Yes yes Peeps!

This week has been mad, loved being back in class having missed everyone so much whilst on tour (to view what we got up to on tour scroll down for the videos!)

Lots of exciting stuff all in the pipeline which unfortunately I can’t talk about just yet but rest assured as soon as I can I will, 2012 is looking to be an incredible year, new classes, new events new crews new everything!

Junior crew:

Well Sunday at the auditions was really impressive, you know I’m not easily impressed but I have to say I was deeply moved by the passion, commitment and performance ability of the dancers.

Having decided after much deliberation to start a junior crew I was so blown away by the turn out of dancers who wanted to be in the new Junior crew. I was also humbled by the attitudes of the parents which was open honest and excited about the future (my kind of people!)

Mel and Pete who will be heading up the junior crew I know are super excited about the standard and we are all really excited about what the junior crew are going to achieve. A big thank you to the parents who took time out of their Sunday to support their children (I’m sure Mr Cameron would wish there more parents as caring and supportive as you guys!)

Here is a few pics of the junior auditions:

A big thank you to everyone who came down and made the day such a special event, big congratulations on everyone who made it and also to everyone who didn’t make it. To audition for anything in life you have to be strong and have courage, two of the most important traits to becoming the success you want. As I said on the day those of you who weren’t successful this time – work hard, attend extra classes make it your goal to succeed next year and the likely hood is you will. Remember talent is a falsehood… real progress comes from daily application and focus. Talent is the ability to never ever give up.

Senior Crew:

So last year we only took on 3 dancers. We are specifically very tight on who we let in to either of a our crews. Being part of a performance crew is a big commitment and we make sure we don’t take tourists.

So given the uber high standards I thought we may only take on 1 or 2 additional dancers….how wrong I was.

The standard was a whole level up from last year, it seems when one person raises the bar everyone else has to raise their’s and that’s exactly what happened.

The standard was so high across the board it made decisions uber tough, at one point the panel (Me, Alison (company manager) Fi (assistant dance captain), Alex (dance captain) nearly had a stand up brawl!

Such was the standard it was not a clear cut decision at all. Making the cut at each stage became so difficult when we got down to the last 30 we looked and realised that anyone of the dancers deserve to be in the crew. So we added new choreo and had to test other things just to raise the bar and try and differentiate the slightest difference so we could make our decision.

In the end we took 8 new dancers many more than we thought but the standard and dedication was so high we couldn’t choose.

It seems the bar keeps being raised and the focus and dedication needed to be part of the official crew only gets higher with time.

I can safely say the future of the Urban Strides Crew is in safe hands, with this much immense talent coming through and staggering commitment focus dedication and energy it’s only going to get better and better and better!

Congratulations to everyone who came down we really appreciate your time and effort. Those of you who were unsuccessful keep going, remember – most people in the crew had to audition for 3 or 4 years before getting in, so if it’s something you want – focus on it, train more, do advanced and intermediate classes, practice outside of class and you too could be part of the crew.

If you came down to the auditions let us know what you thought of the day spread some leave on a friday and leave a comment in the box below.

Have a great weekend,

To infinity and beyond!

Big Luv

Andy

So I am about to announce something new, exciting, and something that I know a lot of dancers (and parents!) have been begging for since we started.

We have been thinking about this for a long time, how to do it properly, how to ensure we get the best people onboard and how we can train the next generation of juniors to be at a performance standard.

So I am delighted to anounce the creation of a brand new performance crew ahem (drum roll)…….

“The Official Junior Urban Strides Crew”

As you know at Urban Strides we do things differently it’s probably what has given us the edge and the ongoing success we have enjoyed for the past 12 years.

I believe passionately that performance opportunities are a privellage. I was taught very quickly the chance to entertain, excite and energise an audience is a gift not a given.

I have also held a very strong belief that if we are to do anything in life we should commit whole heartedly to it and give our very best to help it succeed.

With this in mind the Junior Crew will be run in the same way The senior crew is currently run, this is our winning formula and has enabled us to Open the Royal variety performance, be seen in 128 countries worldwide, viewed by a global audience of 1.73 billion and seen on 36 TV channels.

The winning formula:

The principles of success are simple and straightforward: work hard, have fun and achieve. People often see the results of this in our arena tours, TV appearances and live shows but they are not always aware of what we do that results in these phenomenal opportunities.

These achievements have been reached by a tremendous amount of hardwork, dedication, sacrifice and practice, lots and lots and lots and lots of practice!

This Junior crew will be creating their own identity their own choreography and their own chemistry on stage.
The senior crew got all of their opportunities from continuos hard work and a positive and friendly approach to rehearsals.

Therefore the goals and aims of the Junior crew will be to:

- Improve their dance technique to an Urban Strides performance level
- Be dedicated to training outside of the crew rehearsals
- Bring a positive and passionate attitude to rehearsals every week
- When ready create a performance piece to give to promoters to ask for the opportunity to perform-again only when they are at a level that we feel is commensurate with the standards required by the Urban Strides philosophy.

If the junior crew follows this formula I have no doubt in my mind the success and opportunities will follow but only after the hard work, drive, ambition and the continued support of fantastic parents.

If you work hard, commit yourself we are living proof you can achieve anything but as the great Muhammed Ali once said,

“I ran on the road long before I danced under the lights”

Hard work 1st then success.

Here is the proof:

Here is a video of James who started with us aged 7, James usually does 3-5 hrs of classes per week, and has not stopped driving himself forward, and here he is after that hard work having been scouted by ITV with an opportunity to Perform on the Prime Time ITV show born to Shine, check it out:

Now what you don’t see on the video is the hard work and commitment and the extra rehearsals but believe me it’s there.

So the benefits of being in the Junior Crew are:

* Opportunity to work with industry professionals
* Dramatically increase your dancing ability
* When ready – performance opportunities
* Be able to say you were the original members of the first ever Official Junior Crew!
* Be able to create something you can call your own
* Create great new friendships with like minded individuals
* 50% off all additional class fee’s
* Discounts off clothing
* Discounts off Hip Hop Don’t Stop (when over 11yrs old)

What we are looking for in Junior dancers:

* Confidence to express
* Authentic Street dance technique (hip hop, house, lockin, poppin, breakin)
* A positive attitude
* A team player
* Hard working
*Dancers who are in the age range School Year 4 up to school yr 9 (if you are in School yr 10 you are eligible to audition for the senior crew-see next blog post below)

Here is what we are looking for in the parents of Junior dancers ( yes your auditioning as well!)

* Support and belief in Urban Strides values of hard work, dedication, commitment and fun!
* An understanding the Junior Crew has been created in order to create something exceptional and this will not happen overnight.
* An understanding that your child may not be selected for every performance and this decision will lie with the creative director
* Be an active ambassador for Urban Strides and your childs crew
* Ensure your child attends every rehearsal ( 2hrs Saturday mornings term time from 11-1 pm cost £16)

If you feel this opportunity is for you we would love to see you at the auditions and will relish the opportunity to create something new, exciting and that will enrich everyone’s life that is involved.

So the auditions for the Junior Crew are:

When: Sun 29th Jan 2012 9 am – 12 pm (auditions are run round by round so bring a book or ipod to keep you entertained)

Where: Bucks New Uni:

Our brand new studio located at Bucks New Uni, click here for a map There is no parking at the Uni but you can park at the eden car park located here ( its a 1 min walk)

Please be aware the audtions will be run round by round so we have no way of predicting when you will finish please be prepared to stay until 1 pm if necessary.

AUDITION FEE :£5 payable at registration-Cash only. Children must be accompanied by adults at all times, apart from when in the dance studio.

The official senior dance crew dance captain Alex has 3 top tips for auditionees;

* Have confidence
* Enjoy yourself if you’re having fun it will show in your performance
* Relax everyone wants you to do your best

Tell your friends and we look forward to seeing you there!

When is it? – Sunday 29th Jaunary at 9.00 am – 12.00 pm

Where is it? – High Wycombe Campus
Queen Alexandra Road
High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire
HP11 2JZ

Good luck and I can’t wait to see you on the day.

Big luv

Andy

P.S. If you have any questions you can email Dianne at classes@urbanstrides.com or call 08448 488825

Yo fam,

Missed you guys! Hopefully you’ve been catching up with us on the tour diaries and have felt apart of our tour as well. Just before Christmas was crazy we didn’t have a day off for 5 weeks, putting in the grind! But now we are back and super psyched for an awesome new year we have lots of exciting new projects lined up for you as well as our brand new classes starting off with breakin’ this term which is an awesome style to brush off the cobwebs and get right back to dancing and feeling the Urban Strides vibe.

Today I want to announce one of the most crucial dates in the Urban Strides calendar-The Urban Strides Official Dance Crew auditions on Sunday 29th January.

The Crew is our flagship, the elite, the people who represent the Urban Strides family on the worldwide stage and show people what authentic, original and creative Street Dance is all about as well as living the positive values of passion and positivity we hold dear to our hearts here at Urban Strides.

The crew meets up every week for 3 hour rehearsals where we train, improve, share and create new and exciting choreography theatre shows, TV performances, and Arena performances.

This year we are performing at 18 arenas including 4 times at the busiest performance arena in the world the O2.

So if you are over 14 years of age and want to be a part of one of the UK’s most successful Street Dance crews, radically improve your dance ability, feel part of an exciting and dynamic team, perform on huge stages, create original and innovative performances, and feel the tight bond that being part of the Urban Strides Official Dance Crew can bring you should come down and audition.

Who we are looking for:

People who are willing to learn. People who have been Street Dancing for at least a year or who feel very confident as a Street Dancer. People who are willing to put the time effort and energy into becoming truly excellent. People who have a strong passion for dance.

When it comes to creating an excellent dance crew dance ability is important, but it’s not the most important, after all we can teach you how to be an excellent dancer, its what we excel at. What we want is someone with the passion and performance capability to give their all on stage, rehearse till they drop and know when to have a laugh and be a part of a fun team.

If you feel you have the right attitude-(because ultimately thats what it’s all about) then you are exactly who we are looking for to be part of the Official Dance Crew.

Here are some of the benefits of being part of the crew:

*Train with the best instructors and choreographers in Europe

*Receive huge discounts on classes, clothing and Urban Strides events.

*Perform on some of the biggest stages in the world

*Create and develop original and ground breaking performance pieces

*Dramatically increase your dance ability

*Be able to say you are part of the Urban Strides Official Dance Crew

Here are some of the Official Crew’s performing credits:

* Being the first Street Dance Crew in the world to open the Royal Variety Performance for Her Majesty the Queen

* Being seen on 36 TV Channels including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, E4 and MTV

* Been viewed in 128 countries worldwide

* Performed alongside artists such as:

* Alexandra Burke

* Dizzee Rascal

* 78 Arena performances (More then any other Street Dance Crew in history) including performances at:

* London O2 Arena

* Manchester MEN

* Birmingham LG and NIA arenas

* Sheffield Metro arena

* Newcastle Arena

* The Royal Albert Hall

* The Odyssey Arena Belfast

* The RDS Dublin

* Commissioned work by Breakin Convention

Here is an example of one of our recent shows:

Here is the story of Cyrus one of our crew members who is now embarking on a professional career in dance on how he got involved in the crew:

I had the Urban Dance Explosion CD and DVD that Andy presents and already had a love of street dance and hip hop culture. Then I came to watch Urban Strides at Activate I realised that is what I wanted to do. The power and energy that came off the crew really connected with me, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of that. I enrolled at Aylesbury high school classes and did as well as jamming and practicing in between classes. The classes gave me a huge inspiration. It was the platform of real technique and performance training that I needed.

I was really nervous the day before the audition because I was unsure about whether I was good enough. Then I thought, there is nothing to lose if i dont go. The worst that can happen is I don’t get in, but because I wanted to be part of the crew so much I knew that even if I had to audition 10 times it would be worth it. When I knew I got in I was overwhlmed because it was the culmination of so much hard work. When I first started at the rehearsals I was still nervous but the energy was so positive and everyone was so friendly and lovely. Being in the offical crew was even better than I thought, everyone was so welcoming it felt like I had been adopted by a new family, everyone was so lovely.

The amount of knowledge and experience I have got from the crew has been incredible, dance wise and the knowledgde about hip hop dance culture. Words cannot explain the improvement Urban Strides has made to my dancing. When I first went on tour with the crew it opened my eyes to a whole new world and I realised this is what I want to do for a living. Urban Strides has shown me what I really want and how i can achieve my dream. Don’t worry if you have never been to an audition before. Going along to the audition and being part of the crew was a life changing experience for me, it could be the best decision you ever make. Give it all you’ve got and don’t be scared, there is nothing you can lose.

Where is it?:

Our brand new studio located at Bucks New Uni, click here for a map There is no parking at the Uni but you can park at the eden car park located here ( its a 1 min walk) However you can drop off outside the uni just not park their.

Registration starts at 13.00 pm should you be successful you will be needed until 17:00 pm there will be lots of waiting around so bring a book or an ipod!

Please be aware the audtions will be run round by round so we have no way of predicting when you will finish please be prepared to stay all day if neccesary.

AUDITION FEE :£5 payable at registration-Cash only.You must be over 14 years of age.

The official dance crew dance captain Alex has 3 top tips for auditionees;

* Have confidence
* Enjoy yourself if you’re having fun it will show in your performance
* Relax everyone wants you to do your best

Tell your friends and we look forward to seeing you there!

When is it?- Sunday 29th Jaunary at 13.00pm – 17.00 pm

Where is it?- High Wycombe Campus
Queen Alexandra Road
High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire
HP11 2JZ

Big luv

Andy

Day 14 of our arena tour leave us a message and let us know what you like,

Big luv Andy

The final day in Manchester. Next venue is Sheffield, check out what happens…

Enjoy!….

Hi

So much happened in day 3 we had to do two videos!!! Here is the first one which features the “accident”…

and here is part 2, the rest of the day…enjoy

Day 2 at the LG Arena Birmingham…check it out!

Keep dancing!

Andy

PS If you were at the shows in Birmingham, leave us a message!

Hi Guys

Check out this short video of the Urban Strides Dance Crew rehearsing for the Arena Show. We will be performing at the LG Arena Birmingham, MEN Manchester, Sheffield Arena, O2 Arena and Royal Albert Hall with the Young Voices Concerts. We are going to being posting up a tour video diary so keep checking back and in the meantime take a look at a sneak preview of what’s in store!…..

Let us know what you think!

Big Luv

Andy

Yo fam,

Check out part two of our brand new piece all set on the tube! We will be using sections of this on our new arena tour so comments are welcome!

Let us know what you think fam,

Big Luv

Andy