The Carmel Valley Life | Author Archives

Healthy Holiday Dancing

The holiday season usually means reconnecting with family and friends, bundling up around the fireplace or taking a much-needed vacation. But for many dancers in the community of Carmel Valley San Diego, it’s a balancing act between their normal training routine and participating in the many holiday activities. This balancing act can be a tedious […]

December 11, 2018 / No Comment / Read More

North County Dance Arts – Elevate 2016 San Diego Theatre Review

September 1, 2016 No Comment

North County Dance Arts, founded almost four decades ago, and continually directed by Tanya and Louis McKay, presented their annual recital performances, this year’s titled Elevate, at the Mandeville Center Auditorium on Saturday, July 30, 2016. Only minutes from Downtown San Diego, with plenty of free parking, this venue has one of the largest stages in […]

Social Media and Dance

April 18, 2016 No Comment

As a dance related business owner, I understand how beneficial social media can be to the arts in general and more specifically dance schools and studios. A good social media campaign can provide direct access to colleagues, clients, and potential clients that might otherwise not be reached through conventional advertising and networking. It also can […]

Stage Presence – How to be the Center of Attention

January 25, 2016 No Comment

Each year as dancers begin to perform in the first competitions of the season under the critical eye of the judges that the dancer is presented with their ‘score’ of how successful a performance was given that I hear this same question by dancers and parents alike. “Her technique was above everyone on that stage, […]

Carmel Valley Urged to Donate Dancewear to Give Hope

February 23, 2015 No Comment

As in most dance schools, ushering out the old year and in with the new also means it’s time for a little ‘housekeeping’. I know in our studio and I suspect we are not alone, we accumulate a wealth of left behind clothing, including dancewear from September through December. Don’t ask me how or why; […]

Non-Profit Rings in Happy Holidays for Military Families

December 1, 2014 No Comment

Dance Hearts/Bells of Freedom Rings in Happy Holidays for Military Families San Diego based Dance Hearts, a recognized 501 (c) 3 Public Charity and Bells of Freedom, a program specifically designed to care for U.S. military families, kicks off two events aimed at making the Holidays for our local enlisted men, women and their families […]

Timing…The Key to Success for Dance & Life

November 21, 2014 No Comment

In dance, everything is timing. You hear it each time you walk through the classroom or rehearsal hall…5, 6, 7 8! To be in perfect time will more likely translate into a perfect performance. Another kind of “timing” also contributes to a dancer’s progress and success. That one deals with the battle all of us […]

Back to School, Back to Dance – How to Come Back Strong

September 9, 2014 No Comment

Each year in September we welcome the eager faces of our returning Carmel Valley dancers home after a month of rest and relaxation. It doesn’t matter if the dancer is four years old, a teen or mature adult; it doesn’t matter if the dancer is a beginner, a seasoned competitor or recreational dancer, it is […]

The Importance of Dance, Music and the Arts in Our Local Schools

June 19, 2014 No Comment

It is good to be back in the writer’s chair again. I want to thank David Moya and his incredible and supportive staff for allowing me to take some time from my regular articles appearing on The Carmel Valley Life website to spend additional time with my wife as we tended to the needs of […]

North County DanceArts Presents Annual Showcase “Fly”

July 10, 2013 No Comment

San Diego, California, June 20, 2013: Award winning North County DanceArts, Inc. celebrates 33 years of providing the best in dance instruction in all of San Diego County closing with an annual showcase, “FLY”. The showcase is open to the public on Saturday, July 27th with a matinee performance at 12:00 noon and an evening performance […]

Tap Dancing Alive and Well in Carmel Valley

April 11, 2013 No Comment

Tap dancing is one of those dance styles you just love to watch. It can be lighthearted and take flight or a take the form of a demanding staccato of rhythm and sound; but whatever the beat, the dance becomes the music. From tap’s early beginnings in the mid 1800’s as a style of dance […]

Carmel Valley Moms Get Their Body Back

March 7, 2013 No Comment

Adult students coming into the studio to research dance instruction for themselves do so for many reasons. Some are students that have dance backgrounds from their younger years and are looking to ‘get back to their roots’; some look at dance instruction as a new hobby or a way to meet new people. But for […]