to join us to participate in delivering those kits to Sheltering Silverton, come meet us at the Silverton Community Center, today, Monday, November 22nd, at 3pm and we will drop those off at Sheltering Silverton and even get more of a sense of what our contribution has been to our community, by personally delivering those kits.  Should be great.  Please join us today, 3pm, Silverton Community Center, November 22nd.

Alright, also, we are continuing to raise funds for Silverton Area Community Aid with our “Let them eat Pie” fundraiser.  You have just a few days, actually, until Monday, the 29th, to donate to the jars that are here, in the studio. Put your pocket change in the jar of the staff member you would like to see get a pie in the face.  And, we will have the final tally and the pie-ing Monday, November 29th (that’s next Monday) and we’ll have that here, at the studio, at 6:30. So, even if you don’t have classes, come join us for the pie-ing, come join us to celebrate our community, and it should be really, really great.  And, of course, we’ll remind you again.

It’s been a really awesome month. This has been a really great month focusing on community service.  And, thank you so much, for contributing, not just to our studio community but, to our community as a whole – in your time, your pocket change, your smiles, your attitudes – you guys are awesome.  We love our community here, at Silver Creek Clogging. 

Competition students; so we do have a fundraising opportunity for you.  We have a booth at the Silverton farmers market. Our next booth will be December 11th. That will be a really great time for you to make some crafts; only non-food/non-agriculture type crafts we can sell there.  And, you can make those crafts and you can sell them to raise funds for your participation in competition.  So, if you want to or if you need to raise funds to help pay entry fees or travel expenses for participation at competition, start creating.  Like I said, the only limitation is that we can’t sell food or agriculture items at our booth.  But, December 11th, our next booth, is prime time for holiday season buying.  So, keep that in mind. Can’t wait to see what you make.  I might even make a little something or two.  And, yeah, we’ll see you at the market on December 11th. 

So, here’s what’s happening on the studio calendar and what’s upcoming.

Monday, November 22nd, that’s today, at 3:30, meet in the Silverton Community Parking lot and we’ll delivery hygiene kits to Sheltering Silverton.

Thanksgiving break. No classes Wednesday through Saturday, this week.

Monday, November 29th, join us at the studio to finish our “Let them eat pie” fundraiser.  We will have the pie-ing, we’ll eat a little bit of pie, and we’ll also have a little fun celebrating our month-long focus on community service – and our own spectacular studio community.

Saturday, December 11th. Silverton farmers market performance and fundraising opportunity for those who want to participate.

The week of December 12th, wear your ugly holiday shirt to class.

Winter break will be Wednesday, December 22nd through Saturday, January 1st. We will have no classes during that time, for winter break.

And then, Saturday, January 22nd is our winter showcase dress rehearsal and recital. And, please prepare for this to be outside, all right? 

Saturday, January 29th is mid-winter festival in Albany.  It’s an all-day clogging workshop, so we’ll have some class handouts for you in the weeks to come

February. February 4th and 5th is our America OnStage competition, kick-off Oregon, in Portland, for our competition students.

February 10th through 12th is America OnStage competition, Kickoff Boise. It’s in Nampa.  That’s also only for our competition students.

And, then, May 13th and 14th our competition students should plan on nationals in Salt Lake City.

So, keep those competition events for our competitions tudents only.

And then, Saturday, June 4th, all of our students should plan on our summer kickoff dress rehearsal and recital at the Historic Grand Theatre in Salem.

So, please keep all of those events, all of those activities on your calendars.

Also, please plan, at some point, to dance at the Davenport House, once we’re a little bit out of the woods with COVID.

And, keep being awesome.  You guys are such an awesome group.  I just really do love this community that we have here, at Silver Creek Clogging. And, I really appreciate everything you do to contribute to the positive and the supportive atmosphere that we have here.  It’s so unique in the atmosphere that we have here, at Silver Creek Clogging. 

Thank you so much for being part of Silver Creek Clogging. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones.  We’ll see you in class Monday and Tuesday and, of course, happy dancing.