Newsletter Vol. 14 Fall 2007   Expanding One's Horizons Table of Contents The Art Of Flamenco & More... The Year in Review 15th Annual Holiday Party Become a Donor BAXten Award The Art Of Flamenco & More..... Dear Friends, I will always remember the year of 2007 by my visit to Spain. After spending a month there studying Flamenco and Spanish, as well as soaking up the sun and visiting all the natural and manmade wonders that Spain has to offer, I came back revitalized and excited to share what I had learned. To those of you who may not have known, I was awarded a “Diamond Grant” from Staten Island Academy (where I am currently teaching) to fulfill one of my life long dreams, to study Flamenco at one of it’s most important sources in Sevilla, Spain. And study I did, every day for two weeks for 3 - 4 hours a day. I had classes in Flamenco Dance Technique, followed by lessons in Compas and Palmas. In addition, I signed up for 3 hours of Spanish lessons a day. While the dancing was challenging I found learning Spanish even moreso. I had such a headache after three hours of attempting to speak only in Spanish. It was a grueling schedule and I loved every minute of it. After a hard day of dancing, composition, & language, I and my fellow dance students spent many an evening soaking up local Flamenco culture at one of the various Casas de Flamenco or at one of the many Flamenco bars throughout the city. I met people from all over the world. There were people from Portugal, France, Italy, England, Ukraine, Poland, Japan, Australia, Dubai, and yes even the US, all brought together because of their love of Flamenco. Dance being the common denominator among us. I had the least contact with the Americans in the program as we were all in different classes. All my classes were in Spanish and even though the teachers did not speak English to us most of my classmates deferred to English as the common language. This made it relatively easy to make friends. I think what surprised me most about Flamenco was how young of a scene it is, teachers, performers, and audiences alike. All my teachers were in their 20’s or 30’s as were most of the performers that I saw. There is also a kind of hip young scene that seems to accompany the performances at the Flamenco bars. It was great to see so many young people into a dance form that has such a long tradition and such a source of pride in the Spanish culture. I am incredibly thankful to the Diamond Grant committee for choosing my proposal this year. It was truly an experience I will never forget. From the steamy cities of Madrid & Sevilla, to the breathtaking countryside of Andalucia and the Sierras, to the welcoming ocean resorts of Nerja, Alicante, and Sitges, and finally to the cosmopolitan cool of Barcelona with its Gaudi architecture and hip bohemian scene. Spain will reverberate through me for some time. Hasta luego amigos, As always, Andres   Return to Table of Contents     The Year in Review We kicked off the year by performing in the CoolNY Dance Festival, which took place at the John Ryan Theater in DUMBO, Brooklyn. We presented two pieces a duet “...on Sunday” and my new solo “Margaret’s Lament. Both performances were well received and Cristina Fontanelli, the singer whose version of “Ave Maria” I used for the solo was on hand for the performance. The dance program at Staten Island Academy continues to grow and expand. This past year the SIA dance company performed at the BAX Teen Arts Conference in Brooklyn as well as at Long Island University as part of Dancewave. We also had our second annual Spring Dance Concert, which was sold out with standing room only. We started a new tradition of having the seniors pass on the torch by handing out a flower to each individual company member. The entire event was an overwhelming success. This summer Andrew Jannetti & Dancers once again sponsored“Summerstage” a no-star/all-star summer arts program for kids in Rockland County. We had close to 140 kids over seven weeks for dancing, singing, acting, and movie making. I want to send a “shout out” to thank all of the teachers for another spectacular summer and a job well done. I especially want to thank Eric Goldstein for being a great co-director.     Return to Table of Contents     15th Annual Holiday Party and Fundraiser The Board of Directors of Andrew Jannetti & Dancers invites you to our 15th Annual Holiday Party, Silent Auction, and Performance Fest at the Village Community School, located at 272-278 West 10th Street in the West Village on Saturday, December 1st. The doors open at 5:00 pm and the performance starts at 5:30pm. One of a Kind Holiday Gift Items, Food, and Drinks Entertainment by Andrew Jannetti & Dancers and invited guests Suggested Contribution:$30 Seniors & Starving Artists:$20 Students & Children under 12, and $10 RSVP by Wednesday, November 28 by e-mail, snail mail, or phone 212-431-7313 info@andrewjannettianddancers.org If you would like to place a bid on line go to Silent Auction and follow the instructions. Most items are displayed on line. Have fun! Of Course, if you can't make it, you can still make a donation to support our artistic efforts. For more details, see Become a Donor   Return to Table of Contents Become a Donor There are many ways to become a supporter of Andrew Jannetti & Dancers. Donations of all sizes are greatly appreciated and fully deductible to the extent allowed by law. Check the options below for the best way that you can donate. You can also double or triple your contribution by getting your company to match your donation. Your continuing support helps to keep us alive and vital.   How Your Donation Makes a Difference $15 Basic pays for whatever $30 Friend pays for 3 hours of rehearsal space $50 Supporting Friend pays for half a costume plus you get one ticket to our upcoming concert $75 Special Friend pays for 5% of the performance space rental $100 Patron pays for one minute of an original music scorePlus you get two tickets to our upcoming concert $200 Partner pays for 1/10 of the printing and mailing costs $500 Supporting Partner pays a dancer's salary for the performance week $1,000 Benefactor pays for Video & Photo documentation of the event All contributions are fully deductible to the extent allowed by law. To make a donation on-line just click on the Make a Donation button below and follow the instructions. "Make Donations with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!" For information on being a Benefactor ($1,000 +) and other giving opportunities, please contact us at 212-431-7313 or by e-mail at info@andrewjannettianddancers.org. To make donations through the mail: make checks payable to Andrew Jannetti & Dancers and mail to Andrew Jannetti & Dancers P.O. Box 350, New York, NY 10012-0006 Return to Table of Contents BAXten Award Last year Andrew received a BAXten Award for thirty years of teaching and mentoring students in dance. Mayor Bloomberg was there to congratulate the recipients Below are Marya Warshaw's presentation speech and Andrew's acceptance speeche. MARYA'S PRESENTATION SPEECH Andrew Jannetti What can I tell you about this man? I remember hearing about him before I met him. He was teaching near to where I was at the time and there were some students who took both classes. You have to meet him they said. his classes are incredible. Fast forward, to the founding of the Brooklyn arts exchange 1991. I was forming a staff and knew I wanted the kind of teachers who children would attach themselves to and teens and adults would be inspired by. Andrew was the natural choice. And so we began to work together, at first a couple of times a week and finally every day. A long relationship that spans more than twenty five years. Andrew could teach anyone. And the reason he could do that is that he is truly curious about everyone. The young woman who is strongly committed to and wants to dance professionally, the 3 year old who is entranced with tales of make believe, the adult who is grateful for his clarity and the depth of his knowledge. Andrew is one of the most versatile, gifted educators I have ever known and I have known many. I have heard Andrew articulate the profound impact falling in love with dance has had in his life & his choices. Not only is this the inspiration for his teaching, it has been a gift he has brought to the mentoring of now STOP (he started very young) generations of teachers. His methodology, ideas & passion can be found in studios & classrooms throughout this city & beyond. I am going to digress for a moment, because I have the honor of presenting this award and because I am Marya and I can. A word about the building and the maintenance of this house we ve created, The Brooklyn Arts Exchange. Andrew was an essential part of the group that made and grew BAX. His belief in its importance translates into a million memories big & small. Concerts, celebrations, planning, dreaming, endless reorganizing, hauling & schlepping. I cannot thank him enough. Andrew is sweet, smart, goofy, generous, loyal, sentimental. What a wonderful human being I ve had the honor to work with and to know. He s taught my children. He s taught me. He s been my partner in helping to create a nurturing & rigorous educational environment that endures and is wholly grateful to him. I congratulate him and am so happy to present him with an award that reads: for close to thirty years in the field as a gifted & generous dance educator who has mentored a generation and more. For his deep involvement in the lives of students, families and colleagues and his care and feeding of the whole person not just the plie. ANDREW'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH Changing jobs, having knee surgery, the unexpected death of my mother, all within the same year made for a year that was an emotional roller coaster. So when I got the notice that I was nominated for this award I saw it as a sign that things may be turning around. I only wish that my mom could be here today because I know she would be very proud and would have enjoyed this entire event. I want to thank all of you who nominated me, and the staff at BAX for choosing me for this award. Receiving this award from my peers, who work and have worked beside me, and understand the daily challenges and rewards that this work brings, is both an honor and incredibly humbling. I sincerely thank you and all of my family, friends and colleagues, who are here tonight to share in this celebration. Now that the thank you s are out of the way we can move on to the real heart of the matter, who gets the money? Well this was a difficult decision. I actually made a list of the many people who I thought were deserving of and would benefit from this award. I began to think about what Passing It On meant, I had to think about who passed it on to me. What they passed on to me, and the importance of what they passed on. I am not talking about money, or learning steps, or book knowledge but the intuitive, visceral, kinesthetic response to movement and teaching that seems to come so naturally to me. I went back to my first dancing partner, my dad, who, when I was a baby, use to say cheek to cheek to me and when I put my cheek out like this, he would pick me up and dance me around the room. I am totally convinced that that was the moment I fell in love with dancing. But then I asked myself, when did I fall in love with teaching. And that is when I realized that my first dance teacher was my mother, who would spend hours with me in the basement of our home in South Philadelphia showing me different partner dances so I could dance with her at weddings, and it was that same woman, who when I told her I was going to college to study Theater and Dance, who said, are you crazy, at least get a teaching certificate so you have something to fall back on. So here I am being awarded for what I fell back on. My mom is no longer with us but her spirit is stronger and more powerfully felt than ever. So in the feisty nurturing spirit of my mother and my sisters, who are here tonight, I wish to pass this award on to my new family of students and co-workers. A group of young people whom I have come to love and respect and who despite what at times seems impossible odds love to dance and specifically love to dance with Mr. J(that would be me). It is truly a pleasure working with each and every one of them. I know that the money they receive will be put to good use as they prepare for their first ever dance concert this spring but more importantly I hope they will take away from the experience of studying with me a feisty nurturance that would make my mom proud. It is with great pride that I choose the The Staten Island Academy Dance Company as the recipient of my Passing It On Award. Return to Table of Contents   Andrew Jannetti & Dancers info@andrewjannettianddancers.org