Falls Church Va: Promenade Dancing Class

The Victorian Society at Falls Church cordially invites you to the 2009-2010 season

Promenade Dancing Class Contemporary ballroom dancing and etiquette lessons for 6th and 7th grade students 2009-2010 Season Friday evenings at Falls Church Presbyterian Church 225 East Broad Street Falls Church, Virginia

November 13 November 20 December 11 December 18 January 8 January 15 (January 22 alternate)

To request more information, please contact one of the Promenade co-chairs:

Sheila Frost Nancy De Lew 571-235-9842 703-241-0033 [email protected] [email protected]

Register by October 30, 2009! Student’s Name ____________________________ Address __________________________________ Zip Code _________ Phone __________________ School ___________________________________ Circle: Boy Girl 6th Gr. 7th Gr. Father’s Name _____________________________ Address __________________________________ Phone ________________ Cell _______________ *Email ___________________________________ Mother’s Name _____________________________ Address __________________________________ Phone ________________ Cell ________________ *Email ___________________________________ *Please indicate which email address is preferred for receiving messages, which could include snow day announcements.

At least one parent for every child is asked to chaperone one night. Please circle all dates for which you would be available to chaperone. You will be selected for just one class, unless you wish to help out more. Nov. 13 Dec. 18

Nov. 20 Jan. 8

Dec. 11 Jan. 15

(Jan. 22) Full payment of $120 must accompany this registration. (A limited number of scholarships are available). Please make your check payable to the Victorian Society at Falls Church and send it with this application form to: Ann Anderson, PDC Registrar 314 Little Falls St. Falls Church, VA 22046

Promenade Dancing Class Background Information & Details Description The Promenade Dancing Class offers an introduction to ballroom dancing and etiquette for girls and boys in grades six and seven. The class offers a unique opportunity for Falls Church area girls and boys to learn dance steps and manners while enjoying the company of their peers. Our sponsor, the Victorian Society at Falls Church, lends an additional dimension to the instructional component of the class, augmenting etiquette lessons with comparisons to manners prevalent at the turn of the century.

History From 1999 to 2003, a significant number of Falls Church boys and girls participated in the Woodley Dancing Class at the National Cathedral School. When the Dancing Class was discontinued due to the retirement of its long-term leadership and lack of successor chairpersons, Falls Church City residents Susannah Hamme and Katharine Stewart launched the Promenade Dancing Class. Since 2003, parent volunteers have organized the Class. The 2008-2009 season was cancelled due to lack of volunteers, but this season’s co-chairs are excited to continue the tradition and provide this program for our middle school students.

This Season All girls and boys of the appropriate ages, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic origin, are invited to apply for the 2009-2010 Promenade Dancing Class. Two classes will be conducted each evening, one from 7:00 pm to 8:20 pm for 6th graders, and the second one from 8:30 pm to 9:50 pm for 7th graders. Parents are encouraged to stress the importance of prompt arrival and departure for each class.

Tuition &Application Tuition is $120 for the 2009-2010 season of six classes. All funds are used to cover costs; the program is nonprofit, run by parent volunteers. A limited number of scholarships are available. Applications are due October 30, 2009 and should be mailed to the registrar, Ann Anderson. We will notify all students by email or telephone of their enrollment and the class to which they are assigned. We will make every effort to group students according to grade. However, we may need to balance classes by gender and class size.

Appropriate Dress Dancing requires hard soled shoes; no athletic shoes or flip flops, please. Girls should wear conservative dresses or skirts, short white gloves and closed-toe shoes with a back. Boys should wear jackets, ties, dress pants or chinos and dress shoes.

Parent Chaperones & Refreshments Parents have a standing invitation to observe any of the Promenade Dance classes. In addition, they are asked to chaperone and provide a refreshment for one class during the season.

Code of Conduct All students are expected to conduct themselves as ladies and gentlemen by applying the lessons they are taught in the classes.

Inclement Weather In the event of inclement weather that closes Falls Church City schools, an email message will be sent to parents about the evening’s classes, and the session will be made up on January 22.

The Victorian Society at Falls Church The Victorian Society at Falls Church, a chapter of the Victorian Society of America, was founded in 1995 to promote the Victorian heritage for the City of Falls Church. The Society holds a variety of events, reenactments and demonstrations designed to educate the public about Victorian culture, manners, dress, architecture, entertainments and history. The Society sponsors events related to the history of Falls Church and raises funds for a variety of Falls Church-related projects, such as the Victorian fountain in Frady Park and the walking tour map of our Victorian structures. Events supported or sponsored by the Society include literary evenings and a Civil War Thanksgiving at Cherry Hill Farm, an annual Falls Church Arbor Day reenactment, 19th century dance classes for adults and an annual ball, featuring period dancing and guests in 19th century attire. We are proud to sponsor the Promenade Dance Class in order to interest young people in forms of social interactions and customs that are deeply rooted in our country’s history. The ballroom dances taught, however, are those most frequently encountered on dance floors today. We hope that this class will provide students with the familiarity and interest that lead to a lifelong enjoyment of dance and appreciation for traditional social graces. 2009-2010 Promenade Dance Class Organizing Committee Nancy De Lew and Sheila Frost, Co-Chairs Ann Anderson, Registrar Phyllis Kravinsky, Chaperones & Refreshments Mack Gross, Victorian Society Representative