SoLuna Studio

SOLUNA SPOTLIGHT - Aly Shidlofsky

Today I am interviewing the lovely Aly Shidlofsky!  Aly is a recent graduate of Adelphi University.  If you came to the opening, you may remember her performing a monologue from Neil Labute’s Fat Pig.  She is one of our acting teachers and will be starring in The Odd Couple: Female Version as Florence and our Murder Mystery Dinner Theater as the over-bearing Mother Of The Groom! 

KELLY: What made you want to become a teacher?

ALY: I was taught by several fantastic teachers in my life who inspired me and molded me into the person I am today.  I want to continue that with the next generation.  I want to inspire them and share my love of the arts with them.  It’s all about learning and growing!

KELLY: When did your love of theatre really begin?

ALY: I caught the bug at the age of 3.  My preschool teachers told my mother to get me into acting classes because I was dramatically re-enacting the Power Rangers on the playground.  I began at my local community theater in Plano, TX and haven’t stopped since!

KELLY: What do you think makes SoLuna different than other performing arts studios on Long Island?

ALY: SoLuna is giving everyone involved artistic freedom and the chance to learn and grow as actors.  We’re really starting a family here.

KELLY:  That’s so funny, I said that in my first blog!  Get out of my head!

ALY: I’m always in your head.

KELLY: Clearly!  We just had our first read-through of our Murder Mystery Dinner Theater “Marriage Can Be Murder” earlier today.  What do you think of the show and the cast?

ALY: The cast is obviously fantastic, and so talented and funny-

KELLY: Oh stooop!

ALY: The show is going to be very different and entertaining.  You get to see a very talented group of people and eat some yummy food at the SAME TIME!  So why NOT come, right? 

KELLY: Right!

ALY: It’s the best of both worlds!

KELLY: Dinner AND a show for $45?  That’s pretty cheap.  And it’s going to be SO funny AND have audience participation!  Before we go, just tell me one thing you think people should know about Aly Shidlofsky!

ALY: I like long walks on the beach and Pina Coladas and men named Eduardo.

KELLY: I’ll keep that in mind.  Want to work with Aly?  Try out for Sweet Charity and/or Company, which Aly will be directing in the spring!

Strictly Ballroom

The erotic forces, the bonds of love and the communing selves, the freedom from gravity, this is which enthusiastic ballroom dancers experience.

Copeland and Cohen

Are you a fan of Dancing With The Stars?  Have you ever sat there and watched Kelly Osbourne twirling around the dance floor in a flashy silk, sparkle-embroidered gown and thought ‘I could totally do that’.  Guess what?  You CAN (BYOBG - Bring Your Own Ball Gown) That’s because SoLuna Studio is offering weekly Ballroom Dance classes for $10 a person!  That’s $20 a couple.  Which is basically a steal, because many Ballroom Dancing classes charge upwards of $50 an hour.  It’s not surprising that Ballroom Dance is one of our most popular classes, currently with six couples and growing.  We also have a wide array of people taking the class, from a group of young adults who are members of a super hip band called Aqua Cherry to middle-aged adults who own their own businesses and come straight from the office.  Will you fit in?  Easily.

I started watching Dancing With The Stars about four seasons ago, and all the forms of this type of dance totally fascinate me.  From the difficult Quickstep to the sexy Samba to the graceful waltz to the Ch-Ch-Ch-Cha-Cha-Cha, there are SO many different dances within the genre of Ballroom Dance.  Each one requires poise, collaboration, and a healthy dose of pizzazz.  YOU can learn all of these things from our Ballroom Dance instructor, Miss Tonimarie.  Toni is spunky, funky, and fun.  Tonight, she is dressed up in a long black dress with a black wool sweater and a gorgeous silver hairband that all us girls in the office were drooling over.  Toni has an infectious energy and a great taste in music, a soundtrack I get to listen to as I man the office.  Tunes by Sinatra and Michael Buble fill the studio, and we love it!  Did I mention we have such a high demand for ballroom dance that we’re adding an extra class next semester, so we will have TWO classes on Fridays next semester?  So, you think you could spin circles around Lacey Schwimmer and Maksim Chmerkovskiy? Sign-up NOW so you can get a spot!

I also want to mention that we are super excited here in the SoLuna office because we have officially decided to produce Sweet Charity, Company, and Seussical The Musical: Junior in the spring semester!  The awesome thing about SoLuna is we’re not only giving people the chance to come see these shows, but BE IN THEM!!!  All levels of experience are welcome to participate in the show, by audition only.  Stay tuned for audition info on our page!

The Beginning Is The Most Important Part Of The Work

I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.

Oscar Wilde

Classes officially began at SoLuna Studio last week!  We’re now running adult dance and fitness classes, from Hip Hop to Musical Theatre to Ballroom Dancing to Zumba to Yoga.  Basically, any dance form you can think of, we offer it here at SoLuna.  Give us time and maybe we’ll add Irish Folk Dance, Disco, and A Wedding Reception Survival Class. 

I’ve spent my whole life taking performing arts classes.  I’ve also moved around quite a bit, so I know what it’s like to start at a new school, with new teachers, hoping for the best.  You want to know that your teachers are friendly, qualified, and, most importantly, sane.  Good news: I can assure you totally and honestly that the first two apply to each and every one of our teachers.  Number three…well, we all have our moments of pure, unadulturated goofiness, but that’s an added bonus that you get when you pay for classes at SoLuna.

As I said, I’ve moved around a lot, especially since graduation.  Since completing my college education at James Madison University in Virginia, I’ve lived in NYC, Washington, D.C., Michigan, West Virginia, and various areas of Virginia.  As exciting as that all is, moving around so much begins to wear on one after a while.  I found myself at the beginning of this year wishing I could find some place where I could get a job that I love and stay in one place for a while.  During the summer, I was working at Camp Chipinaw @ Silver Lake in the Catskills and looking for a job for once camp ended.  I found the ad for teachers at SoLuna on Playbill.com and immediately applied.  I had so much faith in SoLuna that I pretty much moved up to NYC a week before my interview in the hope that I would be hired by them.  Lucky for me, I was hired! 

Here’s what I can tell you about SoLuna (and I know I probably seem bias because I work here, but this is the total and utter truth):  It’s a home.  It really is.  That’s what we’re trying to offer to anyone who wants to be a part of the Studio.  Each and every one of the teachers here is friendly, funny, and SO excited to be starting such a potentially amazing place.  After spending so long wishing I could find some place to settle down, I truly believe I’ve found it in SoLuna.  And that’s what we’re hoping to give to other people.  I can honestly tell you that the teachers here will be happy to be able to pay the rent with their positions here, but money is not the most important thing to them. 

I think what I’m trying to say (insert cheesy violin music here) is that we’ve already become a family, and we’ve only just begun.  We want you to join our family, not only because we want to share our love for theatre, dance, fitness, and maybe Irish Folk Dance.  We all have so much fun here, and we think you will, too.  (Dramatic sunset)

Anyway, that’s all for now.  If you’re looking for a place to have fun, come to SoLuna!  If you’re looking for a place to make new friends, come to SoLuna!  If you’re looking for a place where you can finally express yourself creatively, gosh darn it, come to SoLuna!  I will keep you updated on everything that’s going on at SoLuna and will have occasional guest blogs from other SoLuna teachers, so check back regularly! 

SoLuna Studio is starting a THEATER COMPANY!

SoLuna Studio is Long Islands NEWEST Performing Arts Studio!

We are looking to start a theater company this fall/winter for adults (18+) and are looking for the best artists Long Island as to offer.

We are looking for actors, dancers, musicians, writers, directors etc to be a part of our theatrical family.

Date/Time: Fridays starting in November from 7-9pm.

We are creating a safe space for all creative types to come and work together. We will work on our own skills, learn new skills, work on both new and old material, etc.

www.SoLunaStudioNY.com

631-708-9681

*Auditions will be held on Oct 28th from 4:30-8pm.
YOU MUST SCHEDULE YOUR AUDITION TIME!
Please send head-shot/resume/cover letter (att: Karen Braun) to SoLunaStudioNY@gmail.com

Dont forget: SoLuna Studio’s Grand Opening Event is THIS SAT SEPT 24th from 3pm-8pm!!!!!