The Tutus News: November+NUTCRACKER PREVIEW 2026 Edition
The November + NUTCRACKER PREVIEW 2026 Issue
What's Happening in Class and Important News for Tutus Dance Center
A special WELCOME to our new students attending Session 2: 6-8 Week Courses! We are “tutu” thrilled to have you with us! We are quickly approaching the holidays- an exciting (and sometimes hectic) time of year! For us in the dance world- this means recital preparation! In the upcoming months, a plethora of information will be sent home regarding the year end dance recital- including Recital Newsletter 2027 that was emailed a few weeks ago. We do not do this to overwhelm you, but to keep you informed so you may plan ahead, reduce confusion and most importantly, put on the best show possible! With that being said, we are here for you to answer any questions you may have.
Please take a few minutes to read through the Newsletter as it will keep you connected and up-to-date! Communication is important to us, so if you have any questions regarding your child, please don't hesitate to contact us. We love getting feedback on our program, so drop us an email and let us know how we are doing.
Sincerely,
Jaclyn and Staff
November Important Dates and Events
The month of November has lots in
store for Tiny Tutus Families!
Check out whats going on and
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
EXTRAS:
SPECIAL DATES:
11/1 2ND QUARTERLY TUITION, COSTUME FEE & RECITAL PERMISSION SLIPS ARE DUE! Reminder- If we do not have your Recital Permission Slip or payment for tuition or costume, we will not be able to order your dancer a costume.
11/2-11/7 Session 2: 6 Week Courses Begin
11/11 Veteran's Day- Tiny Tutus is OPEN for classes
11/23-11/28 Closed for Thanksgiving
Union Street Parking reminder
Reminder about Union Street parking! Our neighbors are threatening to tow and ticket our parents! We do not want that for anyone so we are asking that you please be mindful of where you are parking, even if you are just dropping off. If our parents utilize our open parking spaces (highlighted in yellow on the map below), our parking situation should be a lot easier!
Only use our parking lot (located directly behind our building) or street parking along one side of Union St. & 3rd St. Please DO NOT park in the Church St. Station office parking lots (this includes the gravel lot where the dumpster is located), or in the Mill St. Tires parking lot (highlighted in the red on the map below). We are extremely proud of our home on Union and respect our neighbors'
wishes to keep parking separate. We expect the same respect from our staff & from our families.
Please also remember when utilizing our parking lot that it is a one way path starting at the back of the building, traveling through the parking lot, and exiting by the front of the building.
✨ Winter Wonderland Illuminated Walking Trail Fundraiser! ❄️
Make your holiday season extra magical while supporting our Tutus Dance Team! 💗
Visit the Winter Wonderland Illuminated Walking Trail at Indian Acres Tree Farm in Medford, NJ, open for 37 magical nights throughout November and December!
🎟️ 20% of all ticket sales will benefit the Tutus Dance Team when you purchase tickets using promo code TUTU26.
How to Participate:
Purchase tickets online at winterwonderland.indianacrestreefarm.com before November 30.
Use code TUTU26 at checkout to support our dancers.
Tickets can be rescheduled up to 6 hours before your scheduled time.
Gather your family and friends, enjoy a beautiful holiday light display, and help our dancers reach their goals this season. Every ticket makes a difference!
Thank you for supporting the Tutus Dance Team! 💕
Costume Measuring Week (Recital track students only)
November 2nd-November 7th
What does this mean for families?
ATTENDANCE IS CRUCIAL! If your dancer is absent the week we start, we will measure them the next time they are in class.
Please make sure dancers are dressed in appropriate dance wear for accurate sizing! NO FLUFFY TUTUS PLEASE!
Hip-hop Students please do not wear any baggy clothing such as sweatshirts or loose sweatpants.
If you have any notes for the staff about your dancer’s size, please let your teacher know or email the office at tinytutusdancecenter@gmail.com
Non Recital Classes: Upcoming 6-8 Week Courses
Session 2: 6-8 Week Courses*
Registration Opens 10/11
Starts: Week of 11/2-11/7
Ends: Week of 12/14-12/19
6 Weeks
*No classes the week of 11/23-11/28 for Thanksgiving
-----------
Session 3: 6-8 Week Courses- Great Gift Idea!
Registration Opens 12/13
Starts: Week of 1/11-1/16
Ends: Week of 3/1-3/6
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Session 4: 6-8 Week Courses*
Registration Opens 2/8
Starts: Week of 3/8-3/13
Ends: Week of 4/26-5/1
*No classes the week of 3/26-4/4 for Spring Break
*Friday + Saturday classes are 6 weeks due to spring break
Don't see a class that suits your schedule? Contact us! If we have a teacher and at least 5 students, we will start a class! Please keep in mind that you are not automatically enrolled in the next session.
YOU HAVE TO REGISTER FOR EACH SESSION.
Nutcracker Parties PREVIEW!!
Another year of fun and enchantment! Tutus is proud to present our Nutcracker Parties for the 8th Y ear! Get your party dress ready and join us for fun and enchantment!
Land of Snowflakes
Saturday
12/5/26
2:30-4:30pm
Land of Sweets
Saturday
12/12/26
1:30-3:30pm
and
Sunday
12/13/26
1:30-3:30pm
Land of Flowers
Saturday
12/19/26
1:30-3:30PM
Registration opens Sunday, November 8th at 6:00am.
These parties have limited space and fill up quickly so be sure to register early.
Upcoming December Events at Tutus
12/5+12/12+12/13+12/19 Nutcracker Parties
12/13 Session 3: 6-8 Week Courses Registration Opens! GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA!
12/14-12/19 Tutus Winter Celebration Week (Class Parties! Parent’s may observe online)
12/14-12/19 Last week of Session 2: 6 Week Courses
12/21-1/3 Closed for Winter Break
What's Happening in Class!
Click the > to find out what's happening in
your dancer's class this month!
-Tutu Level -
Tutu Ballet/Tap 1
🦁 We’re Wild About Dance!
This month, our classroom is filled with dancing cats, playful poodles, sneaky little mice, and a trip to the zoo! Through our Wild About Dance unit, dancers will continue building on the confidence, independence, and memory skills developed during the first two months while beginning to take on more challenging movement and musical concepts.
In tap, dancers are continuing to practice shuffles, heel steps, and toe digs while working on changing feet and combining familiar steps into simple patterns. We are also introducing rhythm sticks, giving dancers a fun and hands-on way to explore the beat, follow musical cues, and experience different rhythm patterns.
In ballet, dancers are building strength, flexibility, and coordination through a new progressive warm-up. They are practicing ballet walks, beginning skips, chassés, ballet runs, points and flexes, pliés, relevés, sautés, échappés, and arabesques. Familiar ballet vocabulary is revisited while new skills are introduced gradually. Our animal-themed activities bring these concepts to life. Dancin’ Poodles helps dancers connect ballet vocabulary to music and movement. Little Mousies introduces stage directions and spatial awareness as dancers prance downstage toward the cheese and scurry back upstage to safety. Going to the Zoo encourages dancers to move together as a group while practicing musicality, imagination, and beginning chassés.
While these activities may look like playful animal adventures, each one has a purpose. Dancers are learning to coordinate more parts of their bodies, remember longer movement sequences, listen and respond to changes in music, understand where they are moving in the dance space, and grow more confident taking individual turns.
💕 This Month, Look for Growth In:
Finding and moving to the beat
Coordinating arms and legs
Changing between right and left sides
Remembering longer movement sequences
Beginning skips and chassés
Understanding upstage and downstage
Moving through the room with greater control
Waiting for and taking individual turns
Growing confidence when performing independently
As the year continues, you may begin to notice that your dancer is not only learning more steps—they are becoming more aware of how they move, where they move, and how their movement connects to the music. These are important building blocks that will continue to support their growth throughout the year.
We are so excited to continue exploring, moving, and growing with your dancer. Thank you for sharing them with us and for allowing us to build confidence, coordination, creativity, and a love of dance—one step at a time.
Tutu Ballet/Tap 2
🍂 UNIT 3 • FOREST FRIENDS & FALL FUN
This month we're heading into the forest for a dance adventure filled with animals, imagination, and movement! Dancers will continue building their technique while beginning to connect movements into longer patterns.
In tap, dancers will practice shuffle steps, shuffle hop downs, heel-toe patterns, and brush steps while traveling across the room. Individual demonstrations give dancers opportunities to practice performing independently and build confidence.
In ballet, dancers will explore ballet walks, chassés, skips, bourrée, high passé marches, arabesque, and other traveling combinations. They'll continue developing balance, coordination, body control, and musicality.
Storytelling and animal-inspired movement help dancers discover that dance can be both technical and creative. They're learning to make movement choices, respond to music, and dance with growing confidence.
💖 Tiny Steps at Home: Ask Me About...
🦊 My favorite forest animal to dance like.
👞 How I do a shuffle step or shuffle hop down.
🩰 How I walk, skip, or chassé like a ballerina.
🎭 How I can tell a story without using words.
🍁 My favorite movement from our forest adventure.
-Starlet Level -
Starlet Triples 1
Starlet Ballet 1:
We continue to work on basics at the barre. Working on all 5 positions of the feet, coupes, passes and battements. Dancers stretch their feet and bodies in the center before working across the floor. Across the room we are working on "spotting", glissades and chasse saute.
Starlet Tap 1:
This month, we warm up with an exciting exercise where tappers work on heel drops, spanks, shuffles, toe drops and cramp rolls! Across the floor dancers work on brush toe (slap) and flap down ball change. Class ends with fun center combinations that help work on waiting their turn, timing & listening to music while working on toe tips front and back and shuffle steps.
Starlet Jazz 1:
This month we are focused on isolations while working on jazz basics such as kick ball change, pivots, grapevines, chasse back step and 3 step turn. Across the floor we work on step ball changes and grand jetes (leaps). Students enjoy the challenge of perfecting those big leaps by jumping over stars!
Starlet Triples 2
Starlet Ballet 2:
We continue to work on basics at the barre. Working on all 5 positions of the feet, coupes, passes and battements. Dancers stretch their feet and bodies in the center before working across the floor. Across the room we are working on "spotting", glissades and chasse saute.
Starlet Tap 2:
Our Level 2 tappers begin their class with a warm up to “Sea Cruise”. This month students will pretend to be caterpillars that turn to butterflies while working on cramp rolls across polyspots! Dancers will add a flap down ball change between cramp rolls by the end of the month. Shuffle hop bunks and shuffle hops are practiced in the center with a fun game of hop scotch!
Starlet Jazz 2:
Level 2 dancers start out with a fun warm-up practicing lunges, kick ball change, 3 step turns, jazz squares, pas de bourree and chasse back step are all skills practiced this month. Across the room dancers work on battements and step ball change. Across the floor we work on step ball changes and grand jetes (leaps). Students enjoy the challenge of perfecting those big leaps by jumping over stars!
Starlet Hip Hop
In hip-hop, our dancers warm up in the center perfect ing our top rocks, a basic hip-hop step. Across the room they are working on push scoots and in center exercises we are working on controlling our bodies with isolations such as body rolls, snakes, rib and hip circles.
***Only Tutu Level & Starlet Level classes are included in our monthly newsletters. Prima Level students should be able to articulate what they have been learning in class. If you have any class related questions, please do not hesitate to speak with your student's teacher. ***
We are so THANKFUL for our Tutus Families!
We wish you all a relaxing and happy holiday with your loved ones!
Have a question? Email us at tinytutusdancecenter@gmail.com
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