FOOTPRINTS
The newsletter of PCDA & F
Issue #1, October 1, 2010
Footprints is the Newsletter of Port City Dance
Academy and Felicità. We welcome all suggestions and
contributions to Footprints. Let us know what you are
doing, upcoming or ongoing events, thoughts, ideas...
Forward all information to georgia.rondos@gmail.com.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Lastly, thank you also to Kleis Rondos-Duchesne, and
the present Felicità gang who are going to make sure
that this newsletter has a second issue. Please keep
your emails coming - we welcome articles, comments,
and general updates about what you're doing and, of
course, who you're wearing!!!
I love you all,
Mrs. Scott
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1. From the Leading Ladies, a.k.a. the Hag Bag!
2. Your points of view
3. Spotlight on...Out of Proportion Dance Theatre
4. A Five Minute interview with Georgia Rondos
5. Upcoming Events
6. Applause & Reverence
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ITEM #1
From the Leading Ladies, a.k.a. the Hag Bag!
Andrea Scott…
Your beautiful emails have been pouring in since the
big reunion, and I can't begin to tell you how grateful I
am, for your kind words, and for having made our first
reunion show so special. I was touched that "the gang"
came home from near and far to take class, and to
perform - by the way, the show was AWESOME! Our
students are now, literally, dancing all across the country
and around the world too!
Dance Reunion 2010 was, without a doubt, the
highlight of my summer - thank you to each and every
one of you! I'm only sorry that I had other 'stuff' going on
and so couldn't just hang out with you a bit more. And to
those of you who were not able to make it to Dance
Reunion 2010 - you were definitely thought about and
missed, and hopefully we'll see you the next time if not
before.
A special big THANK YOU to (for their generous
donations of time & talent) to Georgia, to Tall Tara, and
to Liam - who is already working on Dance Reunion
2015!
Georgia Rondos…
I want to add, Dancing Bodies Reunion 2010 was a
really great show because you were all there. Your
comments, feedback, well wishes and love mean a lot to
us, so thank you very much. Felicita alumnae, it has
been such a pleasure to have worked with you all and to
see you mature and grow into such wonderful people.
You all look so healthy and are doing so well in your
lives. I feel proud of everyone.
Big thank you to Andrea for all your work, thank you
Lucy, Tara and Liam. Kleis good job on helping put
together the first issue of Footprints.
Dancing bodies reunion 2010 was a very special show
and I can't wait for the next one.
Group Hug!
Ms. Rondos
ITEM #2
Here are some of your points of view…
I want to thank all of you for what was a very
memorable weekend. Thanks to
all your efforts,
Saturday went by extremely smoothly and was most
enjoyable.
It was great to see what could easily be described as a
Felicita All-Star team come together. To all those faces
who I haven't seen in many years: I hope our paths
cross again quicker this time around. To those who I've
had the pleasure of bumping into in the not too distant
past: I hope we can continue to do so.
On one final note, I just want to thank all of you for
reminding me why I've stuck with dance all this time.
Felicita is the reason I love to dance, and you all played
a very large part in making it what it was for me.
All the best in each of your futures,
Liam Caines
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Hello Everyone!!
Having been back in Vancouver for almost two weeks
now, I would definitely count our Felicita reunion as one
of the highlights of my trip. I kept thinking about the
email Liam wrote and wanted to send out a big thanks
as well. It was so fun to see everyone and reminisce
about all the wonderful times we had dancing under
Andrea and Georgia - and many other guest
choreographers / teachers.
Everyone seems so happy and healthy in their lives
right now and I can't tell you how fun it was to break out
the tambourine one more time...and maybe, also...hold
Liam's hand in the Hat Dance!!
I hope you have all enjoyed the last bit of summer and
have an equally awesome fall. I also sincerely hope we
can keep in touch (you're welcome to a couch in Van!)
and continue to have ridiculously fun reunions for
decades to come (although I might have to borrow your
turtleneck again)...Best of luck to everyone in everything
you do! And a very big thanks to Andrea and Georgia for
helping to create such warm and amazing memories.
Many hugs,
Danika Smit
PS: if anyone has Alex Mortimer and Lili Arsenault's
email addresses (and/or anyone else I missed), could
you please forward this on.
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"Renunion 2010 was a wonderful event. This is a very
special group of people. It was a joy to see you all dance
together again and so happy to be together."
- Anne Millar
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".....I'm so incredibly happy and grateful to have been a
part of it. Felicita and Andrea and all you guys have
been so hugely important in my life and I wouldn't have
missed this weekend for anything.
Another get-together MUST happen before dancing
bodies 2015!"
- Kate Millar
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Hi Andrea and Georgia,
Thank you so much for yet another wonderful evening!
Great memories, superb performances and a wonderful
mixture of past and present... from tears you could just
hold back to wowww...
Friendly regards,
Peter
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I thought the performance went very well on Saturday!
Well done!
My favorite was One woman, One Potato. Excellent.
There is a story in the newspaper on it, and I will save
for you.
Colleen Mitchell
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"I think we all owe so much to Andrea and to the
studio. I think this was a great way to thank her."
- Diana Millar
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Hi Andrea and Georgia,
I hope both of you know how special it was for us all to
get together again. I think for most of us, it was a way to
thank you both for everything you have done over the
years. Even though I do not have a career in dance now,
I don't think I would be where I am without the many
(many!) hours spent at the studio and the support you
have given me. PCDA and Felicita definitely shaped who
I am and I will always be grateful to both of you for that.
I can't wait for the next reunion!
Love Diana
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"Being in class with all of the alumni was such a treat
and it made me realize how much I miss those days. I
never really acknowledged how much Port City impacted
me, but after getting another taste of the atmosphere,
the people, and the outlet, I didn't want it to end! We are
so fortunate to know such a great group of people, and I
hope we all keep in touch for the rest of our lives. As
much as we've all changed, being with everyone again
was like jumping back in time to the felicita days. Those
were some of the best days of my life and to go back
there for a weekend was something I'll appreciate
forever."
Sinéad
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Thanks to you too Georgia! You had some really great
pieces in the show. Honestly I don't think you get enough
credit for how creative some of your pieces are, but this
show was definitely a good showcase of them. You're
just so versatile, and each piece is so unique! I loved
what you did with Natayu. The movement was so
textured and it was really different from everything else!
And do we really have to wait a whole 15 years before
another reunion??? I say we do it again in 5!
- Sinead
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To: Georgia Rondos
Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 10:40 AM
Subject: CONGRATUALTIONS!
Congratulations on your performances! Wow! Really,
and I'm not just saying this because I''m your pal, your
pieces were excellent. They made the whole show work
and the audience was stunned. Funny though,
sometimes when people don't understand something,
they don't really know how to respond and then more or
less ignore or reject. Too bad but I guess you'll just have
to keep working with those ones.
Have a fine and relaxing Sunday.
Your admiring friend,
Janet
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Great people, great performances. Great.
And thanks for the t-shirt.
Michael Wennberg
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Dear Andrea,
I was alone in the car on the way home. Except I
wasn’t. There were changing combinations of Pippa and
Harriet and Kate and Diana and Alex and Julia and
Jennifer and Liam – and even Angela showed up briefly.
Oh so many many many many memories stirred up.
Over the last couple of days, I hope you have been able
to collect a substantial stash of happy thoughts to
sustain you for at least a little while. Tonight’s
performances were such a wonderful testament to the
extraordinary influence you have had on such a neat
group of kids (most of whom aren’t really even kids any
more I guess).
You should be ever so proud.
Thank you.
love, Grat
__________
Hi Everyone.
Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the
performance last night. It was great to see so many
former members of Felicita again. Well done! Now, do
you take a bit of a break before fall?
June Stone
ITEM #3
Spotlight on...Out of Proportion Dance Theatre
Out of Proportion Dance Theatre is a professional
dance company founded by Georgia Rondos in 1992,
while living in Toronto. When she and her family
moved to Saint John in 1995, the company came with
her, establishing the first professional modern dance
company in Saint John.
Rondos' first choreography here was called Wrapped, a
piece performed by Andrea Scott at the first Saint John
Dance Works show. Since then, the piece has been
performed by several Felicità students: Alex Mortimer,
Kate Miller, Syreeta Hector in Saint John and Toronto
and Tara Butler in Saint John. It was also performed in a
film produced by OOP in 2002 called "Dance Images
From New Brunswick: the coat, the wrap, the hankie..."
As Resident Choreographer for PCDA, Rondos has
devoted much of her attention and efforts towards the
creation of artistically viable choreography for Felicità,
PCDA’s performing group. PCDA has to continue
producing strong choreography and good dancers if we
are to build a strong dance community in Saint John.
The expectation is that our dance students will go on to
study dance professionally, eventually returning to either
dance with OOP or contribute to the arts community in
Saint John in some way. Out of Proportion Dance
Theatre is housed at PCDA.
ITEM #4
Andrea’s five minute interview with Georgia Rondos
Question: What is your oldest memory of Port City
Dance Academy and Felicita?
Answer: Walking to the studio on Germain above that
restaurant and meeting you for the first time and Grat.
First thing I said to you is that it "feels so good to be in a
studio again".
Q: What is your funniest memory of PCDA & F?
A: Going up to the studio in a freight elevator because I
was too pregnant and couldn’t do stairs.
Q: What was your best meal in the last two weeks?
A: Greek pasta and roast lamb.
Q: Do you have a personal best?
A: always looking to be better.
Q: Any nostalgic thoughts about PCDA & F?
A: I had many this summer when I saw everyone at the
reunion show.
Q: If you could change one thing, what would it be?
A: better feet.
Q: Okay, if you could change two things?
A: better turnout a litter taller, younger… how many is
that?
Q: Favourite composer or song?
A: there are many.
Q: Favourite choreographer?
A: Pina Bausch.
Q: Favourite visual artist?
A: my new favourite one is Lautrec.
Q: Favourite movie or book?
A: The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928).
Q: Favourite co-worker?
A: Andrea Scott (you knew I would say that).
ITEM #5
Upcoming Events…
October 24, 2010 – Out of Proportion Dance Theatre
brings Georgia Rondos' two choreograhies D'Andy and
New Beginnings to Jorgen Ballet Solos and Duets
Project, Halifax Dance, NS (Funding by artsnb)
November 6, 2010 – Felicità members will be performing
at OVATION, a Fundraiser for GSJCF, at the Marco Polo
Cruise Terminal.
Note: Black boxes can be purchased at PCDA studio
for $20. Please continue to support our ongoing
renovations to the Black Box Performance Space.
November 20, 2010 – PCDA is organizing and
decorating a flat-bead float for the Christmas Parade, all
who want to participate are welcome!
ITEM #6
Applause & Reverence…
November 27 & 28 2010 – PCDA is very excited to be
presenting Nutcracker and Girl With Shell at Samuel de
Champlain (special guest TBA) (Funding by Saint John
Community Arts Board)
We applaud Tina Chisholm (mother of Felicta member,
Anna Chisholm) and Katie Bamford-Moore (mother of
Felicita member, Paige Moore) for taking on "operation
big float" for the 2010 Saint John Santa Claus Parade.
December 28, 2010 – In-studio show to be held in our
newly renovated Black Box Performance Space. Special
guests TBA.