OUR NEWEST CLASS for LADIES!!!

The Women’s NEW PULSE Dance Party

Thursdays
8:00 -9:00 pm
May 24-June 28
Open to ages 18-infinity
Minimum $5 suggested donation
All proceeds benefit the NEW Berkshire Pulse!

All women of the Berkshires, let’s gather to dance!

This all-women freestyle dance session is geared toward any xx chromosome that likes to move. We’ll warm up first, put on a high-energy mix tape (you can bring your own compilations too!), and spend the class rocking out. Then we’ll cool down before you leave. Even though the nature of this class is relaxed and free form, it’s a total blast. There’s no teacher and no judgment, just great tunes and a big open space to move in any way you like. No street shoes in studio.

Hosted by Rebecca Honig, she holds her BFA in theatre and her MS. Ed in education. She has performed and taught theatre throughout the country. Rebecca has published several children’s books, parent guides and teacher resources and currently serves as an education consultant, writer, and producer for such Emmy Award winning children’s shows as Sesame Street and The Electric Company.

This weekend of performance and celebration, serves as an opportunity for our Berkshire Pulse performers to share their artistry with family and friends, and as a fundraising event for Berkshire Pulse. As affiliates of the Berkshire Pulse community, we welcome your support of our organization, and of the many participants whom we serve. Whether you are purchasing a ticket for the performance, buying an ad space in the program, sponsoring a class, participating in the silent auction, helping with costumes, carpooling dancers, or bringing friends to the event, your support plays an essential part in sustaining our mission.

Tech, Dress and Performance ***Click HERE for schedule:
Performers are required to attend the technical rehearsal, which applies to the class(es) they are participating in.
Attendance is also required for the dress rehearsal and performance.
Students must be in costume for all rehearsals held at the theater during performance week.
Unless you are otherwise notified, costumes will be provided by Berkshire Pulse.

Tickets: Beginning on May 8^th, 2012, and instead of General Admission, we will sell Reserved Seats on a first come first served basis, with a Daniel Arts Center seating chart available on the Berkshire Pulse website for your review. We recommend that you purchase your tickets early.
All Performance Tickets can be purchased in person at Berkshire Pulse or online to be held at The Daniel Arts Center Will Call for pick up on the day of performance. Any remaining seats will be sold to walk-up patrons one hour before the show begins. Please check the Berkshire Pulse website or voicemail at 413-274-6624 to find out if tickets are still available on the day of a performance. The lobby and Will Call will open one hour before the performance, and the house will open 15 minutes before the performance. There is NO late seating. All unclaimed seats will be released 5 minutes before show time, with no refunds offered.
Please arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Ticket Prices:
Adults: $25
Parents/Guardians of BP Students and Performers: $20
Teens-Ages 13-19: $15
Berkshire Pulse Students & Children-Ages4-12: $10
Lap Child-Age 3 and under: Free

Volunteers
If you are interested in Volunteering for any of the needs listed below,
please email us your interests at berkshire.pulse@gmail.com

Back Stage Assistance:
▪ Pre-show hair and make-up.
▪ Art supplies and games for our young performers during dress rehearsal and show
▪ Donations of fruit and healthy (dry) snacks for performers during dress rehearsal, and matinee     performances
▪ Help with clean up after the dress rehearsal and performances.

Costumes:
We would like to have one parent who can assist class teachers, in coordinating and managing all of the class costumes before and after performances.

Marley Dance Flooring at the Theater:
We will need 2 volunteers to work with the theater manager before the first tech rehearsals on Tuesday June 4, and after the Sunday matinee performance to roll out/up the dance flooring at the Daniel Arts Center.

Class Sponsors: Sponsor a class and help us offset the cost of these performances!
By making a $300 tax deductable donation to sponsor a class, you support the dancers and the creation of the piece your chosen class will perform on this weekend. Your name will appear in the performance program as a sponsor, and you will be welcome to visit the Pulse studio’s to observe a rehearsal prior to June 4. You may also choose to Sponsor a class anonymously.

Silent Auction Donations

If you are interested in donating to our Silent Auction, please email our Board Member Kelly Baxter Spitz at kellyb@kripalu.org or contact her by phone at 413.229.3436. Thank you!

Ad Space for Performance Programs:
Berkshire Pulse Parents/Students will have the opportunity to win prizes by taking part in an
Ad Submission Contest beginning May 6^th. If you would like to participate in this contest,
or if you are interested in submitting an ad, or if you would like to help sell ad space, please contact D. Curto at 413.274.6624. Deadline for ads is May 31st.

Berkshire Pulse is in its 7^th year. Tuition only covers 60% of our operating expenses. Our programs make a difference in the lives of hundreds of students of all ages, throughout year. We appreciate your support and look forward to celebrating with you in June!

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at 413-274-6624. Thank you!

Please arrive at least 15 minutes early, in order to begin your class on time.

Journey through time and experience the evolution of hip-hop from its old school social dance roots, to the contemporary phenomenon of commercial choreography that hip-hop has become. These workshops will challenge and inspire the dancers to both learn proper hip-hop technique while developing their own personal style and unique dance vocabulary.

1:00-2:30 – Age 12+
2:45-4:00 – Age 10+
Saturday March 3 and 17, April 28,  May 5 and 19,  June  2
W/ Decadance Theatre Members Jen Weber & Adaku Utah

****Please keep in mind that once the March 3rd sessions end,

and directly related to how each group dances/works together in each of the two groups,

your Decadancetheatre Instructor may switch and/or place students accordingly,

and will ultimately decide which class a student should dance in throughout the six workshops,

possibly switching students from one of the two classes into the other, or requiring students to take both classes.

Parents & students will be notified before the second workshop on March 17th,

if a student should participate in a different class, or both classes for this session.

Students who are required to participate in both sessions WILL NOT be charged any additional fee.

THOSE STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN BOTH CLASSES LAST SESSION,

ARE WELCOME TO DO THE SAME FOR TOMORROW’S SESSION,

UNTIL THE INSTRUCTOR MAKES DECISIONS ON WHAT IS NECESSARY/APPROPRIATE FOR THE REMAINING WORKSHOPS.

Participants will need to wear sneakers that have not been worn outdoors,
or sneakers that have thoroughly clean soles.These shoes should be put on/worn inside the studio only.

STREET SHOES WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE STUDIO.

Program Fee:
The Spring 2012 Hip Hop Workshop is a six session/full session commitment only.

No drop ins.

Students will perform in the Spring Performances on June 9th & 10th,

and MUST attend all workshops in preparation for those performances.

All outstanding payments are due prior to the start of class.
Payment confirms participation in the Hip Hop Workshop.
Please note that Hip Hop Workshop payments are non-refundable after March 5, 2012.
with exceptions made only for serious illness or injury.

We are looking forward to seeing you again, or meeting you for the first time.!

Berkshire Pulse
berkshirepulse.com
413.274.6624

“The best Bgirl (female breakdancer) I know.” Rodney Hills, Company Manager/Director of Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM), Philadelphia, 2011

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14^TH
2:00 PM – 3:15 PM – AGES 10+
3:30 PM -4:45 PM AGES 12+
$30 per Workshop (Pre-registration Required)

DEAR BERKSHIRE PULSE FRIENDS,

We are on the verge of a new year! Hooray!

I am deeply grateful for the inspiration that greets me each time I enter our studios . . . so many enthusiastic students learning, creating . . . and my colleagues, teachers and staff, so dedicated and present in every way. It takes this kind of a community to give life and meaning to a place like Berkshire Pulse, to sustain the work and allow it to grow.

So much energy and effort, good work and play happens at Berkshire Pulse every day,  it is hard to imagine a week or two of quiet and rest. Yet this is just what we all need . . . a time for reflection on what has been accomplished and preparation for all that is to come.

Without you all, Berkshire Pulse would not be.

In the following attached Berkshire Record article you will read about our plans to move into a new home. Many of you have been with Berkshire Pulse long enough to know, how important a stable and larger home will be for this organization. But whether you are an old or new member of our Pulse community, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for giving us reason to grow, and reason to forge ahead with this exciting and necessary venture. Your participation, interest and support of our mission, is what breathes life into Berkshire Pulse, and sustains the energy of our service to the greater Berkshire community.

I wish you all the best, and look forward to sharing this journey towards our new home with you all in the new year.

Warmly, Bettina

Bettina Montano

Founder/Artistic Director, Berkshire Pulse

Friends and family, prospective students, and interested members are welcome
to visit Berkshire Pulse, and observe any of the Youth Performing Arts Programs classes listed below:

Open December 5-10

Advanced Beginner II, Intermediate, Advanced Intermediate, and Advanced Ballet and Modern classes, Hip Hop Workshop, Intermediate/Advanced Pointe and Beginners Pointe.

Open December 12-17

Advanced Beginner I & II Ballet & Modern, Advanced Ballet, Modern/Jazz Foundations, Modern/Ballet Foundations, Creative Dance, World Music Percussion classes, Tap,
Dance for Boys, Intro to Dance, and Flamenco

And for Adults . . .
Call today to reserve your FREE TRIAL CLASS PASS Valid December 5-17, 2011!
Afro-Caribbean Dance & Drumming, Bellydance, Zumba, Flamenco, Latin Dance, Scottish Dance, Yoga, Tai Chi, Feldenkrais, and more . . .

Spring 2012 Pre-registration for returning Performing Arts Program students only December 5 – December 17 – Closed Sunday.
Pre-registration is strongly recommended, as many classes are full and enrollment for returning students can only be guaranteed prior to Open Registration on January 3.

Registration for new Performing Arts Program students
January 3 thru 14. Closed Sunday.

New Session begins January 23, 2012!

Watch your email inbox for more Spring 2012 program descriptions, Spring 2012 calendars, & Spring 2012 registration information/applications & forms, or please visit Berkshire Pulse and/or the Berkshire Pulse website at  berkshirepulse.org or call us at 413-274-6624.

View the Rehearsal Slideshow Here!

Great Barrington youth perform Great Russian Nutcracker with 40 Russian pros Nov 10, 7:30 and Nov 11, 7:30pm at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

Moscow Ballet Student Program makes impression on 50,000+ dancers over 19 years
For high-resolution images: http://www.nutcracker.com/promo

Contact: Sally Michael Keyes sally@nutcracker.com (413) 499-1733 x21
Justine Murphy justine@nutcracker.com (413) 499-1733 x14

(Berkshires, Mass.) Oct 25, 2011 – Local Great Barrington youth have been selected to perform alongside the Russian professionals in Moscow

Ballet‘s Great Russian Nutcracker at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Thursday, November 10 at 7:30pm and Friday November 11 at 7:30pm. Berkshire Pulse is the host studio for Moscow Ballet’s Student Program. Nataliya Miroshnyk is Moscow Ballet Audition and Rehearsal Director, and Ruby Aver is Berkshire Pulse Director of Ballet. Selected youth dancers performing as Party Guests are Ella Carlson, Shannon Lee, Dorree Ndooki, Madeleine Redpath, Hunter Harvey-Montano, Sophia Joffe, Sonora Malik, and Juniper Shalles. Performing as Mice are Eliza Abrams, Mae Denner-Kenny, Isabella Kent, Adelaide McFarland, Aspen Sawyer and Ruby Trabka. Performing as Angels are Sophie Banks, Ella Carlson, Lucy Ginsberg, Katherine Humes, Quincy Maynard, Sierra Posey, Cecilia Redpath, Marcella Tenuta, Annika Wainwright, and Lydia Wu-Davis. Dancers in Act II’s variations performing in the Spanish Variation are Hunter Harvey-Montano and Shannon Lee and in the Russian Variation are Lindsey Jacquier and Mary McGrath.

In addition to the performance opportunity, Berkshire Pulse scholarship students and their siblings will have the chance to learn about staying healthy, active and creative via New Horizons – A Children’s Program for Life. Moscow Ballet is partnering with Berkshire Pulse, a non-profit organization, to bring the new program to Pulse students. Berkshire Bank has graciously underwritten the program. Developed to support children in living healthy lives; it addresses diet, exercise, creativity, and the arts and will be led by a Moscow Ballet dancer. Participating students will also see the Friday, Nov. 11 performance of Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. Berkshire Pulse, a 501 C (3) not-for-profit organization, founded by dance educator and choreographer Bettina Montano, is dedicated to building and strengthening community life through diverse and accessible programming in performing, movement and creative arts. Moscow Ballet’s Student Performance Program is underwritten by Moscow Ballet. It includes administration of the traveling soloists, transportation to and from Russia and in the US and Canada, soloists’ salary for audition and rehearsal work and some daily living expenses when not provided by a local host family.

Partnerships with local dance studios are carefully developed by Mary Gianonne Talmi, co-founder and co-producer of Moscow Ballet. Talmi holds a BFA in Dance from Julliard, received two Choreography Fellowships from the NEA, an Achievement Award in Choreography from the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and was selected for the American Ballet Theatre’s Choreography Workshop under Baryshnikov. She founded Connecticut Dance Theatre and was a pioneering member of the National Association for Regional Ballet (now Regional Dance America).Early in the company’s history,Moscow Ballet founders Akiva and Mary Talmideveloped a continuity of programming in arts and education for American children that provides cross cultural enrichment, expert classical ballet instruction, and professional performance opportunities.

Audition Director Svetlana Todinova completed formal training in 1997 at the Ufa Choreography School, of which the legendary Rudolf Nureyev was also a student. While dancing with the State Opera Ballet of Krasnodar, Todinova danced under the legendary Yuri Gregorovich, who is famous for his virtuosic productions at the Bolshoi Theatre. Todinova toured with the Russian Academy of Ballet Art and has performed in Holland, China, Spain, Italy, England, and the USA. Her repertory includes Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Paganini, La Bayadere, Carmen, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. She has danced as a soloist with Moscow Ballet since 2006.

Audition Director Nataliya Miroshnyk is an expertly trained ballerina having graduated in 1988 from the Kiev Academic Choreographic School in Ukraine where she trained under A.G. Kalchenko.  Nataliya enjoyed a tremendous amount of post-graduate experience, touring throughout the world during her time with the Odessa State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater.  Nataliya’s soloist repertoire includes Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Don Quixote and The Nutcracker. Audition Director Mariia Skoruk was born in Kiev, Ukraine and at just ten years old she was invited to attend the famous ballet school of the Kiev State Opera and Ballet Theater. She graduated with a “Diploma of Distinction” and, seen as a talented ballerina, was invited to join the company of the Kiev State Opera and Ballet Theater. Her repertoire is comprised of the entire range of classical characters: Romeo and Juliet, Great Russian Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle, Cinderella, La Bayadere, and Carmen. Maria was awarded “Honorable Mention” at the Fifth Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition in Kiev. In 2009 she graduated with a Choreographic Teaching Degree from the National Dragomanova Pedagogical University. She has performed internationally in the following countries USA, Canada, Holland, England, Switzerland, Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Tickets are now on sale. To purchase by phone call Ticketmaster 800-745-3000, buy online at www.nutcracker.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at $27.50. Group rates are available for ten or more tickets, call 800 320 1733.