The Carmel Valley Life | Archive

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 […]

Gator By The Bay Festival Returns to San Diego for 15th Year

April 3, 2016 No Comment

San Diego’s 15th annual Gator By The Bay is the largest, most authentic Louisiana-themed music and food festival this side of the bayou. The festival will be held from May 5-8, 2016 at Spanish Landing Park, across from the San Diego International Airport. Presented by San Diego’s Bon Temps Social Club, it features four days of live music with over 90 musical […]

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, […]

A San Diego Dance Studio Where Love and Art Come Together

December 14, 2015 No Comment

North County DanceArts, Inc. is known for its professional and positive teaching staff, and its superb quality of training. NCDA is a San Diego dance studio and has been in business for 31 years (18 of those years being in Carmel Valley San Diego). Classes offered at NCDA include Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, Hip Hop, KinderCombo, […]

Gator By The Bay Festival Returns to San Diego for 14th Year

April 24, 2015 No Comment

San Diego’s 14th annual Gator By The Bay is the largest, most authentic Louisiana-themed music and food festival this side of the bayou. The festival will be held from May 7-10, 2015 at the Spanish Landing Park, across from San Diego International Airport. Presented by San Diego’s Bon Temps Social Club, it features four days of live […]

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 […]