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Michael Porter of Performers Wearhouse

When Michael Porter, store manager for Performers Wearhouse in Indianapolis, first saw the Peter and the Wolf Storybook by Aleksandra® at the Midwest Dance Retail Show, he knew he had to carry the Growing Through Arts® line of books and toys at his store.

“Peter and the Wolf was one of my childhood memories,” says. “It was a had-to-have-it item.”

Porter vividly remembers watching an animated movie about Peter and the Wolf when he was in elementary school. “I actually remember practically every sight and sound of it,” he says. “The story definitely stuck.”

Porter says customers have been raving about the books’ beautiful illustrations since they started carrying them in February. “The craftsmanship, the quality, the drawings – they’re just art,” he says. “They just stand out so well and are really well done.”

Performers Wearhouse was opened by James Allman, owner of the nearby dance studio Dance Rhythms, in September 2010. The store caters to young students who are starting out in ballet, gymnastics and cheerleading, and unlike many dance stores, it also has a martial arts section, which attracts boys as well as girls.

Porter says he feels the Growing Through Arts® line of books and toys are very appealing to both genders, which makes it perfect for his store. “My parents took me to Sleeping Beauty growing up, and the Nutcracker is definitely not a ballet just for girls,” he says.

Plus, Porter says the books are important because they give children a cultural context for what they are studying. “Kids these days get Facebook, and I’m not saying Facebook is bad, but unless [the arts] are really emphasized by the parents, I don’t think they get much exposure,” Porter says.

Porter is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Growing Through Arts® Music Series books, in addition to the Ballet Series. “I really want a copy of Peter and the Wolf for myself,” Porter says. “I’m 34, but I want one anyway.”

Growing Through Arts® is expanding again! This time, we are translating all of our storybooks into Russian, so that all of the Russian-speaking children in the United States can enjoy these charming, educational books.

According to the American Association for Russian Language, Culture and Education, there are 5.5 million Russian-speaking people in the Unites States. To me, it is important to serve this population, which has such a strong cultural background in music, ballet and other art forms, and to continue to support arts education and increased connections between the United States and Russia.

To launch the new versions of the books, we recently had a photo shoot at the Russian Pointe Dance Boutique where we invited 14 Eastern European children to play with the books and toys and get dressed up in the matching Growing Through Arts® tutus, tights and leotards!

The kids loved playing with the books and toys, and it was so wonderful to hear the boutique filled with shrieks of laughter all day long. I almost felt as if I were a child myself.

One of the boys who came to the photo shoot, Nick, loved his Music Series Alphabet so much that he stuck the characters to the window in the car and made up six different versions of the books on the way home.

Thank you to the parents who brought their children to the boutique for this very special experience!

We plan on unveiling the new Russian versions of the Ballet Series and Music Series storybooks, as well as the Ballet and Music Series Alphabet Sets, at the Russian Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., on June 6, in celebration of Russia Day, the national holiday of Russia.

The Russian versions of the books and toys are scheduled to arrive in stores at the beginning of June. To pre-order your copies today, please call 312-332-7200 ext. 505.

A boy plays with the Ballet Series Alphabet Set at Dance Universe in Joplin, MO.

On May 22, 2011, Joplin, MO, was hit by a massive tornado that leveled most of the town – including the only dancewear store around for miles.

So in October 2011, Kelly Musick took it upon herself to open a new store, Dance Universe, to service the area.
Today, she is thrilled to be helping dancers in her community get back on their feet again.

Kelly says the Growing Through Arts® tutus, leotards and tiaras fit in well with the other clothes for dance, cheerleading and tumbling and theatrical makeup and jewelry that she carries, and she is a huge fan of the Growing Through Arts® books, which not only teach children not about ballet terms, but also share the rich history of classical ballet.

Kelly says there is a great need in her community for arts education. “Children are not being educated [about ballet], even the ones who are in class,” she says.

She’s found that boys as well as girls are drawn to the Growing Through Arts® products. Recently, two boys were engrossed playing with the colorful, removable characters from the Ballet Series Stage Scene Play Sets while their sister shopped. “They loved the books!” she says. “I am beyond excited to have my product.”

Kelly is also planning to use the books as a marketing tool. This summer, she is hosting a reading time in the store twice a week where parents can bring their children in to listen to one of the Growing Through Arts® stories. Then she is planning to offer parents a discount on merchandise if they purchase something during the story time.

“I’m totally pumped about it,” she says.

On March 31, I had the pleasure of reading The Peter and the Wolf Symphony by Aleksandra®, one of the books in the new Music Series collection from Growing Through Arts®, to a group of budding musicians at the Betty Haag Academy of Music.

The reading was part of a workshop entitled, “New Generation on Stage!,” presented by the North Shore Chamber Music Festival.

Located in Buffalo Grove, The Betty Haag Academy has been a musical training ground for children from pre-school through high school for more than 40 years, offering instruction in violin, viola, piano, note reading and repertoire.

As I sat in the middle of the circle, it was clear that the children who study at Betty Haag are passionate about music. As I read the story, I pointed to the illustrations and asked the children questions about the various instruments and musical terms. As soon as I asked a question, they shot their hands up in the air, eager to answer everything they knew.

Since most of the children study violin using the Suzuki method, they loved that the central character, Peter, is illustrated with a violin.

It was wonderful to see the children so engaged in the story, and so excited to learn more about classical music.

Angela Yoffe, executive director of the North Shore Chamber Music Festival and a piano teacher at Betty Haag Academy, said she was proud to have Growing Through Arts® visit the school. “Alexandra’s passion for arts education… and understanding of its importance is strongly connected to goals and beliefs of the North Shore Chamber Music Festival and we look forward to our collaboration in the future!” Angela said.

I am so grateful to Angela for inviting me and for making a commitment to teach the younger generations about the magic of music.

Peter and the Wolf

We here at Aleksandra Enterprises are so excited to announced the arrival of our newest collection of Growing Through Arts® storybooks—The Music Series!

Our complete line of Music Series books will arrive at our flagship store in Chicago the first week of April, and already children’s book stores and other retailers around the country are placing their orders for their first shipment of books.

The Music Series includes three storybooks: The Peter and the Wolf Symphony by Aleksandra®, the Snow Maiden Opera by Aleksandra®, and Twist, a Musical by Aleksandra®. All books retail for $19.95 each.

The Music Series is designed to introduce children to the magical world of music through engaging stories that also feature a glossary of musical vocabulary words. Children can act out the stories on their own with the
companion Stage Scene Play Sets and accessories.

While the Ballet Series storybooks appealed mainly to girls, the Music Series storybooks have been attracting attention from both boys and girls.

We hope you and your children enjoy reading these charming books and that they bring your children endless hours of fun and learning!

To order the Music Series, please visit Growingthrougharts.com to find a retailer near you or stop by our flagship store in Chicago at 333 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 222.

For wholesale inquiries, please contact Nic at ni@aleksandra.com or call 312-332-7200 ext. 505.

Young dancers are the bread and butter at Backstage Dancewear in Dublin, Ohio.

Owned by the same people who run the Columbus DanceArts Academy next door, Backstage Dancewear caters to young dancers, especially pre-schoolers.

So when Backstage’s manager, Doreen Bretz, learned about the new Growing Through Arts® line of educational ballet books and toys, she knew they would be a perfect fit for her store.

“I think it’s a really exciting series, and I haven’t seen anything else like it in the marketplace,” she says.

Doreen displays the Growing Through Arts® Ballet Series storybooks and Practice & Play books on shelves as well as inside a glass case that holds other gift items.

“We have them out where the children can see them,” Doreen says. “Children are really, really curious and are just drawn to it.”

Doreen says parents usually come into the store on a mission to buy something specific—new shoes, a leotard, etc.—and their children fall in love with the books and beg their parents to buy them.

So far, she says the Practice & Play books have been popular purchases. “They’re the least expensive, and they’re easy to say yes to,” she says.

And once the items catch the kids’ attention, Doreen says the parents start thinking about buying the books and toys later for special occasions, such as Easter.

In addition to the Ballet Series books and Alphabet Set, Doreen is also carrying the Growing Through Arts® leotards in her store. “I’ve been really impressed by the quality,” she says.

Our busy trade show season just ended, and I feel invigorated by all of the positive feedback that both Russian Pointe® and Growing Through Arts® received from dancewear retailers!

On Feb. 12 and 13, Aleksandra Enterprises attended the Midwest Regional Dance Show, which took place in Skokie, IL. The show was the third dancewear trade show this winter: First, there was the Southwest Dance Retail Show in Dallas Jan. 15 to 16, and then the Atlantic Dance Retail Show in Baltimore Jan. 29 to 30.

This was the Midwest Regional Dance Show’s inaugural year, and I was impressed by how many retailers attended. Since it was a new show, it was a pleasure to meet with many dancewear retailers I’ve never met before who carry both Russian Pointe® shoes and Growing Through Arts® books and toys at their stores.

We signed up several new accounts during the trade show, especially for our Growing Through Arts® line. Many retailers said they loved our line of educational books and toys and said they were grateful we are focused on teaching children about the arts because there are so few good ballet books on the market today.

Penny Anderson, owner of Dancer’s Dream in Geneva, IL, bought several Growing Through Arts® books at the trade show. Anderson said her store is located in a historic downtown shopping district with a lot of foot traffic, and she thinks both the ballet and music series will be perfect gift items in her artistic-minded community. “What she’s done with that is awesome,” Anderson said. “She’s tapped into all of the arts, which is great because a lot of kids play instruments, as well.”

 As always, I also loved presenting a pointe shoe fitting seminar to explain how different Russian Pointe® models are designed for different types of feet and to demonstrate the beauty and quality of Russian Pointe® shoes.

I look forward to seeing you all again next year!

Joy Ellis, owner of Footlights in Frederick, Md.

The pointe shoe fitting area at Footlights.

For more than 20 years, Joy Ellis, owner of Footlights dancewear store in Frederick, Md., has been providing dancers in the Washington, D.C., area a huge selection of every kind of dance shoe, apparel, and accessories imaginable.

Her 4,000-foot store carries clothes and shoes for every type of dance, from ballerinas to belly dancers, tap dancers to liturgical dancers, ballroom dancers and more. Pointe shoes, however, are her specialty, and the store has about 3,500 pointe shoes in stock at all times, including Russian Pointe®.

Footlights opened in August 1991, when Joy’s daughter was a young aspiring dancer and she couldn’t find a dancewear store close to home.

A fan of Growing Through Arts®, Joy currently carries the Ballet Series of storybooks, Practice & Play books, Stage Scene Play Sets and Alphabet Sets. “I like that it’s bringing the ballet stories to the children and bringing it to their level,” she says. “It’s really well done.”

A former early childhood teacher, Joy knows a lot about what makes an engaging children’s book. She taught for 11 years before quitting to raise four children, and she says she likes that the Growing Through Arts® books teach children about the arts without going over their head.

Joy says the Practice & Play books were big sellers during the Christmas holidays because of their low price point, and she predicts the Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty storybooks will do well throughout the rest of the year.

“We have several schools that rotate story ballets,” Joy explains. “[Those books] will work well in my area.”

I recently returned from the Atlantic Dance Retail Show ― which took place Jan. 29 and 30 in Hunt Valley, Md., just outside of Baltimore ― where I had the chance to meet with many of the dancewear retailers who carry both Russian Pointe® shoes and Growing Through Arts® books and toys.

As I talked with retailers throughout the weekend, I could see how much of a demand there is for the Growing Through Arts® products that are designed to educate young dancers about the arts.

Like the Southwest Dance Retail Show earlier in the month, many of the retailers had seen pictures of the Growing Through Arts® products, but were even more impressed when they saw the line of educational books and toys in person.

“Visually, it’s stunningly beautiful,” said Heather Ehrheart-Guck, owner of Heather’s Dancewear Boutique in Manassas, VA. “It’s very child user-friendly.”

Ehrheart-Guck bought the entire Ballet Series line of books and toys for her store and plans to carry the Music Series as well. “I think the moms are going to go for the books and the kids will like the toys,” she said.

The attendance at this year’s trade show seemed higher than last year, and I met with several retailers who were new to Russian Pointe®.

Many retailers also attended the always popular Russian Pointe® pointe shoe fitting seminar where they learned how different Russian Pointe® models are designed for different types of feet.

Look for Russian Pointe® and Growing Through Arts® at the Midwest Regional Dance Show in Skokie, IL, Feb. 12 to 13. To make an appointment during the show, please contact Molly at mbeck@russianpointe.com or Nic at ni@aleksandra.com.

Ballet Petite Manager Nancy Perenti and Aleksandra Efimova

Ballet Petite is called “petite” for a reason: The vast majority of their dance students are between the ages of 2 and 5 years old.

A successful dance school with four locations in McLean, VA; Potomac, MD; Gaithersburg, MD; and Bethesda, MD; Ballet Petite offers parents a unique curriculum that combines dance with storytime and dress-up.

“Each class we read them a story and then we act out a story through dance,” explains manager Nancy Perenti, adding that each level has its own set of stories with its own set of costumes and props.

Ballet Petite serves about 2,000 students among its four locations, and it operates dance boutiques in two of the locations, selling everything from ballet shoes and tights to crafts, toys, jewelry and tutus.

An authorized Growing Through Arts® retailer, Ballet Petite has been carrying the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella storybooks and Practice & Play Books since early fall 2011, and Pereti is looking forward to adding more Growing Through Arts® products to her inventory.

Pereti says the Practice & Play Books have been great sellers — perfect for Ballet Petite’s young age group.

With the storybooks, Pereti says parents are impressed with the questions that are sprinkled throughout the book that are designed to get children thinking about morals and values.

And, of course, parents love the pictures, too. “I think what they really love is the illustrations,” she says. “They’re so colorful and whimsical.”

To inquire about carrying Growing Through Arts® books, toys, costumes and accessories in your store, please contact Nic Ilieff atni@aleksandra.com or call 312-332-7200 ext. 505.