Alumni of Westlake School for the Performing Arts

Hello WSPA Alumni! Ms. Malu here! :) I hope you are all happy, healthy, and enjoying this holiday season! We’re giddy with anticipation as our Nutcracker Film release date quickly approaches! In case you missed it, the film premieres on YouTube on Christmas Eve 12.24.20 at 6pm PST and will continue until 1.1.21 at 6pm PST. Be sure to register on Eventbrite to be notified via email when the link to watch is released: https://bit.ly/EventbriteWSPA ... This film was truly a labor of love. As you all know very well, Nutcracker is such a meaningful experience for WSPA dancers and their families. We wanted to do everything we could to maintain this important WSPA holiday tradition for our WSPA family, and I am so proud of the final product. Now we want to share our work of love and spread the holiday spirit to all! I want to reach out to you all to ask if you could please help us spread the word! I am sharing our Nutcracker Media Kit with you all here: https://drive.google.com//1sWoSHydHa5uetDy0DS42uW4KxBaPhrY Inside, you’ll find several flyers, an event description, and a press release. If you could please help spread the word by sharing these to your friends and family by posting or sending this information out to your communities, it would mean the world! Thank you all so much in advance! I can’t wait for you all to see the film! I hope it sparks fond memories and brings you lots of comfort and joy during this holiday season. Please continue to take care of yourselves and have a very Merry Christmas!

Hey Alumni, I am reaching out to you and your kind heart. The parent based nonprofit organization that supported the performance program’s performing opportunities needs your support. If the shows you performed in have given you invaluable lessons and experiences, please pay the blessings forward to the next generation of dancers. All the seasonal fundraising events have been impossible to do during this pandemic and Your donation will be a huge help, big or small. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

A WSPA Studio Film for the very first time. I love how it’s turning out, thanks to Jess Gomez who joined me in my vision of creating this for our WSPA family a...nd the community! #wspadance #nutcracker2020 Pls share to get the word out. Filmed in our studio against a green cyc. Had to deal with limited space and staged it to suit the screen and not a real stage. Thank you to all the cast and crew who joined us in this momentous venture this year. I could not have done it without you and your full support. See more

Hey Alumni, while we are still doing virtual classes, here is an offer for you all to get back into dancing with WSPA without having to commit to a full year program. Keep moving!

Share this to your friends whose children are interested in dance. It's the best deal my school has ever offered. In times of uncertainty, I am certain of one thing - Dance makes a huge difference in a child's life so why wait, start them now!

Hi everyone, Today is Erik's last class. If you missed it last Friday, you can take it today. Check out what amazing things he can offer in contemporary dance. Enjoy!

Hi Allumni! WSPA is extending SUPPORT to our alumni artists who like all other artists are struggling right now due to the pandemic. Please show your support by attending a virtual contemporary class with WSPA alumni, Erik Debono.... ABOUT ERIK: "Erik Debono, a native of San Francisco, California, started dancing at Westlake School for the Performing Arts (WSPA). Along with his 10 years at WSPA, he also trained at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Joffrey Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre (ABT), and a semester abroad to the London Contemporary Dance School. Upon earning his BFA at Adelphi University, he has performed works by Lar Lubovitch, Frank Augustyn, Earl Mosley, and Manuel Vignoulle among many others. He has choreographed various original pieces including a full length evening program, and also composed music for several commissioned choreographies. He has danced with AVA Ballet, The Anata Project, dawsondancesf, Oakland Ballet, Ayalis In Motion, and Parsons Dance." Follow him on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erik.debono.7 A MESSAGE FROM ERIK: "Hey WSPA Family, I hope this email finds you well. I have been given this opportunity to teach via Zoom and I invite you to join me. In class I will be touching up on artistry, clarity, movement quality and technical performance. See you there! Stay safe, Erik" DATE; FRIDAY, AUGUST 7 AND MONDAY, AUGUST 10 TIME: 5:00-6:30 PM COST OF CLASS: $20 PER CLASS PAYMENT: USE VENMO : @ErikwithaK Note: Pleases pay before the class begins so Erik can keep track of the no.of students he will be teaching. ZOOM LINK: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7768335366 Meeting ID: 776 833 5366 Passcode: classpass

Congratulations to Kianna for taking Mini First Runner Up, Bailey for taking Junior Top 12, Parker for Teen 3rd Runner Up, and Ethan for Teen 2nd Runner Up!!!

Who wants to do a modern (martha graham) class at the park. Social distancing and masks required. Let me know. https://youtu.be/cZ2tG5TPANA

Hello alumni, please support the school in Youth America's The Audience Choice Awards! All the ensembles that placed in the Top 3 in all the regionals are against each other. WSPA has three entries that all placed FIRST. Embassy Waltz is performed by our Junior Professional students and choreographed by Cristina Fargas and Les Jours Hereux is performed by three our senior professional students and choreographed by Irene Liu. Share this to as many as you like so we can get a...s many votes we can. Thank you in advance for your support.Click this link and type in the comments: I vote for #24 Embassy Waltz, Westlake School for the Performing Arts. I vote for #25 Les Jours Hereux, Westlake School for the Performing Arts.

For dancers who need a floor for home training, check this affordable offer. https://us.harlequinfloors.com//home-/harlequin-dance-mat/

A blast from the past! " People Change" from ten years ago. Enjoy! Thank you, Antoinette Oliveros for sharing.

To our WSPA family, Due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, we have decided to halt WSPA classes for the next two weeks. All classes are canceled from March 13-2...6. We plan to resume classes on Friday, March 27. Please know that this reopening date is subject to change as the situation develops. Students will receive a 1/2 month tuition credit toward next month's tuition. Performance Program Auditions for Ballet/Modern/Contemporary (scheduled for March 22) and the Professional Ballet Division (scheduled for March 15) are being postponed to a later date. As you know, we have been keeping a close eye on official information regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County Health Officer, explains in his latest announcement on smchealth.org that San Mateo County is "switching from a containment strategy (identifying cases and contact) to one of community mitigation - taking steps to lessen the broad impact of the disease." Here at WSPA we want to do our part to lessen the broad impact of COVID-19 by limiting community members' exposure to the illness. That is why we made the difficult decision to stop business as usual until March 27th. The health and wellness of our community members is our priority, and we want to do all that we can to help slow the spread of the virus. The situation remains ongoing, and new information is released every day. We will continue to update you via email and our social media platforms as things evolve. Thank you for bearing with us as we navigate this difficult situation. Please continue to take care of yourselves and stay up to date. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the WSPA office at (650)757-1244 or [email protected]. Sincerely, Malu Rivera-Peoples School Director Paul Peoples Executive Director

Watch the live stream tomorrow! #wspadance #wspadalycity #balletclassical @ Westlake School for the Performing Arts

Stay up to date! Check out our March Newsletter.

Class has just started! Kristian Ratevossian, YAGP judge and former Bolshoi member, is in WSPA teaching the professional ballet division. #wspadance #yagp #classicalballet