News

Apple Corps Dancers Enjoy Exciting 2008 Season
Our students once again enjoyed classes with visiting artists, including Danielle Robertson of Los Angeles and Jeremy Plumer of Chicago.

They are learning and performing "show choir" selections under the direction of Mrs. Emy Berger and will entertain at the Student Showcase on August 2 at Moreau Center For The Arts.

The Apple Corps Dancers perform for numerous events including Mishawaka Summerfest, Osceola Bluegrass, Middlebury Summerfest and much more. Community outreach extended to seniors at several retirement and assisted living centers..

Dance Educator Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary Jaci Mullins, M.D.E., celebrated her ten year anniversary teaching dance at Debbie Werbrouck's School of Dance & Music at the June performances. She was recognized for her teaching as well as her choreography. Mrs. Mullins is a resident choreographer for Patchwork Dance Company along with her work with the school's students. She is a master dance educator with Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and also regularly contributes to choreography for the Apple Corps Dancers.

Area Dance Educator Is Also Author
Dance educator Debbie Werbrouck is expanding her reach in the dance world through the written word. She has authored several articles for national dance publications including The Journal of Dance Education, Dancer, Dance Spirit, and Goldrush. The most recent two articles appear in the November issue of Goldrush magazine; “Speaking of Dance” and “Teaching Tiny Dancers”.

In “Speaking of Dance”, Werbrouck writes about how using the correct words along with the correct timing can motivate, uplift or calm a person. “Teaching Tiny Dancers” outlines the philosophy and goals for early childhood dance education of the New York based dance coalition of educators, UNITY.

Werbrouck began teaching locally in 1968 and has taught at Saint Mary’s College as well as for several national dance organizations. She is the founder and artistic director of Patchwork Dance Company and past president of Chicago National Association of Dance Masters.

DWSD "Irish Superstars"

These dancers have been featured at ND Women's in the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 Basketball games. Don’t miss the exciting 2007-2008 season with some great surprises.

Not Just For Kids!
Who says kids have all the fun? Not us!
We have a major focus on a variety of classes for adults...at times that work for you!
Get physical and have fun at the same time. Here's a list of classes. Check the schedule for the location of your choice. Instead of waiting while your child dances, join in the fun yourself.
Adult beginning classes are offered in:
Ballet * Tap * Jazz * Modern * Pilates * Hip hop

Faculty Member Joins Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines June 2006
Haylee McFarland, who studied and later taught at the Werbrouck school is now a professional dancer with Royal Caribbean 's Explorer of the Seas.
Haylee performs in three separate shows and also teaches salsa dance to passengers.
In July, she received a visit by her longtime teacher Mrs. Bodle in recognition of Mrs. Bodle's 30th anniversary of teaching.

Make Beautiful Music!
Piano lessons have joined the schedule at our school. Take advantage of the convenience of music as well as dance education in one location. Classes for adults as well as students. Schedule your private lesson today! Instruction on more instruments as well as voice will be added.

New York Performance Tour, June 2006
Ten of our dancers enjoyed the excitement of performing and studying this summer in New York City. Jamie Applegate, Lauren Bodle, Lizzy Coulston, Calla Gillins, Elise Goodman, Haley McElwee, Megan Pavolko, Kirsten Schlorke, Molly Sheets, and Amy Zink performed at the Statue of Liberty and attended classes with professional Broadway dancers from Lion King and Hairspray shows. They enjoyed performances of Tarzan and Drumstruck as well as Lion King. They toured Radio City Music Hall and Lincoln center, NBC studios and all the notable New York sites.

Apple Corps Dancers Enjoy Exciting 2006 Season
Our students once again enjoyed classes with six visiting artists, including Julie Cartier and Connie Fagan of Chicago.
The Apple Corps Dancers performed for numerous events including Mishawaka Summerfest, Osceola Bluegrass, Berrien County Youth Fair, Middlebury Summerfest and much more.
They learned and performed "show choir" selections under the direction of Mrs. Emy Berger and entertained at the Douglas Rd, grand opening. Not only did they enhance their performance ability, they brought enjoyment to audiences throughout the area.

Students And Faculty Honored At 2006 National Seminar
Both students and faculty participated in numerous activities presented at the ninety fourth summer seminars of Chicago National Association of Dance Masters. Seminars included the four day Training School for teachers, a four day Convention for teachers, the four day Dance ‘n More for pre-professionals aged 16-21, the four day Ballet Forum, a ballet intensive which presents original works of various choreographers as the culmination, and a three day Student Session for ages 10-18.
Additional highlights of the sessions included the annual Awards Banquet and Performance as well as the Command Performance featuring the works of three renowned Chicago dance companies.
The recipient of the 2006 CNADM Award of Artistic Achievement was David Howard, one of the most distinguished ballet teachers of our generation. Dancers Lauren Bergstrand, Anna Drendall, Theresa Hammond, Natalie and MaryBeth Kowalinski, Megan Mitcheff, and Kara Yoder of the Werbrouck School performed choreography by Jeremy Plummer of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line productions as part of the banquet entertainment.
Choreography for the performance as well as an audition for the cruise line was part of the Dance’n More experience. Haylee McFarland, who studied at the Werbrouck School since age three was hired at the 2005 summer audition and is now a dancer with the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Sea production cast.
Faculty members, Julie Bodle M.D.E, Jaci Campbell C.D.E. , Denise Sanders-Honaker, C.D.E., Karen Stump, M.D.E., Jenn Wolfe, C.D.E. and Debbie Werbrouck, M.D.E. attended continuing education -classes in theory and pedagogy in ballet, jazz, tap and modern. Debbie Werbrouck taught a dance studies class for students and Werbrouck and Bodle led two business forums for teachers .
Julie Bodle was recognized as a twenty five year member of the organization and reelected to the board of directors. Debbie Werbrouck is immediate past president of the organization and serves on the advisory panel.
Annie Ellis and Megan Pavolko participated in the four day Ballet Forum and performed the new choreographic works before an audience of dancers, teachers and choreographers at the Ballet Gala.
Werbrouck students were recognized for their academic dance accomplishments through written and demonstrative testing at the Student Honors Program. Students receiving Honors awards include: Ashely Berger, Shelby Berger, Caitlin Cataldo, Calla Gillins, Elise Goodman, Erin Guzicki, Abigail Klima, Marissa Koscielski, Haley McElwee, Brittany Masters, Regina Mauck, Catherine Mills, Molly Sheets, Kiersten Schlorke, Cheyenne Tjaden, Kara Yoder, Amy Zink and Sara Zink,
Twenty four students performed in the Student Competition in Senior, Intermediate and Junior age groups as duos, trios and groups in ballet, tap and jazz, to receive gold or platinum awards in each of their sixteen entries. The senior group included Ashley Berger, Lauren Bergstrand, Natalie Kowalinski and Kara Yoder. The intermediate group consisted of Caitlin Cataldo, Calla Gillins Elise Goodman, Haley McElwee, Regina Mauck,, Kiersten Schlorke, Molly Sheets, Cheyenne Tjaden and Sara Zink. The Junior group included Teddy Berger, Shelby Berger, Lauren Bodle, Erin Guzicki, Morgan Kern, Abigail Klima, Marissa Koscelski, Brittany Masters, Catherine Mills, and Gina Rodeghero.

Local Dancer Hired For The High Seas
Haylee McFarland, member of Debbie Werbrouck’s School of Dance faculty and Patchwork Dance Company, has taken her talents to the high seas as a dancer for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Six weeks of rehearsals in Hollywood, Florida prepared her for embarking on a six month tour to ports including Bermuda and the Caribbean. Prior to setting sail, the cast previewed the shows in both Florida and Las Vegas. Her current assignment on the Explorer of the Seas include an itinerary of three separate shows which display a range of music and choreographic styles. In addition to performing, she also provides instruction in Salsa dancing for passengers.

Haylee was a student at Debbie Werbrouck’s School of Dance for fourteen years before joining the faculty in 2004. She was a member and featured dancer of Patchwork Dance Company where she worked with numerous nationally recognized choreographers and guest artists. She has received numerous honors with Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and was a featured performer in several CNADM award presentations honoring various dance notables for artistic achievement.

Local Dancers Perform and Study in New York, June 2006
Dancers from Debbie Werbrouck’s School of Dance recently returned from the school’s latest performance-study tour in New York City. The tour was under the leadership of school director Debbie Werbrouck and assistant director Julie Bodle. The dancers ranged in age from ten to fourteen and represented the three locations of the school: Goshen, Osceola and South Bend. The dancers performed jazz, tap and hip hop selections for an audience at the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. The selections represented choreography by four faculty members of the school: Cherie Gurney, Amy Haughee, Debbie Werbrouck and Jennifer Wolfe.

Study opportunities included master dance classes with two current broadway performers. Dancers were inspired by the teaching of cast members of Lion King and Hairspray. Cultural opportunities included performances of Lion King, Tarzan and Drumstruck. In addition to the performance and classes, dancers enjoyed a backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center and NBC studios. Additional touring included visits to Ground Zero, St. Paul’s, the Empire State Building and the neighborhoods of Chinatown and Little Italy.

The tour was part of the Student Opportunities Program offered to students of the school. Past performance-study tours included Walt Disney World, Great America, Chicago, New York, England, Scotland, Italy and France.

Dance Educator Celebrates Thirty Years of Teaching in 2006
Julie Bodle, M.D.E. was honored for her thirty years of educating area dancers at student performances on June 3rd and 4th. at Elkhart Memorial High School Auditorium. Mrs. Bodle has been teaching dance to students of preschool age through adults at Debbie Werbrouck’s School of Dance, where she is assistant director. She began her own dance training with Debbie Werbrouck and advanced her education studying with numerous master dance educators and professional dance schools and educational certification and continuing education programs with The Foundation for the Promotion of Dance Education and Chicago National Association of Dance Masters. Her Master Dance Educator certification was conferred by CNADM.

Mrs. Bodle is the director of the award winning student dance group, Apple Corps of Debbie Werbrouck’s School of Dance. This group has earned high honors in national adjudications in each of the last twenty years under her direction. She has not only directed all of the regional performances of this group, but has also co-directed student performances in Chicago, New York, Walt Disney World and two European tours. Her students are annually recognized with scholarships and honors and numerous dancers under her care have gone on to professional careers in dance.

Her own performance career has been with Patchwork Dance Company where she established and danced the role of Mother Mouse in the production of “Christopher’s Christmas”. She has worked with numerous nationally known choreographers and has been a noted performer with Patchwork throughout the Midwest and in Europe. Her educational outreach has taken her into preschools and elementary schools to provide the students with exposure to dance.

The mother of two children, she is also known for teaching “life skills” in addition to dance technique. Her contributions to the field of dance education have included serving as board member, education committee member, treasurer and vice president of CNADM. She was recognized for her contributions in the article “The Responsibilities of Private Sector Dance Educators” in the Journal of Dance Education. Information on classes taught by Mrs. Bodle or on booking student performances is available by calling (574) 247-1590

National Dance Week Celebration
As a Professional Representative for the 2006 campaign of National Dance Week, Debbie Werbrouck’s School of Dance will host two celebrations for northern Indiana.

The first will be a dance performance and demonstration at the Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival on Saturday, April 22.
The second event for dancers, non-dancers, parents and educators, held at the school’s newest location, 3466 Douglas Rd., South Bend on Saturday, April 29. Free events open to the public will include story readings of the official children’s spokesperson, “Angelina Ballerina”; a sample “Academics in Action” workshop by Patchwork Dance Company, a style show of the latest in dance and movement apparel by Alligator Alley, and a performance by members of PDC II.

Fee based classes offered include: Mini’s (4-6 years old), Ballet, Jazz, Tap for ages 7-10 years; Hip Hop, Pilates and Yoga classes for adults. Fees range from $5.00-$10.00 for individual classes and $15.00-$30.00 for an entire selection of classes. Registration for these events must be made by April 15.

Classes are limited and reservations will be accepted on a first-come basis.
Additional information is available by calling (574) 247-1590.

Parents Provide Learning “Boost” To Children Through Dance Education!
Arts education has an academic effect says a report by the Arts Education Partnership. The report, which took two years to produce, is based on an analysis of 62 studies of the arts by nearly 100 researchers. It's the first to combine all the arts and make comparisons with academic achievement, performance on standardized tests, improvements in social skills and student motivation.
The benefits from a dance class, enhanced also, with exposure to music, include improved math achievement and proficiency, reading and cognitive development, improved creative thinking, originality, flexibility, social tolerance, self-confidence and persistence. Multi-arts (combination of art forms) helps with reading, verbal and math skills; improves higher-order thinking skills as well as the ability to collaborate. At Debbie Werbrouck's School of Dance, we are pleased to have provided these benefits to our students for more than 35 years!

Dress For Success
Correct classroom attire not only allows teachers an unobstructed view of correct alignment and muscle use, it also is part of the discipline of dance class. To provide students the opportunity to enjoy wearing a colored leotard, or skirt or snug fitting dance pants (leggings), we offer “Dress Down Days” once each month. This event helps to support Patchwork Dance Company, the nonprofit, regional company in residence at our school.
To participate, students may wear these approved items to class by donating one dollar per item to Patchwork Dance Company. (Donation boxes at desk or in classrooms) Join the fun and support your resident dance company.

Get in shape with Pilates classes!
Get your "core" or center muscles in top shape with this great system. New to Pilates? (Dancers have used this system for years) These exercises are based on the teachings of Joseph Pilates and are focused on strengthening core muscles while incorporating total mental and physical fitness.
You'll leave feeling (and looking) great. Sign up today!