Professional Training Program

Modern III  (Dilley)

This class focuses on developing a strong and intelligent technical base that supports any kind of dance, regardless of style. The movement vocabulary encourages agility, physical organization and commitment to movement choices with the audacity of complete physical conviction. The class explores a range of expressive qualities as well as conscious acknowledgement of physical and spatial relationships. Above all else, this class will move in and out of the floor, upside down, right side up, with partners and without.

Modern IV (Hauser)

This class invites a poetic approach to serious dance training. The class is structured as a technique workshop focusing on coordination and spatial clarity. Throughout the three weeks we will take time to breakdown new and familiar movement ideas and pathways. By going deeply into movement material, we will expand our physical and expressive range. We will practice floor work, inverted work and improvisation throughout each class to activate three dimensional and imaginative dancing.

Modern IV (Wolcott)

This vigorous class combines the virtuosity of classical technique and the release of post-modern dance with Wolcott’s own dramatic idiosyncrasies. The result is a quirky but highly athletic aesthetic, that one student describes as, “Punk rock/release-based modern dance.” Each class will focus on teaching the mind and body to work smarter, not harder by placing emphasis on sensation rather than position. This approach encourages relaxation in proper alignment, core support, technical soundness, and harnessing the imagination to open up to our own passion for movement. By rigorously exploring the physics of body weight in drops, catches, and turns, students may develop a technique that is both dynamic and nuanced. Most importantly, dancers are asked to connect to the J.O.D. (Joy of Dance); let go of judgment, invite in curiosity and keep a sense of humor. Material for this class is drawn from various techniques, styles and ideas including Limon, gaga, hip hop, ballet and pop culture.

Modern IV (Lavista)

In this class, dancers will experience some of the training research that Delfos Danza Contemporánea has develop as part of their artistic and pedagogical vision. We will explore exciting body dynamics and the flow/control of energy via the use of different principles such as accumulation and expansion, multi-dimensional and multi-directional use of the space, the floor work as tool/collaborator, breath as impulse for movement, body language articulation, circularity, sense of community, and the use of imagination as both a neuromuscular and emotional force. The main focus will be on the development of an organic, free-flowing style of movement. Delfos’s movement approach fosters a deeper understanding of the individual body, thereby facilitating the use of instinct, sensory perception, emotions and the imagination in dance.

Modern V (Foley)

This class provides professional dancers with the physical, technical and kinesthetic tools to further enhance their ability to stay focused and healthy in the dance world. A combination of core-strengthening exercises along with complex physical phrase work augments the training of the advanced dancer. Through the use of release-based techniques and more traditional concepts of breath and movement, students develop a clearer understanding of how working with the body on a skeletal and muscular level facilitates locomotor movement while enhancing individual creative expression. Dancers are challenged to discover new possibilities in their dancing through the use of inversions, floor work, center adagio and Foley’s eclectic repertory.

Modern V (Carrum)

This class is about pursuing the knowledge of our relationship with the floor, based on the training technique developed by the Colombian artist, Vladimir Rodriguez and his company "Cortocinesis". We will explore the infinite possibilities of movement throughout the floor and understand many principles like inertia, centrifugal and centripetal energy, expansion, suspension, strength, resistance and circularity, all of which will sustain and generate new skills and abilities for moving, sliding, turning, jumping and falling in the floor in almost any direction and using almost any part of our body. We will aim for a continuity and a sustained muscular and skeletal consciousness in order to learn how we can transfer, gather and spread our weight anywhere in our body, how the mechanics of each muscle and bone work, and how all our body parts can cooperate to move more efficiently, safely and smoothly.

Modern V (Keigwin)

This class for advanced students will combine the athleticism and virtuosity of Larry Keigwin's work. Class will be guided by a gradual, yet strong flow, beginning with a walking mediation and followed by exercises designed to work on articulating and sequencing through limbs to warm up the body. Material for the class will be shaped by Keigwin's distinctive vocabulary, combining physicality and theatricality with a contemporary, pop perspective. Phrase work will move through space while investigating the use of weight and speed. With a sense of play, this class will encourage students to discover authentic movement while fine tuning technique.

Modern V (Matteson)

An ensemble-oriented investigation of expansively off-balanced yet precise multi-focused movement. Class begins with sensation-based improvisations and global awareness practices to help encourage limitless mind/body response when tackling set movement material. After this initial warming up, a series of buoyant sequential patterns challenge and cultivate a “released” or non-habitual dancing body, free to move in parts or as a full unit with energy, rhythmic sharpness, and fluid range. The patterns build towards a precarious traveling phrase with ever re-directing spiraling pathways. Movement vocabulary is taught by breaking down in detail body-part initiations paying particular attention to safety while dancing fearlessly as if there is no future.

Ballet III (List)

The focus in this class is on correct alignment, ease of movement and dancing fully with musicality. Rhythm, momentum and spatial clarity are emphasized. Explanations of exercises and theory help students to use the ballet vocabulary in a simple, practical way, practicing skills that may be applied to other dance techniques. Exercises at the barre prepare for more complicated rhythms and combinations in the center. Areas of unnecessary tension are identified so that dancers may let go of excess effort and increase technical skills as well as expressivity.

Ballet IV (Mirk-Robles)

This class deepens the dancer’s understanding of body placement, the use of the skeleton, the influence of gravity through the body in a turned out position, and the use of energy from the floor throughout the body. The barre work builds strength and coordination. The center work reinforces an organic relationship to direction and movement, along with an understanding of different movement qualities, such as fluidity in adage, suspension and sharpness in turns, and balon in small and big jumps.

Ballet V (List)

This advanced class is designed for dancers who have a thorough understanding of ballet technique. We move fairly quickly through barre exercises (focusing on placement, ease of movement and rhythm) in order to spend more time honing skills in the center. Musicality, momentum and use of the upper body are emphasized and refined. Advanced work such as jumps with beats and consecutive turns are explored and practiced. By developing core strength and releasing excess tension, we are able to make technically challenging work appear more fluid and effortless.

Jazz IV  (Young)

This class celebrates jazz dance as a dynamic, expressive, complex and continuously evolving form. Because jazz dance is inspired by vernacular dance and music, the class explores movement that has its roots in African-American dances such as the Cakewalk, the Charleston, the Lindy Hop and Hip Hop as well as the Mambo and salsa of Latin America. These social dances provide the source for movement that is passionate and physically challenging. We will approach the complexity of jazz dance from a somatically sophisticated base, integrating elements from current and classical movement techniques with a deep understanding of the body. The goal of this training is to move with clarity and ease, to be musical, expressive and to embrace risk. The warm-up is organic and “body-friendly”, yet physically rigorous. The movement explores a wide range of jazz styles with a focus on elements such as isolation, swing, pulse and rhythmic variations.

ZenRaga Movement Technique (Isaac)

Spinning through movement that comes directly out of integrative contemporary dance techniques, woven with Reggae and Soca dances of the Caribbean, this class focuses on fluidity, strength, versatility and finding rhythm in all corners of the body. Particular emphasis is placed on exploring the balance between highly physical athleticism and subtle joint articulation, taking each movement apart and reintegrating these social dance styles into an ever evolving modern dance body. We will make our way in and out the floor, challenging gravity, our bodies and our expectations while developing fluidity, strength, control, articulation and three dimensional awareness.

Transnational Fusion Dance (Mejia)

Transnational Fusion is technical practice that defies easy categorization. This distinctive class dialogs Arab, North African, nomadic funk, hip hop, yoga and contemporary techniques together with the best live percussion, underground electronica, mash-up, dubstep, experimental, and hip hop music in the universe. This is a genre-bending class for movers unafraid of new possibilities, hardcore rhythms, hip work, athletic challenge, and attentive bodywork. A fantastic and adventurous sense of humor is required. A Yoga mat is essential for warm up, and knee pads/dance shoes may be helpful on occasion. All movers, of any training background, will be warmly welcomed.

Contact Improvisation (Aiken)

In this class students will explore the dynamics of partnering through the practice of contact improvisation. How do you lead or follow? How do you sense and adapt to what is happening in the moment, while retaining a playful engagement with your partner? Classes will focus on the refinement of touch, balance, support, release, flight, falling, initiation, imagination and disorientation. In addition to developing physical skills emphasis will be placed upon emotional clarity, safety, joy, imagination and depth of experience. All are welcome.

Spiraldynamik (Mirk-Robles)

Spiraldynamik® is a combination of the art and science of anatomically correct movement. Like a “user’s manual” for the body, it enhances our understanding of body function by explaining the physics of human movement, given the laws of nature (gravity) and the human anatomical structure. The integration of Spiraldynamik® into the daily lives of dancers helps prevent injury, improve technique and lengthen one’s dance career. In this class, we will study in depth the principles of Spiraldynamik® and how we apply them to our bodies. We will analyze our movement patterns to identify meaningful change and improvement. We will study the anatomy of movement and develop an understanding of the muscular chain reactions that occur throughout the body.

Pilates (Cook)

This class is designed for students with varying levels of experience with Pilates. We will start slowly with movement drawn from the work of Irene Dowd and progress into the Pilates repertory, exploring core stability, range of motion in all of the joints and bilateral symmetry to prepare the body for a day of moving.

Yoga (Cook) 

The focus of this class will be on the restorative aspects of Yoga practice, which help calm the nervous system using pranayama, asana and meditation to renew the body after a long day of dancing, in order to return the next day feeling refreshed. Alignment and correct sequencing will be addressed and some poses may be held longer to unwind the hips, back, ankles and shoulders as well as the mind.

 

Modern Repertory (Keigwin)

This class will utilize KEIGWIN + COMPANY repertory as a launching point to introduce and explore the creative process of dance making and the rewards of performance. Keigwin will engage in a collaborative process with students to create a final dance to be performed, shaped by his distinctive aesthetic that combines vigorous physicality with theatricality into a uniquely witty and contemporary, pop perspective. Students will be provided with creative assignments to encourage the use of improvisation as a tool to generate authentic movement vocabulary, while maintaining a fun and playful environment. The class is structured to conjure up the instincts of the creative process while allowing the students to take an active part in designing a new dance. The final work will be performed in the Festival Finale. All participants must be enrolled in the Keigwin’s Modern V class.

Modern Repertory (Foley)

The process of making a group piece is a collaborative one. This repertory class is an opportunity for students to hone their partnering as well as their performance skills. We will experiment with complex partnering work (duets, trios, quartets) as well as work on creating a highly physical dance piece that will challenge you to explore the boundary of your technical capabilities. Although some phrases will be drawn from Foley’s technique class, the partnering phrases will be unique to the rep class. The final work will be performed in the Festival Finale. All participants must be enrolled in the Foley’s Modern V class.

Modern Repertory (Lavista & Carrum)

We will create a new work based on the dancers own experiences and personalities to find the dramaturgy and structure of the new piece. We will push our own boundaries with specific improvisation and spontaneous composition processes to develop amovement material that explores metaphor, poetry, theatricality, different emotional states of the body and a broad range of individual, duet and group situations and inventions. The work will be performed in the Festival Finale. All participants must be enrolled in the Lavista’s Modern IV or Carrum´s Modern V class.

ZenRaga Repertory (Isaac)

Be prepared to write, speak, fall, fly, crawl or glide. We will be creating a draft of 'because' , a new work by TaniaIsaacDance. Tracing the reasons why we move, think and reason the way that we do, the movement explores a full dynamic and physical range of the zenraga body -- quick and sharp, sinuous and suspended, always shifting, curving, moving smoothly in and out of the floor and carving our way through space and ideas. The work will be performed in the Festival Finale. All participants must be enrolled in Isaac's technique or a modern IV or V.

Partnering Possibilities  (Matteson)

A feast of possibilities for imaginative, articulate partnering. Task-oriented guided improvisations exploring weight sharing, body-part manipulations, and ways of harnessing forces of momentum help develop the trust and the responsibility that is essential when moving in close proximity and in contact with other bodies. In duets-trios-groups, collaborative dances are created quickly so at to block out debilitating editing tendencies. Progressions of reconstructed steps work to organically and inorganically push the evolving compositions into new worlds of detail and timing. There is always a showing in the last part of class, with time to reconfigure and experiment based on outside eye observations.

Creative Process: Solo Practice (Hook)

Using the Laban Bartenieff theory as the lens, this class examines individual physical practice, habit, and training history with the goal of developing a personalized and practical warm-up ritual. This practice will become the basis of short solo studies offering us the opportunity to confront the relationship between body/mind patterning and the creative process.

Advanced Improvisation (Aiken)

This class is for those who wish to explore the art of dance improvisation both as a performing art and as a vehicle to develop new avenues for sensing, feeling, imagining and choreographing dance. We will take an interdisciplinary approach to composition in order to re-examine our perception of place and time, the body, human relationships, and aesthetic design. Ultimately, our goal will be to access our most powerful dancing bodies while drawing upon our personal experience and our capacity to engage deeply with others. The class is about the integration of technique, performance and the poetic imagination. Prior improvisation study and practice is required.

Choreo Lab I: Nudging the Muses (Hook)

This course offers students an opportunity to explore dance making in a playful laboratory setting. We will engage a variety of tactics (both tried and untrue as well as unlikely) that aim us toward confronting aesthetic biases while also offering some practical first step dance making tools.

Choreo Lab II  (Chase)

Great dance comes from original expression that breaks new boundaries. This course will explore tools for developing innovative work. Through movement sketching, sharing, and refining we will investigate how to sequence, seam, condense and edit, solo works as well as duets and small group works. The goal is to develop your choreographic voice and unpack your sensibilities through open sourced experimentations and choreographic dialogue. Appropriate for all movement genres. As a point of departure please bring a 3-minute solo phrase. (Prior composition study required)

Movement & Sound: The Relational Dynamic  (Chase)

Sound is a dynamic partner in the choreographic process. Learning how to pair movement with sound effectively expands one’s choreographic voice. Through structured improvs and short set phrases we will explore a variety of musical/sound options. New technologies and software advances now offer an even wider field of selection. We will explore and discuss how an audio line amplifies, supports, destroys, counterpoints, or interfaces with the movement. We will investigate the pros and cons of: starting with the audio line, adding the audio after the choreographic process, using an improvised accompaniment, having an original score, or engineering sound montages. Please bring three pre-recorded audio files that are as different as possible from each other and that you think have choreographic potential to jump-start this loud, lively, or silent discussion.

Jazz History & Pedagogy: “Shake, Shim Sham, Shuffle and Slide” (Young)

This course will combine an in-depth look at the history of jazzdance with a focus on jazzdance pedagogy. Students will examine the distinct but intertwined elements that have created this dance form, including its roots in African American vernacular (social) dances; the co-evolution of vernacular music and movement (such as ragtime, jazz, swing and blues); the contributions of specific choreographers including Jack Cole, Bob Fosse, and Katherine Dunham; and the impact of popular entertainments such as vaudeville, musical theater, film, television and video on jazzdance. Young will present her own approach to jazzdance pedagogy, which involves the integration of somatically based technical training with a broad knowledge of jazzdance stylization and a passionate exploration of music. Class work will focus on guiding students to develop their own material for teaching, with the goal of shaping a jazz technique class that embodies an authentic, sophisticated and intelligent approach to this quintessentially American dance form.

Media & Performance: The Mediated Frame - Multiple Viewpoints of Media in Dance on Screen and Performance (Richards/Hove/Boggia)

This course will be a hands-on symposium of the different methods to use video in relationship to performance work, including documentation, video dance making (both as a translation of existing choreography and a video only work), and mediated video performance technology. The course will examine the current state of technology, including cameras, software and video hardware used in performance, video dance making, and documentation of work, and give students (as individuals and collaborative teams) a chance to investigate media in a choreographic process; either in documentation, editing, and/or performance work with a video component. The course will also discuss the historical and current work in the field that has and is shaping the mediated dance field.

The Business of Dance  (Konikow)

The practical aspects of the profession are examined in this seminar, from college to professional levels. This includes career options, creating an ‘image’ in print and online, growing dance audiences, financial administration and raising funds creatively, among many other topics. Resumes will be reviewed/created, and everyone will generate and present a hands-on plan designed to assist with a personal goal as their final project. Guests from the Festival faculty will share informative presentations based on personal experience. Within three weeks participants will be better prepared to perform the business tasks expected of dance professionals and have a more holistic understanding of the field and their personal dance community. This extremely useful information will help you succeed in your chosen profession, and should not be missed! Bring resume; photocopying fee of $10 due first day of class.

Beyond the Stage: Dance Today (Cash)

Explore dance that reaches beyond conventional theatricality. This class introduces dance that inhabits the natural landscape and urban fabric in site-specific installations and community-based events and takes advantage of film, video and new digital media to create dances free of the constraints of ordinary space and time. This is not a hands-on course: we will watch video, explore readings, ask questions of special guest artists and engage in lively conversation. No experience expected or required, but if available, students are encouraged to bring up to 10-minute video examples of their own site specific or dance on camera experiences. Bring an open mind.