Winners of the May 17 Grand Finale:

Gold: Laurel Wood school (SCESD) with Ms. Jade

Silver: Fremont School (Alisal Union School) with Ms. Kelly

Bronze: Mission Park School (SCESD) with Ms. Claire

Winners of May 11 Monterey Peninsula Schools semi final:

Gold: Forest Grove in Pacific Grove with Ms. Stevie

Silver: Junipero Serra School in Carmel with Ms. Lucretia

Bronze: Robert Down school in Pacific Grove with Ms. Janet

Winners of April 20 Salinas City Elementary School District (SCESD) semi final:

Gold: Laurel Wood School with Ms. Jade

Silver: Mission Park School with Ms. Claire

Bronze: Sherwood School with Ms. Goska

Congratulations to all students participating in these beautiful events and in the Dancing Classrooms program. You are all winners.

Dancing Classrooms is pleased to present the Colors of the Rainbow (COR) Team Match semi final, a youth ballroom dance competition. This exciting event will take place on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 6:00 PM at the Pacific Grove Performing Arts Center at PG Middle School. COR is open to the public and FREE OF CHARGE. 

The schools that will be competing are: Robert Down, Forest Grove, Monterey Bay Charter School, Carmel River School, and Junipero Serra school.

Congratulations to the winners!

Gold medal - Laurel Wood with Teaching Artist Ms. Jade

Silver medal – Mission Parks School with Teaching Artist Ms. Claire

Bronze Medal – Sherwood School with Teaching Artist Ms. Goska

To the 5^th grade students of all the schools: You are all winners! Only with your help were the teams able to win an award.

It was a wonderful event at Sherwood Hall with over 500 people in attendance.

The 10 week program is coming to the end, and all 5th grade students are looking forward to their culminating school events to show schoolmates and family and friends their beautiful dance accomplishments. Following these events that involve all 2,000 participating students, there will be the eagerly awaited Colors of the Rainbow Team Match, when 6 ladies and 6 gentlemen from each school will compete hoping to win a trophy for their school.

Here are the dates:

1.  Semi-final, Salinas City Elementary School District, 12 schools, Tuesday, April 20, at Sherwood Hall Salinas , 6pm.

2.  Semi-final, Monterey Peninsula school districts, 5 schools from Carmel and PG, Tuesday, May 11, at PG Performing Arts Center (Middle School Auditorium), 6:00pm.

3.  The Grand Final, Monday, May 17 at Sherwood Hall, 6:30pm. The 3 winners of the 3 semi finals (Alisal Union-semi-final November 2009, Salinas City Elementary, Peninsula school districts) compete, a total of 9 schools. This is a wonderful event to bring our communities together and to celebrate our children together.

Victoria Malvagno, Educational Liaison at Dancing Classrooms New York and Teaching Artist in the documentary 'Mad Hot Ballroom' is going to be the Master of Ceremony. World class Ballroom champion Charlotte Jorgensen, adjudicator in 'Mad Hot Ballroom', teacher of Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, and 'Dancing with the Stars' professional will be a judge in addition to local dance and theater experts. May 2010 marks the 5th year anniversary of the release of the documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom".

Welcome to all 12 schools of Salinas City Elementary School District:

Laurel Wood, Monterey Park, Sherwood School, Boronda Meadows, El Gabilan, Henry F. Kammann, Loma Vista, Los Padres, Mission Park, Natividad, Roosevelt, University Park.

We welcome back Pacific Grove Unified School District with Robert Down and Forest Grove Schools, Carmel Unified with Carmel River School, Monterey Bay Charter School, and Junipero Serra School.

Welcome to all 10 schools of the Alisal Union School District.

Thank you Dr. Zendejas for believing in Dancing Classrooms Program and the success it bring to all of your 5th grade students.

Alisal Community School, Bardin Elementary School, Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School, Creekside Ementary School, Dr. Oscar F. Loya Elementary School, Frank Paul Elementary School, Fremont Elementary School, John E. Steinbeck, Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, Virginia Rocca Barton School

Welcome to all 12 school of Salinas City Elementary School district. Thank you Dr. Vaughan for adding 9 more schools in January 2010 to the three schools from the 2009 pilot program year.

In addition to Alisal schools we are looking forward to serving again all of the schools from our pilot year of 2008-2009.

Dancing Classrooms Schools 2008-2009

Monterey Park

410 San Miguel Ave.
Salinas, CA 93901

Ph: (831) 753-5640

Laurel Wood

645 Larkin Dr.

Salinas, CA. 93907

Ph: (831) 753-5620

Sherwood School

110 S. Wood St.

Salinas CA. 93905

Ph: (831) 753-5650

Robert Down

485 Pine Avenue

Pacific Grove, CA. 93950

Ph: (831) 646-6540

Forest Grove

1065 Congress Avenue

Pacific Grove, CA. 93950

Ph: (831) 646-6560

Junipero Serra

2992 Lasuen Dr.
Carmel, CA 93923
Ph: (831) 624-8322

Carmel River

Monte Verde St. and 15th Ave.
Carmel, CA 93923

Ph: (831) 624-4609

Monterey Bay Charter

1004 David Ave
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Ph: (831) 655-4638

Colors of the Rainbow Team Match

Wednesday May, 20, 2009

Monterey Conference Center

The 2008 reception for the arrival of Pierre Dulaine was a great success!

A thank you goes out to all of those who attended.

The four day intensive Teaching Artist training went very smoothly. Pierre trained 13 of our local future Teaching Artists so that they will be prepared to bring his method of teaching dance to local elementary schools this January. Teaching Artists expressed that being taught by Pierre Dulaine was the experience of a lifetime. Thanks to the wonderful media coverage, we had over 100 people attend the welcome reception including mayors, superintendents, teachers, parents, and students. Pierre graciously taught an exciting Merengue lesson in which almost all attendees took part in, covering the dance floor of the Shall We Dance studio. He demonstrated his method of teaching which was highly appreciated by all. We look forward to having Pierre back in the Monterey area again.

Dancing Classrooms would like to thank the following people for making

Pierre Dulaine's Welcome Reception possible:

Shall We Dance Staff :
Harrison Okins, Kalina Mittelman, Joyce Holt, Ashley Eagan, Pat Eodice, Al Watts, M'kalah Conley
Action Council: Larry Imwalle and Jane Parker
Principals of the following Elementary Schools:
Carmel River School, Robert Down, Forest Grove Elementary, Monterey Park, Laurel Wood, and Junipero Serra
Curriculum Coordinators:
Cathy McAweeney, Mary Prichard and Katie Vega
Dancing Classrooms National Coordinator:

John Ross

Monterey Bay Community Members:
Bill Kampe
Jan Kohlmoos
Roshi Pejhan
Leslie McClure
Julie Conrad
Laurie Sandblom
Goshka Hausdorff
Alexandra Tower-Ewers
Manning Phillips
Stephan Georis
Carl Maxey
Lynn and Mike McFeely
Jane and Tom Sullivan
Heidi and Philip Daunt
Rene Arreola

Local Business and Media:
Wendy Brickman
Dorothy Maras-Ildiz

Nina Solomita, Monterey County Weekly
Mark Cabrera, Monterey Herald
KION TV
Carmel Pinecone
Cedar Street Times
PG Hometown Bulletin

Tom Nguyen, Bayview Business Solutions, Inc.

Trader Joe's
Fandango

George Edwards, Wine Market

Walter Georis

Classic Catering

An Evening With Pierre Dulaine

National Training:

November 22-25, 2008 Pierre Dulaine will hold the first national training outside NYC and train 20 selected teaching artists in the Dulaine Method. Trainees come from Monterey Bay, Colorado and Louisiana to take the 32 hour intensive course in Pacific Grove at Shall We Dance studio.

Press Conference:

There will be discussions with Pierre Dulaine about the program open to parents and representatives from school districts, city governments, foundations, community arts/dance groups, and local universities on Monday, November 24 from 5:30-6:30pm at Shall We Dance Studio at 205 - 17^th Street in Pacific Grove. Anyone interested in changing the lives of future generations should attend.

Information Meeting with National Network Director John Ross for representatives of school districts, city governments, community organizations and businesses, teaching artists, and volunteers

When: Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

Time: 12 noon (lunch provided)

Where: Shall We Dance 205 - 17th Street in Pacific Grove.

Additional individual meetings can be scheduled with John Ross and Ingrid Tower on Tuesday from 3-8pm and Wednesday from 7-10am in various locations in Salinas and on the Monterey Peninsula.

RSVP by Friday September 19.

Information Meeting and Auditions for Teaching Artists

When: Sunday September 14th, 2008

Time: 3:00pm

Where: Shall We Dance Studio

205 17th Street, corner of Lighthouse Avenue in downtown Pacific Grove

We offer part-time employment with training and are still looking for the right candidates with bilingual Spanish-English capabilities.
Must also have:

    * great love for and understanding of 10-11 year old children
    * hear the beat of music and love to dance
    * feel confidant to teach and handle groups
    * flexible schedule