Dear Friends,

Here is the first SHOW SCHEDULE - which I guess you all have been waiting for :

September 26

Grand Opening: A 45 minute Theme Show performed by the students (13 girls) of Betsy Shuttleworth, Owner and Director of the Dance Extensions Performing Arts Center in Canonsburg.

I -Ska- met Betsy in January 2005, when she was asking for support in coaching her students. Betsy had become very interested in the art of contortion and was looking for some guidance teaching contortion techniques to their students. I first had the pleasure to work with her student Vanessa and a few months later I was invited to coach her other students in Canonsburg. Meeting Betsy and her lovely girls was indeed one of the biggest pleasures I had and have in my experience working with the art. It is wonderful for me to see Betsy combining her long time experience in classic and modern dance with the art of contortion. I am sure you will enjoy  the show Betsy put together for us !
 

Here are some more photos of her students and a little background information Betsy wrote for us :

We'll be there : Betsy Shuttleworth - "Dance Extensions"

We'll be there: Dance Extensions

Betsy Wray Shuttleworth

Owner/Director of Dance Extensions Performing Arts Center in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and Artistic Director and manager of “Belle Lignes” a small contortion performance group.

Instructor of Contortion, Acro, Ballet, Pointe’, Jazz, Tumbling, and Lyrical.

Starting at the age of 9, I danced 10 years with the “Sally Miller Dance Company” of Washington, Pa. My training with Sally was in classical ballet, pointe, Broadway jazz & pas de deux. I studied ballet for 20 years.

In 1996 I established Dance Extensions Performing Arts Center.

In the beginning I wasn’t sure of the path life would lead me, I just wanted to teach good, quality dance classes and put on recitals.

Contortion became part of the curriculum in 2001 when a student looking for a new place to dance introduced some contortion poses. My students and I became immediately intrigued and wanted to learn more. Through much research and my own creativity it has developed into what it is today. It is what Dance Extensions has become known for. There have been several newspaper articles written on us and we were published in “Dance Spirit” Magazine. Three students of mine (Alexis, Vanessa & Katarina) were chosen for the “United Acrobatic Team” in 2005 and got to perform in NY. One student of mine (Alexis) was offered a job with the New York City Knicks performance group. Other honors have been high score awards & titles at competitions and a powerade commercial.

I feel combining contortion with my ballet training has really made it even more beautiful. The two art forms really seem to compliment each other. I also feel contortion is “living Art”. The beauty of it is there is no need for a canvas or a paint brush. Just enjoy the unusual and beautiful lines of the body. You don’t need to be able to do these elements and poses to truly love and respect the art of contortion.

I started with 3 or 4 prospective contortion students and today I am training a total of 32. In the future I hope to expose my students to the other people that love the art as much as I and expose it too those who know nothing about it at all.

I would like to continue with the “Belle Lignes” group performing in our area and seek employment through respected production companies. I expect this performance group to grow and grow over the next few years and know we will accomplish great things.

I would personally like to thank Ska von Schöning for her priceless guidance and friendship through this wonderful journey in my life.