AMDA’s curriculum is designed accordingly. With classes that place emphasis on every aspect of the dance industry, from technique, performance, and choreography to administration, personal branding, and content creation, graduates emerge fully prepared to navigate the excitement, and challenges—and unpredictability—of a career in dance. 

“In 2023, you need to not only be a dancer and artist, but you also need to be your own content creator,” McHargh says. “You need to also know the business of dance—and how to produce a show. Students are gaining all of that information within the curriculum here.” McHargh adds that the majority of AMDA’s faculty are active within the dance industry, so fostering professional connections—which often lead to work postgraduation—is inherent to being an AMDA dance major.

The importance of self-care and building a sustainable career are also embedded into the curriculum. Students have access to a variety of mental and physical health resources at AMDA’s Center for Health and Performance, and teachers regularly check in with them about their well-being, helping them cultivate healthy habits they can carry into their careers. “It’s embedded in our culture to talk about those things,” says McHargh. AMDA grads know how to craft a viable work schedule consisting of a range of professional opportunities, so they are prepared to find work at any age, any stage, or in any situation.

From start to finish, AMDA’s program is designed to prepare dancers for long, healthy, and diverse careers. Check out these highlights from two alums’ 2023 in review.

Agnes Royster-Stallion

Coaching movement therapy: “I graduated from AMDA in 2017, and I did work professionally in L.A. for a year after that. I wanted to do work that I felt would be more fulfilling, so I did a specialization in movement therapy, and that’s what I’ve been focused on this past year. I started coaching clients in movement therapy, using dance and body movements with breathwork and meditation to help relieve stress, anxiety, trauma, and lack of creativity.”

Working with her Haiti-based company, WAYS: “I was in Haiti for the past three years. I started my dance company, WAYS, and we launched last year. It’s an acronym for ‘With All Your Soul.’ It’s really based on Haitian folklore, Haitian dance, and contemporary. I wanted to showcase quality work in the Haitian community to the world.”

Producing Mastered, an original dance film: “My husband, Marc Stallion [also an AMDA alumni], and I did a short dance film, called Mastered, based on anxiety. He wrote and directed it, and I choreographed and danced in it. We are submitting it to festivals. So far, we have nominations for Film Shortage and the Venice Film Festival.”

Ryan Ruiz

Company member with Diavolo: “I definitely think the push for creativity and creating at AMDA was extremely helpful for me in the work with Diavolo. A lot of the work is not necessarily choreographed steps given to me; it’s more that I’m given a task and then I create something in the moment.”

Performing in music videos: “About a year ago I did the music video ‘Something to Lose,’ by Anna Margo, and choreographed by Mike Tyus. Then I did a music video for Nieri, choreographed by Baylie and McCall Olsen.”

Performing in multidisciplinary artist Sara Silkin’s Still: “It was a weekend of small shows, and it was a very fast process to learn movements in a complicated costume of sheer fabric that is essentially two dresses attached to each other. The piece was about 20 minutes, and we did multiple shows per day, and it also ended with us creating a dance film of the piece.”

Teaching at Los Angeles–based dance studios GENESIS and The Space_LA: “My class is called Contemporary Flow, and I also teach a floorwork-based class, as well. I love referencing teachers from AMDA and giving them credit when I’m teaching.”

Teaching Contemporary Foundations at AMDA: “It was one of the first classes of the morning and it consisted of mostly delving deeper into a more technical space rather than the creative space, honing in on technical aspects of contemporary movement.”

Presenting choreography at SpectorDance’s Choreographers’ Showcase: “The piece was called This didn’t happen overnight. This was my first work presented outside of an educational space. It’s a duet that plays with the ideas of issues of stereotypes within Asian culture.”

The post The Dance Year in Review According to AMDA Alumni appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Through RDA’s programs—including its Regional and National festivals, National Choreography Intensive, adjudication, and scholarship offerings—dancers gain invaluable experience. From performing in new styles to making meaningful career connections, the opportunities are as numerous as the unique paths participants may take in the years that follow. After all, a successful dance company alum is not just an experienced artist, but a curious, open-eyed, ambitious individual who can apply skills learned from their youth to studios and worlds beyond.

Ahead of the 2024 National Festival taking place April 24–27, 2024, in Daytona Beach, we asked five RDA alumni to trace their successful careers back to those seeds planted during their early experiences with Regional Dance America.

Kerry Kapaku: Owner of DanceWorks Indy

At the start of high school, Kerry Kapaku made the switch from her previous dance studio to Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater, an RDA member studio. At the time, Kapaku didn’t know how important that decision would be, but the experience ended up shaping her entire career trajectory.

Before attending RDA, she says, “I truly was ballet, ballet, ballet, my whole life. I thought it was going to be my forever thing.” After high school, Kapaku spent a year as a trainee at BalletMet. Soon enough, however, she realized that her passion for dance burned brightest when she had been preparing modern and contemporary pieces for RDA’s adjudicators and training in jazz and African dance as a scholarship recipient at RDA festivals. Kapaku decided to lean into those experiences and went on to major in modern dance at Ohio State University.

Kapaku now owns DanceWorks Indy, an all-adult dance studio in Indianapolis. In DanceWorks’ drop-in classes, particularly in its beginner workshops, Kapaku’s teachers incorporate historical elements, even emailing students videos, articles, and other materials about the dance style so they can further their study outside of the studio. Kapaku absolutely loved it when an RDA teacher had done this for her, and has found that her adult students feel similarly: “We have gotten such good feedback. People think, ‘I’m really invested because I’m learning more than just steps.’ ”

Tommie Earl Jenkins: Award-winning voice, television, and musical theater actor

Tommie Earl Jenkins is an incredible performer. Full stop. Yet the dance world may never have seen his potential without the opportunities afforded by RDA and Canton Ballet during his teenage years in Ohio. “I grew up in a small town where most people relinquish their dreams and aspirations and go, ‘Well, this is my life.’ ” But Jenkins was determined. “I knew from an early age that I was going to get out of this city.” His family could not afford dance lessons, so he worked out a deal with Canton Ballet director Cassandra Crowley to do odd jobs around the studio in exchange for ballet classes.

When the opportunities came through RDA, Jenkins seized them. He performed at multiple Regional festivals and received a scholarship to attend the National Choreography Intensive in New York City. The intensive changed his life in two ways. First, he was spotted by Duluth Ballet of Minnesota’s artistic director, who offered him his first paying dance job. “I felt like, ‘I actually made it. I’m actually earning money doing what I love.’ ”

Second, it gave him the confidence to go back to New York City and reach for even higher performing dreams in musical theater. Today, Jenkins is an award-winning actor with credits ranging from shows on Broadway and the West End, including CATS, Jersey Boys,and A Chorus Line, to TV and voice-acting appearances for NBC, ABC, CBS, USA, The CW, and Netflix. “Dreams don’t have an expiry date on them. They only expire if you let them expire,” says Jenkins. “You just have to keep walking towards them.” Jenkins did the walking; RDA set him on the path.

Elizabeth Yilmaz: Performer with the Metropolitan Opera, founder and producer of Art Bath, and educator

If you had told Elizabeth Yilmaz’s teenage self that she would hold this many titles, she might not have believed you. She’s a dancer with the Metropolitan Opera, a faculty member at 92NY and the Joffrey Ballet School, an alumna and advisory board member of Marymount Manhattan College, and co-founder of the New York City–based art and dance salon Art Bath. And, recently, Yilmaz also started teaching with RDA. “It’s a full-circle moment,” she says.

Yilmaz attended RDA Regional festivals with Roswell Dance Theatre every year throughout high school and was awarded numerous scholarships to train at Atlanta Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Boston Ballet. However, attending a Joffrey Ballet School summer intensive in New York City, through a scholarship earned at RDA, marked her first taste of the dance world in which she’d later be fully immersed.

While she excelled onstage at the festivals, Yilmaz also credits RDA for her first exposure to the behind-the-scenes realm of dance, including accompanists and costume vendors. Now, whether she’s producing experimental works with the likes of American Ballet Theatre principal Devon Teuscher at Art Bath, teaching the next generation of young dancers, or performing in such opera classics as La Traviata and Eugene Onegin, Yilmaz carries her RDA experiences into everything she does.

Gabriella Galati: Sports reporter and producer for 6abc Action News in Philadelphia

Gabriella Galati knows a thing or two about being sidelined. “I actually never wanted my dance career to end. It ended under circumstances that were out of my control,” she says. “Little did I know, my training had already prepared me for life.” She had been involved with RDA from a very early age, attending Regional festivals in seventh and eighth grades as an understudy. “One year, I understudied five pieces and never performed a single one at RDA. As a student that can be frustrating,” she says. However, it was exactly this experience—learning how to stay prepared and motivated from the wings and how to perform at any moment under pressure—that gave her an advantage in sports broadcasting. “TV is similar in that you always have to roll with the punches. It’s not a flawless medium. Things happen all the time, but I know I have it in me to think on my feet, adjust, and continue forward.”

After her dancing days, Galati went on to serve as an on-air personality for the Philadelphia Eagles football team and anchor the NFL’s live draft coverage. In 2023, she joined Philadelphia’s 6abc Action News as a reporter, anchor, and producer. Though she has traded Nutcrackers for touchdowns, Galati credits her dance background for everything from learning punctuality and discipline to being a team player and having a thick skin. She reflects, “I draw a lot of inspiration from the fearless young girl who took the stage at RDA.”

Henry Griffin: Boston Ballet artist

For ballet dancers from smaller regional studios, competitions may seem like the most obvious path to top national ballet schools and, eventually, companies. However, Boston Ballet company artist Henry Griffin, who grew up training at RDA member studio Philadelphia Dance Theatre, never set foot on a competition stage. His foot in the door was the direct result of an RDA festival, at which he was offered a scholarship to train at the Ballet Academy of Texas. There, he met guest teacher Peter Stark, who would later become his first boss as the associate director of Boston Ballet II. When Griffin turned 18 and auditioned for Boston Ballet II, he says, “Peter knew me right away. He fast-tracked my video to the director.” 

Griffin attended the RDA National Festival in 2017 and a National Choreography Intensive in addition to RDA Regional festivals. He finds that he grew more from RDA’s emphases on dancing in a group and artistic development than he would have from a competition. “I distinctly remember coming out of those performances feeling like a different dancer. It’s performing under high pressure without worrying about, oh, first place, second place.” Without that premium placed on winning and scores, he says, “RDA is much more like a festival—a celebration rather than a competition.”

The post These 5 Alumni Prove That Regional Dance America Opens Diverse Doors appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Burchfield says these questions help reorient students’ capacity to put their thinking first. At UArts’ School of Dance, students in the BFA program are emboldened with agency, artistry, and a fine-tuned ability to advocate for themselves in the professional world.

Cultivating Artists With Agency

Around 75 BFA students graduate from UArts’ School of Dance each year. For each of those dancers, their education starts and ends with their agency. “We don’t tell them, ‘You have to be ___, you have to be ___,” Burchfield says. Instead, dancers’ futures are shaped by students themselves.

“A lot of encouraging agency is encouraging students to speak to their own experience, to ask questions,” says Shayla-Vie Jenkins, assistant professor of dance and former performer with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. In her classes, student curiosity is a priority. “A lot of times it’s turning toward a classmate and working through the material together,” she says, “and then I encourage questions and elicit feedback in the moment.”

This approach, Burchfield says, is not to be confused with an unstructured or non-rigorous curriculum. All students must enroll in courses which expose them to UArts’ full spectrum of dance faculty and performance opportunities, many of which take on the rigor of a conservatory approach. In first and second years, these courses compose UArts’ Foundation Series; for the latter years, it’s Portfolio & Research.

How dancers learn to find themselves within this structure is what makes a difference. “People ask things like, ‘How do you prepare them for the real world?’ ” Burchfield says. “I always like to say, ‘Well, this is the real world.’ If a student really wants to be a filmmaker and a dancer, that is the real world. So then what does that mean? You’re going to have to divide your time; you’re going to have to figure out where you need it.”

A Curriculum Built on Reflection

During the school year, dance majors gather every five weeks for reflection. “It’s a kind of intentional pause,” Burchfield says, explaining it as a time for students to move outside of their everyday experiences and ask, “What have I learned?”

In the first and second years, these reflections occur when the dancers rotate teachers while staying in the same classes, exposing them to the breadth of UArts’ diverse faculty while still carving out time to notice their own artistic growth.

During the reflections, which are facilitated by associate dean Jen McGinn, faculty are not present, giving students the freedom to be honest with each other, and also themselves. Wendell Gray, a 2015 UArts alumnus, says these pauses gave him the space to pay attention to how he was growing as an artist.

“You see other people’s agency in real time. You see how people are learning ideas and taking control of what they do,” says Gray, who is now a Brooklyn-based artist and choreographer, currently working with Joanna Kotze, Jordan Demetrius Lloyd, Miguel Gutierrez, and others. His professional work remains directly influenced by his time at UArts. “It’s amazing, talking about what we do and how it extends to areas of philosophy and wisdom, understanding ways of being,” he says.

When Representation Is Not an Afterthought 

UArts’ pathway to student empowerment is aided by the diversity represented within the School of Dance as well as the Philadelphia arts district that the school calls home.

“Our student population is majority students of color,” Burchfield says, adding that the faculty makeup is similarly diverse. “Being in Philadelphia, it reminds me that America is made of diversities and differences—racially, ethnically, economically,” she continues. “There is an intentionality in our pedagogy. It’s an intention in the choices we make about who sets work on our students, who is teaching dance history—all of it. There is a social practice embedded in the dance practices.”

Burchfield also notes the city’s strong history of queer acceptance, and she emphasizes that UArts reflects such attitudes in the affirmation of its students and faculty.

Using Performance as Education

In third- and fourth-year students’ Pedagogies of Performance classes, the dancers ask questions such as, “How can you use this as a practice of intention? How can you think about what it’s like to move toward something you don’t recognize as familiar?” Burchfield, Jenkins, and Gray all agree: It’s experiences like these that teach students how to pay attention.

“I’m not just there to replicate the steps and to do them well,” Jenkins says. “I’m also being engaged physically and I’m also engaged critically in whatever the content is. I have an opinion. I have a point of view I can express.”

The resulting atmosphere, Burchfield says, cultivates a spirit of risk-taking that stays with students long after they’ve become alumni.

“Usually there’s no right or wrong,” Jenkins says. “It’s about the process. It’s really about the process.”

Joining the University of the Arts Family

Burchfield encourages anyone interested in UArts’ School of Dance to check out the program’s free Winter Dance Series, in person in Philadelphia November 30 through December 2 (or via its virtual broadcast online December 12 and 13—see @uartsschoolofdance for more details). This year’s program will feature BFA students in works by Bill T. Jones, Dinita and Kyle Clark, Gary Reagan, Katie Swords Thurman, Mark Caserta, Gary W. Jeter II, Jesse Zaritt, Juel D. Lane, Sydney Donovan, and Uwazi Zamani—many of whom are full-time UArts faculty members.

Audition workshops for UArts take place both in person and virtually. During the sessions, current students join the group of auditioners for a holistic approach to class.

Gray encourages prospective students to approach the process without too many nerves. “They really looked at me,” he remembers of his own audition. “I felt that desire. I just felt like a person.”

Learn more about the BFA application process here, as well as UArts’ MFA in dance.

The post How University of the Arts Teaches Dancers to “Pay Attention Differently”—and Why It Works appeared first on Dance Magazine.

The Panel

• Gayanne Grossman: Physical therapist, adjunct faculty at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University and Muhlenberg College, and author of Dance Science: Anatomy, Movement Analysis, Conditioning
• Edwaard Liang: Artistic director of BalletMet and The Washington Ballet
• Jennifer Milner: Dallas-based ballet teacher, coach, and Pilates instructor
• Dr. Jeff Russell: Associate professor of athletic training and researcher at Ohio University’s Clinic for Science and Health in Artistic Performance

On the Perfect Floor

Consistency is key when it comes to safety with flooring. According to Russell, a dancer’s body will be best conditioned to the floor they are used to practicing on. “So many overuse injuries come from a change in the parameter [of the floor],” he said.

One of the primary concerns the panel shared was that the floor dancers rehearse and train on should, ideally, be the same as the floor that they perform on. The change in flooring for performance can be especially challenging on the physical well-being of dancers who are touring frequently and are met with a new surface to dance on in each city.

Overall, reducing force is good for the physical safety of dancers, so a sprung floor can help to decrease the chance of injury. But the right amount of spring in the floor is a science—more is not necessarily better. Liang recalled the many iterations of flooring he experienced during his time dancing with New York City Ballet, and how some floors were too sprung, resulting in injuries such as shin splints or metatarsal breaks. More recently at BalletMet, he shared how the company spent time trying to understand the type of cushion and spring that would best benefit their dancers. “It’s a recipe that is really important.”

On Creating Trust and Efficiency in Medical Care

Medical professionals working with dancers are aware that their clients bring their lived experiences with them. That may include interactions with medical professionals who don’t understand dance and the demands of the art form. It may also include a fear of acknowledging their injury and the severity of it. Russell expressed the need to create safe places for dancers so that they will have willingness to disclose injury without fear of retribution.

Grossman added that communication between dance leadership and medical staff is imperative. “Plan in advance for what you’re going to be doing,” she advised. If you have the benefit of having medical staff as part of your company or school, the medical team can strategize how to best care for dancers through particularly strenuous times and help with injury prevention.

On Preparing for Safe Performances

Milner pointed out that dancers are typically overworked in the studio but undertrained in strength and conditioning that would benefit their performance. “What do we need to add and what do we need to take away?” she asked. When ramping up to perform, dancers tend to get less time for rest and recovery.

Liang echoed these concerns, mentioning that dancers’ workloads typically double during tech week. He tries to support them by aiming to rehearse in shorter blocks of time and scheduling costume runs prior to tech week, so there is one less factor they must adapt to when things are ramping up.

On the Importance of Supporting Mental Health for Physical Performance

“One of the themes that runs throughout my work with dancers is trying to give them autonomy,” said Milner, who gave the example of artists being able to communicate the need to mark a lift during rehearsal instead of running the choreography again full-out—a practice which would decrease injury. She would love to see a world where dancers are given more of the autonomy provided to professionals in other spheres.

In dance training, oftentimes artists are not taught how to communicate. “Until dancers have autonomy to really speak their minds,” said Liang, “they are not going to be versed in how to grow as an adult and communicate.”

The experience of being injured can also have dramatic effects on the mental health of dancers. “When I got injured, I felt like a broken bird,” recalled Liang. “It’s not even about a job; it’s about personal identity, that right now I’m not ‘me.’ ”

On Changing the Culture Around Injury in Dance

Grossman pointed out that the arts are massively underfunded, especially in the U.S. “Dancers don’t want to give up these slots because they’re incredibly hard to get,” she said. And that can include admitting to being injured. “Injuries have to be taken care of properly so that they can get better faster.” And while Grossman sees the culture of stigma around injuries improving, there is still a long way to go.

For Russell, changing the culture means a deeper investment in dancer well-being on the part of artistic leadership and the medical professionals who support them. “You have to, on a daily basis, demonstrate that you care about the dancers,” he said, noting that a culture of empathy and compassion can’t be developed in a one-time company meeting.

“It’s a huge responsibility when you have dancers that are game for everything and anything,” said Liang. “You have to balance that in how you serve them and how you serve their mind and body.”

As a longtime partner and major patron of IADMS, Harlequin Floors continues to prioritize safety for dancers of all genres. A global leader in advanced flooring technologies, Harlequin works closely with the dance community and industry to research and develop a variety of world-class floors for training and performance. Click here for more information on choosing the right floor for your specific dance needs.

The post Experts Speak Out on Improving Dancer Safety at IADMS’ Conference appeared first on Dance Magazine.

With a degree program unmatched in its flexibility, dance students at Marymount can craft a course of study uniquely suited for their interests. Students can choose from four concentrations in both the BFA track (ballet, modern, jazz, and choreography) and the BA track (body, science, and motion; dance and media; dance studies; and teaching dance arts), and can even add other majors, minors, or concentrations. One of the department’s most popular concentrations is choreography, as the school offers a plethora of opportunities for students to develop their artistic voices.

Enter Dancers at Work, or DAW, the department of dance’s biannual showcase of student choreography and performance. Held in the college’s Great Hall, one of the largest studios in Manhattan, DAW consists of two separate weekend programs and features both BA and BFA dancers and choreographers.

Choreographing for DAW is a semester-long endeavor grounded in collaboration, creativity, and practical application. In creating their own pieces, students learn firsthand what it takes to be a professional choreographer, from leading a rehearsal room to coming up with costume designs, and everything in between. Mounting a five-to-eight-minute piece can be overwhelming, which is why the first weekend of DAW performances is designed to support first-time choreographers. Pieces in the second program have added technical elements including lighting and costume design, adding other elements of challenge.

Guidance Along the Way

Each DAW choreographer is assigned both a faculty and a music mentor who can assist with anything from creative roadblocks to securing music rights. “Early on, my mentors helped me by solving problems like how to use everybody effectively, or account for the orientation of the audience,” says Gabe Katz, a 2018 graduate with a BFA in dance (choreography concentration) and a minor in studio art. “As my compositional skill set grew, they were more interested in challenging my perspective, and pushing my work to a place where it felt the most authentic to me.”

Throughout the semester, DAW assignments offer choreographers structure and a chance to refine their vision. “We all start with so many ideas that we want to bring to life,” says Melissa Guerra, a BFA dance major (choreography concentration) who’s also pursuing a BA in communication and media arts and a minor in business management. “The assignments for costuming, music editing, and more make sure we’re checking off every task at the proper time.”

After submitting initial project proposals, student choreographers refine their ideas with their mentors. According to Bella Mittenthal, a recent BFA graduate with concentrations in choreography and modern and a minor in graphic design, “I’m now applying to present at different shows and showcases and the process is very similar, so I don’t get overwhelmed when I need to write out my ideas or explain what I’m trying to create.”

Seeing the Big Picture

DAW isn’t just about choreography—students are tasked with orchestrating every aspect of their work, from costuming to set design. Thus, dance students are required to take a course in stagecraft their freshman year that gives them a glimpse into several of these fields. “I’ve ended up working with my stagecraft professor twice now postgrad, which is a credit to Marymount recruiting teachers who are active professionals,” says Katz. “I might not be an expert in lighting or sound, but thanks to stagecraft, whatever venue I’m working in, I know the right terminology to communicate with professionals.”

Choreographers are also encouraged to collaborate with other Marymount students outside of the department of dance. In her latest DAW program, Guerra says she “was able to work with a student who knew a lot about lighting and directing—he came to a few of my rehearsals, and we talked about different lighting choices and what messages I could convey,” she says. “Because of that collaborative experience, I feel a lot more comfortable articulating myself.”

As students experience Marymount’s liberal arts curriculum in tandem with their technique classes, they investigate the social, political, and cultural aspects of the performing arts, discovering the impact their own work can make on the world around them. “On top of compositional tools, in Dance Comp II, I explored how I can make my dancers feel comfortable and seen as a choreographer, which I believe is so important in today’s industry,” says Bella Luttrell, a dance major with concentrations in choreography and jazz. “During my last DAW semester, a course called Ethics/Aesthetics/Gender in the Performing Arts gave me so much knowledge and material to use for my piece, which was about reclaiming femininity,” Guerra says.

New York City as Your Campus

Showing completed pieces at DAW’s biannual performances is an achievement in itself but, due to the school’s location in the dance capital of New York City, this is often just the beginning of what students can accomplish. “In my senior year, one of my professors invited me to restage my DAW piece on her trainees at the Joffrey Ballet School, where I’ve since taught and choreographed several different pieces,” Katz shares.

Similarly, Mittenthal was able to present a work from DAW at the American Heart Association’s 2022 Go Red for Women fundraiser and the New York State Dance Education Association thanks to connections from her faculty mentor.

Discovering Process Over Product

As students progress through their choreography concentration and experiences with Dancers at Work, they discover the value of process over product. “When I first started choreographing, I was concerned about perfection and people executing exactly what I needed them to do,” Katz says. “By my senior year, I was much more excited by the potential for real-time collaboration and choice-making, and allowing my dancers to shine as individuals.” Mittenthal reflects on a similar learning curve: “At first, my process was very careful and planned, but not necessarily in a way that benefited my creative practice. By the last piece I made, I had so much more confidence running the room and not second-guessing my ideas, so I could be more flexible in my approach.”

Through the intersection of engaging courses, rigorous training, and ample artistic freedom, the faculty at Marymount equip dancers with confidence and a broad vision of what they can achieve as professionals. Luttrell’s goal is to choreograph for Broadway or a movie musical. “To prepare for that, I’m focusing on the storytelling aspect of my choreography, which has definitely come through in my DAW pieces,” she says. Guerra, meanwhile, has been taking film courses to explore choreography on camera, but she’s open to possibilities. “I came into Marymount freshman year thinking I had a clear idea of what my aspirations were,” she says. “But my time here has expanded my perspective of what dance could be so greatly that I know I’ll always want to keep learning and growing long after I graduate.”

The post How Tomorrow’s Choreographers Are Cultivated at Marymount Manhattan College appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Located just a short trip from the cultural hub of Washington, DC, Mason frequently hosts artists—from Mark Morris to Robert Battle—who rehearse their work or teach master classes while their companies are in town, performing at the Kennedy Center or the Center for the Arts. Over time, the School of Dance faculty’s vast network, coupled with the program’s growing reputation, has secured artists for longer, more intimate learning experiences. “We’ve all had these wonderful careers and have utilized our own relationships to bring in colleagues from the field who will inspire both ourselves and the students,” says Karen Reedy, current director of the School of Dance. “It’s taken time to build up Mason’s reputation with these major companies and artists, but once they see the caliber of our dancers, they want to come back; nowadays, we’re one of the only student groups that choreographers trust to perform certain works.” 

Artists on Site

While the School of Dance offers all the hallmark performance opportunities of a BFA program, like choreography showcases and a spring gala at Mason’s 1,900-seat Center for the Arts, its residency program uniquely bridges the gap between students and professionals. Every semester, professional artists visit the school to audition and cast Mason students in their pieces, some of which are being staged on students for the very first time. Past artists have included Doug Varone and Bill T. Jones, and this school year, Rena Butler, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, and the Martha Graham Dance Company will be returning.

Residencies are more than just rehearsals; they’re a chance for students to get a taste of company life and get on a first-name basis with some of modern and contemporary dance’s biggest choreographers. Spanning around 8 to 10 days, residencies usually occur during natural lulls in the school calendar, like long weekends and fall or winter breaks, so students can experience the rigor of artistic immersion. 

Learning More Than Just Choreography

During a winter break residency, current Mason senior Morgan Olschewske had the opportunity to work with Rena Butler on the very first restaging of Black & White, a duet originally performed by Butler alongside choreographer Manuel Vignoulle.

“I never thought we would restage this piece, let alone on students, but they were so eager to learn,” recounts Butler, who is returning to work with students again this season, this time staging her own choreography. “Originally we had understudies, but we ended up divvying up the performances amongst all the dancers, because they were all able to adapt so readily to the material and borrow details intelligently from each other.”

For Olschewske, who’s pursuing a BFA in dance and a minor in film and media studies, working so closely with Butler was a lesson in both vulnerability and professionalism. “Seeing an industry giant like Butler also be so transparent about the narratives and emotions in the piece was unexpected at first,” she says. “I learned to take accountability for my work like a professional, but also that everyone is human, and it’s okay to have fun in the room.”

Another senior, Nicholas Elizondo, was cast along with Olschewske in Doug Varone’s Double Octet. The large-scale piece gave 24 students—16 performers and 8 understudies—the chance to work up-close with Varone and his company members.

“The residency period taught me how to work smarter, because if I’m going to be using my body for eight hours a day, I also need to know how to recover properly,” Elizondo explains. “Being in rooms with experienced professionals, I’ve been inspired to show up at my best and to embrace the challenges that come with the demanding schedule.”

Beyond the Studio

Oftentimes, completing a residency lines dancers up for even bigger off-campus opportunities. Elizondo and seven other students were invited to perform Double Octet alongside Varone’s company members before presenting it at Mason’s spring gala. Varone later invited Elizondo to work and perform professionally with his company that upcoming summer. 

Similarly, Olschewske and other students had the chance to perform a piece by Mason faculty member Christopher d’Amboise at the iconic New York City Center in honor of the late Jacques d’Amboise. Mason students even performed at New York City’s Joyce Theater after Lar Lubovitch himself watched a restaging of his work A Brahms Symphony; he personally invited the students to take part in the final performance of Lar Lubovitch Dance Company’s 50th-anniversary celebration.

A Nurturing Yet Authentic Dance Experience

The School of Dance’s intimate size—the program roughly consists of 80 dancers—means students receive plentiful one-on-one attention from faculty while also being exposed to the realities of professional life. “When guest artists come in, all of our students put on a number and audition for them without any faculty input,” says Susan Shields, School of Dance professor and former director. “There’s disappointment at times, but we as faculty know each of our students well enough to guide them in handling the successes and losses that come with this career.”

As Olschewske nears graduation, she’s excited for whatever comes next. “Being able to ‘try on’ various styles of movement and work through those long days has given my career trajectory a much clearer focus,” she says. “I’ve gotten much more out of my Mason residency experiences than any workshop, because the artists I worked with truly got to know me. I felt what it’s like to have that bit of added pressure from a professional environment.”

Looking to start your own career while still in college? For aspiring George Mason University dancers, Shields shares this audition advice: “The entire faculty is present at our auditions, and aside from talent, we’re watching to see how dancers interact with us. We’re all so generous with our knowledge, and we want to make sure that dancers are eager to learn and open to expanding their ideas of what dance can be.”

The post How George Mason University Became a Draw for the Biggest Names in Contemporary Dance appeared first on Dance Magazine.

We caught up with students, faculty, and staff from Arizona State University and the University of Utah—just two of numerous higher ed dance programs whose facilities are outfitted with industry-leading Harlequin floors. Read on to learn how their Harlequin floors provide the strong and stable foundation students need to build a sustainable dance career. 

University of Utah School of Dance (Salt Lake City, UT)

“The University of Utah School of Dance chose to install Harlequin floors after a period of in-depth research many years ago, and doing so has only enhanced our overall student experience. The sprung flooring and marley have proven more than appropriate and safe for all styles of dance. From classical ballet technique and pointe work to sock and bare feet contemporary dance, Harlequin flooring continues to support the development of well-rounded artists.” —Maggie Wright Tesch, Professor (Lecturer)

“High quality dance flooring in our studios and on our stage is a priority for the safety of our dancers and a must for the level of dance training we offer. Harlequin professionals are the best in the business—partnering with us to offer consultation, assessment, and maintenance support.” —Melonie B. Murray, Director

“The Marriott Center for Dance’s Harlequin floors hold a special place in my heart. Spreading out in a big ‘X’ on marley floors is one of my favorite feelings in the world. The perfect blend of smooth and sticky provides just the right balance for a satisfying class with or without socks. The added cushion in the sprung floors truly makes a difference when I am dancing all day. The durability of these floors is incredible, and it is so special to know that so many generations of dance students have cherished these floors as much as I do. I am grateful that they have supported the longevity of my dancing throughout my undergraduate career.” —Allison Schuh, Modern Dance BFA, Class of 2023

“I care deeply about my students. Watching them work on Harlequin floors gives me peace of mind as an instructor. While dancing on tour as a professional, the quality of flooring can be dangerously unpredictable from theater to theater. These inconsistencies can be an ever-present source of stress for entire companies. However, when my students work on Harlequin floors, we can all work without fear, and what greater gift can we give our students than the confidence to practice freely every day in pursuit of their craft? That is the confidence that can make a true artist.” —Melissa Bobick, Assistant Professor

“I vividly remember how much fun I had jumping at my audition for the University of Utah School of Dance, with the sprung floor being a welcome contrast to years of a solid floor and a few stress fractures along the way. The sprung floors have been a reliable support over the years as both a student and teacher. I feel that I can safely challenge my students and also continue to demonstrate full-out in my ballet, pointe, and character dance classes.”—Justine Sheedy-Kramer, Adjunct Associate Professor

Arizona State University School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Tempe, AZ)

“It’s a smooth floor with a good feeling for turns. One of my favorite things about the floor is the ease you have lying down or falling into it. The transitions onto and out of the floor make freestyle and improvisation a breeze. Concepts can be more fully explored when the ground feels like a comfortable best friend. I’m always happy to have the opportunity to share space with other dancers on the Harlequin floor.”—Tom Bullard, third-year dance major

“The ASU dance program features coursework in hip hop, Afro-Latin, Caribbean dance, and authentic jazz dance, as well as in contemporary modern, contemporary ballet, and contact improvisation. We needed flooring that could handle this wide variety of styles, and we knew that Harlequin was the best choice.” —Keith Thompson, Dance Program Assistant Director and Associate Professor

“The subfloors and marley floors in our studios provide the students and faculty with the support and safety to ensure a long career and minimize the chance of injury. We have Harlequin Studio, Studio B, Standfast, and Fiesta floors installed, which are perfect for our industry leaders to teach their unique styles of movement.” —Carolyn Koch, Production Manager and Clinical Associate Professor

“Harlequin floors are a dream for all of our educational needs here at ASU. It was difficult to find flooring that would be secure and durable for all types of footwear. Harlequin floors are a welcome addition to our classes and performances at Arizona State University.” —Carley Conder, Clinical Assistant Professor

The post On Campus With Harlequin Floors: Inside 2 Universities’ Dance Facilities appeared first on Dance Magazine.

“When I was graduating high school, I did not know where I wanted to go, and there was not a place where I could go train in a variety of styles without choosing either commercial or concert dance,” remembers Forance, who has performed with artists like Lady Gaga and Madonna, and choreographed for “So You Think You Can Dance” and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. As pandemic restrictions lifted and dancers resumed in-person classes, “We knew people were going to want to get serious about their training, so we started moving a lot of our CLI Studios team to Massachusetts to start the CLI Conservatory,” says Forance, who is the conservatory director. The goal was to create a program where dancers could continue to train in a variety of styles while homing in on their chosen career paths.

This fall, the Southampton, Massachusetts–based CLI Conservatory is heading into its third year of training the next generation of professional dancers with its 10-month professional training program for dancers 17 and up. With five days of classes every week taught by current leading teachers and choreographers in the industry, students at the CLI Conservatory have the opportunity to train with the best—in styles like contemporary, jazz, hip hop, ballet, heels, jazz funk, tap, dance on camera, and musical theater—and prepare for the next steps in their dance careers. “Careers are long, and we try to teach dancers that it might take five to 10 years to achieve their goals,” says Arpino, CEO of CLI Studios. “And so the most important thing we can do is provide them with the training, connections, and support that they need to launch and maintain a successful career.”

Creating a Cohort

When the CLI team is auditioning dancers, the number one thing they consider is whether auditionees really want to become professional dancers, but Arpino says the emphasis is on more than talent. “We do interviews with every student in an effort to really get to know them as part of the process,” he says. “Through these interviews we try to determine whether or not we can help them have the career they want.”

According to Forance, versatile, open-minded dancers who are ready to work hard catch their eyes, but they always look for dancers with a spark. “We want to see if we are moved by a dancer and see a unique quality the dance community appreciates,” he says. “We are looking for good people, too—humble dancers who want to help build a community and culture that makes everyone here feel supported.” 

Forance and Arpino hope that the culture and energy created at the CLI Conservatory will continue to build through their alumni and change the face of the dance world, something year-one graduate Dabria Aguilar has experienced since completing the program. While there, she says, she formed incredible new relationships, which helped her build a strong support system. In fact, she met her current roommate in New York City at the CLI Conservatory. In Aguilar’s words, “CLI Conservatory feels like a family.” Now signed with Clear Talent Group, Aguilar recently performed in Troy Schumacher’s The Night Falls.

Professional Connections

For Aguilar, one of the highlights of furthering her education with the CLI Conservatory was training with the top teachers and choreographers. “It was a dream come true to work with Lloyd Knight from Martha Graham, Tiler Peck, Brian Nicholson, Dana Wilson and The Seaweed Sisters, to name a few,” she says. One of her favorite moments from her time at CLI was working with Al Blackstone and Billy Griffin, who created and set an original musical on the students.

Forance says cultivating a collection of 75-plus choreographers and teachers at the top of their game—like Marty Kudelka, JBlaze, Talia Favia, Andrew Winghart, Robert Green, Kathryn McCormick, and Brian Friedman—is a huge part of what makes the conservatory successful. “Our goal when building the curriculum is to find people who are currently booking and hiring dancers in all aspects of the industry, so our dancers have the chance to meet them and network,” Forance says. Arpino adds that it is important that the CLI Conservatory dancers meet these choreographers before they encounter them at auditions. “Connections are a great way to get a leg up in any field, but especially in the arts,” Arpino says.

In addition to making connections with industry heavy hitters, the CLI Conservatory also connects dancers with agencies and show representatives. “We have all the main dance agencies come in, and our dancers get to audition for them: Go 2 Talent, Bloc, MSA, and Clear Talent, for instance,” Forance says. “We also bring in Cirque du Soleil, Royal Caribbean, Vegas shows, and in the coming season, we will have dance companies coming in to hold auditions too.” As a result of these auditions, Forance says CLI dancers have booked world tours with major recording artists, cruise ship contracts, a Bose commercial, and the Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody movie. They have also toured as assistants with dance conventions and worked at dance studios. In the first year of the program, 18 out of 37 dancers were signed to an agency, and over 90 percent of students were working in the industry within a few months of graduation.

Beyond the Barre

Outside of its rigorous dance training, the CLI Conservatory provides dancers with the tools they’ll need for career longevity. After a full day of technique classes from 9 am to 4 pm, dancers often have project rehearsals or training in other important skills. “The last part of our days were spent learning skills that can be overwhelming when you are thrown into the ‘adult’ world,” Aguilar says. “We had classes on finances, budgeting, and taxes, and we also had nutrition classes with Caroline Lewis-Jones and life-coaching—no day was exactly the same.”

According to Arpino, the CLI Conservatory has a start-up mentality. The staff strives to continuously listen to the students and the pulse of the dance industry, so they can adjust in real time. “We want dancers to leave here and feel like it has been an overwhelming value and that they are ready for the next path, because they could not have trained harder,” Arpino says. “But you cannot just train a dancer technically—it has to be holistic, because the jobs they are getting now are multifaceted, so we take that approach in preparing them for the future.”

In addition to providing classes in life skills that will help dancers move into the professional realm confidently, the CLI Conservatory utilizes a fully functioning production studio for the benefit of the students, too. “We do a lot of photo and video shoots throughout the year for each dancer, and we have personal branding sessions with each one,” says Arpino. “They leave with a full portfolio and assets to take to auditions.”

Why CLI?

Forance believes that there is no other place like the CLI Conservatory, where dancers can train as intensively and in as many different styles while focusing on their career paths. Dancers can expect to truly find themselves as artists and confident individuals while discovering their paths to professionalism, and they can expect to leave with the connections they need to make it happen.

Additionally, because the CLI Conservatory prioritizes forging strong, lasting connections to bolster dancers throughout their careers, graduates will always have conservatory resources and support available to them when they need it. “If you want to come to a place and set your dancing on fire,” says Forance, “the CLI Conservatory is the space for you.”  

Interested in auditioning for the CLI Conservatory? Get started by submitting your audition materials online today.

The post The CLI Conservatory Is the Perfect Launchpad for Dancers About to Start Their Careers appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Brenda Way founded ODC/Dance in 1971 on the basis of one guiding question: “How can we help create a culture of art and art appreciation?”

More than 50 years later, the depth of her organization’s programming speaks to Way’s community-based mission. ODC is a company, a school, a performance space and a dancer health clinic, but it’s the sum of these parts that ultimately sets it apart.

“If you celebrate everybody’s capacity to move, you do nothing but help enhance the possibility of appreciating the expression of the form,” Way says.

She founded ODC at Ohio’s Oberlin College in 1971. Its letters originally formed an acronym for Oberlin Dance Collective, and the group began as a creative haven for the college’s artists. In 1976, Way, who still serves as artistic director, moved the company to San Francisco, where ODC has since played a profound role in developing the Bay Area’s cultural landscape.

“They were really a collective, thinking about how to make a ‘movement movement,’ ” says ODC’s executive director Carma Zisman of the group’s beginnings. This curiosity speaks to the open-mindedness that still defines the organization, a concept she refers to as the company’s “sphere of participation.”

“The embrace of what was going on around us is part of why we’ve survived,” Way says. “Of course we did our own work, but we wanted to do it in a context that meant helping other people.” This remains true today.

World Premieres at Dance Downtown

ODC’s upcoming Dance Downtown performances—March 29 to April 2 at San Francisco’s Blue Shield of California Theater, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts—embody this participation of present and past.

Way will debut a world premiere titled Collision, Collapse and a Coda, which the show’s program describes as a “response to the daily barrage of news, disaster and disruptive events.”

“I’m feeling so strongly that coping is a big part of every day,” Way says of our current sociopolitical climate. “The codathat I refer to in the title is really the consolation that we provide each other with intimate relationships.”

Way set the piece to one of her favorite Chopin compositions and focused her choreography on the avenues through which human connection can uplift artistry. In this sense, the piece’s thesis feels intrinsically connected to ODC’s larger legacy: a community of creativity.

The approach appears to be working. “This is the most compatible, invested, passionate company I’ve had since the very beginning,” Way says of her dancers. “I was so disturbed about what was going on in the world I wasn’t even sure I could make a piece for this season, but working with them really turned it around for me.”

Way commissioned a second world premiere for the program, Amy Seiwert’s Witness, which also deals with grief. The program description for the piece states, “When words fail, we dance. Our feelings become the movement.”

Balancing out the premieres are three pieces from ODC’s existing repertoire: Way’s Something About a Nightingale is achoreographic representation of inspiration. Triangulating Euclid is a collaborative piece by Way, KT Nelson and Kate Weare that explores the human implications of geometric theory. Way describes the final piece, Impulse, choreographed by Dexandro Montalvo, as a “powerful, kick-ass piece for women.” More information on Dance Downtown is available here.

ODC Connect: Going Beyond the Bay Area

In addition to preparing for its Dance Downtown performances, ODC is now undertaking the renovation of a recently acquired building on San Francisco’s 17th Street, immediately next door to its existing theater. Once completed next year, the space will host an expanding number of classes and community programming.

Related to ongoing expansion, the organization also continues to grow ODC Connect, its streaming platform with performances, classes and lectures available to community members worldwide. Though the idea for the platform was born out of necessity during the early stages of the pandemic, Zisman says that she and her team were intentional in transforming ODC Connect, into the established resource it is today.     

“There was a way for a digital platform to be actually engaging and not sort of a poor substitute for being able to come to something live,” Zisman adds.

Available on demand and through monthly and yearly subscription levels, ODC Connect features access to live dance and fitness classes, short and feature-length dance films, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and interviews with artists, instructors and health experts.

Way is particularly excited about the fact that Connect widens ODC’s access levels. “This allows us to accommodate people who can’t get out,” she says, “and also reinforces how important it is for people to keep moving and keep staying connected to other people.”

The platform, like the dance organization that houses it, will continue to cultivate a culture of artistic participation within the Bay Area and beyond. 

The post ODC Fosters Artistic Community for San Francisco and Beyond appeared first on Dance Magazine.

In New York City, this ideology can be felt in the rooms where students learn. The school is still housed in the same Greenwich Village building where Joffrey enrolled his first students, and where he and Arpino even lived during the school’s earliest days. “You walk into that building, and into the studios, and you just get this sense of history,” Merwin says. “The building is very much a part of what the school is.”

Today, as Joffrey Ballet School celebrates 70 years, the school’s leadership holds this history close to heart in everything they do—particularly in the pre-professional offerings, which include a trainee program, the Joffrey Concert Group, JoffreyRED and the school’s summer intensives in New York City and beyond.

Trainee Program: Creating Employable Dancers

Joffrey Ballet School’s trainee program includes study in two distinct tracks: ballet and jazz and contemporary. The programs are full-time and year-round, open to students ages 13 to 25, and each led by its own artistic director.

Angelica Stiskin, artistic director of the JBS NYC Jazz & Contemporary Trainee Program, says, “There’s a focus on versatility and adaptability, being able to swallow these different vocabularies and aesthetics in a way that starts to create an agency around you as a dancer and as a performer.” The result: Dancers who can go anywhere, are adaptable to any professional requirement and who also know their worth as artists.

All trainee students begin their days with ballet technique. Depending on which track they select, the rest of the day is filled with pointe, partnering, men’s classes, jazz, modern, repertory, and contemporary ballet on pointe (for ballet trainees) and modern, hip hop, contemporary partnering, jazz, street jazz and theater dance (for the jazz and contemporary trainees), to name just a few.

The faculty, Stiskin shares, are all “amazing experts in their fields of study. They have working professional careers, they’re still working in the industry, and they might even have the ability to use my dancers for opportunities.” Throughout the year, trainees perform in fully produced shows and smaller studio showcases.

Joffrey Concert Group: Student Life, Professional Lifestyle

More performance opportunities are extended to dancers in the newly relaunched Joffrey Concert Group. The pre-professional ensemble is made up of 20 current trainees who are selected to work with additional choreographers outside their regular classes. Students then tour the works domestically with plans to eventually expand internationally.

Originally created by Joffrey in 1981, current artistic director Bradley Shelver brought the program back to life in September 2022. “It’s so steeped in history,” Shelver says. “My goal, consequently, is to think of how Robert Joffrey would have thought. He was forward-thinking. There is something exciting about seeing how this new generation is simulating the history and passing it forward and creating new vocabularies,” he says.

This year, the Concert Group will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Emerson SPRING TO DANCE Festival in St. Louis, Missouri. It will also perform in New York City’s Bryant Park this summer. But first, the group will hold its premiere performances February 16–18 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. Find ticket information here.

JoffreyRED: Renegades of Dance

In Los Angeles, BalletRED artistic director Josie Walsh leads JoffreyRED, a contemporary ballet apprenticeship program. Launched in 2022, it is an expansion of Walsh’s Joffrey summer programs that she has directed for over a decade. This upcoming fall, 2023, the apprenticeship program will grow to include a complimentary pre-professional contemporary ballet training program.

In partnership with BalletRED, Walsh’s contemporary ballet company, JoffreyRED is open to dancers ages 14 to 19. Students train full-time and year-round with daily ballet classes followed by pointe, men’s classes, partnering, contemporary and modern.

In addition to receiving technical training, students work with six choreographers, chosen by Walsh, during two-week residences throughout the year. “They’ll teach the contemporary class followed by a two-hour rehearsal process,” Walsh says of the resident artists. “They get to teach and mentor and really get the students understanding their style, not just their choreography.”

Students who become part of the year-round program also have the chance to be offered a professional contract with BalletRED. Founded over a decade ago, the company directs focus away from proscenium theater spaces, instead curating “lifestyle event” performances that involve the audience and promote collaboration with creators in music, fashion, science and more. BalletRED’s most recent performance, Frequency Volume One, is back by popular demand March 31 through April 2. Find more information here.

Joffrey Ballet School: Fostering Citizens of the Dance World

Robert Joffrey’s emphasis on moving dance beyond its traditional spaces guides Joffrey Ballet School in an increasing number of programs outside of New York City. In Dallas, the pre-professional trainee program provides dancers with the same caliber of training in a location that allows for a significant tuition reduction. This year, the Joffrey West Summer Intensive will move locations to California State University, Long Beach, where students will enjoy larger studios and more interconnected performance venues. Also this year, the Joffrey Colorado Summer Intensive will enter into a partnership with Boulder Ballet, merging faculties and curating performance opportunities in Boulder Ballet’s home theater. 

Beyond New York City, Joffrey Ballet School also hosts summer programs in a variety of genres in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, Dallas, Athens, Georgia, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Comacchio, Italy. “We’re trying to cultivate as many relationships with regional and smaller to medium-sized dance companies that don’t necessarily have robust educational schools through which they can raise dancers,” Merwin says.As the organization continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic even stronger, Merwin adds that these programs and partnerships not only aim to excel educationally but to create “better citizens in the dance world.” Joffrey Ballet School’s depth of programming speaks to its success as it carries Joffrey’s legacy into the next 70 years.

The post As Joffrey Ballet School Turns 70, Robert Joffrey’s Legacy Is Stronger Than Ever appeared first on Dance Magazine.

We caught up with three alumni to hear about their postgrad roles at AMDA, their growing list of professional credits and how the school helped prepare them for success.

Riley Groot

Graduate of AMDA’s Dance Theatre Conservatory Program, Spring 2015

Industry credits: Riley Groot has been booked and busy since graduating from AMDA’s Dance Theatre Conservatory Program. Her postgrad performance credits include “American Horror Story,” the Billboard Music Awards, J Balvin’s Live Album Concert, iHeart Radio’s “Can’t Cancel Pride,” the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, CNN’s New Year’s Eve Special 2021, the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, and the feature films Heartbeats and Summertime. She is currently dancing in her fourth Las Vegas residency, Katy Perry’s PLAY.

Notable gig: In 2019, Groot traveled to Taiwan to dance in Jolin Tsai’s 2020 Ugly Beauty World Tour. “All around, that job was everything you could ask for. And as soon as we started rehearsals, I knew that my AMDA training had prepared me well for that moment,” she says.

The schedule was intense, but she was prepared. “We were in rehearsal six days a week, eight hours a day, for two months before the tour had even started. It was super-challenging and intense, but it was very similar to the AMDA atmosphere,” says Groot. “I also loved that job because of the cast of dancers. We became like a quick family—not much different than what happens at AMDA.”

Back at AMDA: Groot is now on faculty at AMDA’s Los Angeles campus, teaching jazz classes to dance majors. She went through the program herself, so she understands the impact that teachers have on their students. “I know that the role and influence a teacher has on the development of a young artist is so, so sacred. To be able to motivate, support and mentor these students to reach their full potential is something that I take seriously and hold in the highest regard.”

In class, she shares her industry experience, covering topics like auditions and agents, even giving her students examples of job scenarios that they might encounter and how to respond. “My goal is not only to help them become better dancers, but to relay everything that I’ve learned since I graduated and help prepare them as best as I can as they take their first steps out into the industry.”

Jamal Wade

Graduate of AMDA’s Dance Theatre BFA Program, Spring 2016

Industry credits: Performer, choreographer and director Jamal Wade has gathered numerous credits since graduating from AMDA’s Dance Theatre BFA Program. He’s performed in music videos for artists including Beyoncé, P!nk and Ingrid Michaelson, and appeared in various commercial and print spots for companies like Toyota, Sprite, Adidas and Google. As a choreographer, he’s worked with artists including Josh Dean, Ari Lennox and Ambre and has directed music videos for Lady London, Willie Jones and Tinashe.

Notable gig: Recently, Wade directed Gryffin and Tinashe’s music video for “Scandalous” and brought in some familiar faces, hiring one of his teachers from AMDA, DJ Smart, as the choreographer. “On top of that, I got to hire one of the students that I worked with back when I was a camp counselor for AMDA’s high school summer program after she graduated from AMDA’s college program,” he says. Along with working with fellow AMDA colleagues, the project was extra-special for Wade, as it incorporated his first love: ballet. “Tinashe wanted to incorporate pointe into the music video, and getting to work with so many talented ballerinas was so cool.”

The AMDA advantage: Wade credits his readiness for the ever-changing dance industry to his time at AMDA: “My experience at AMDA prepared me to direct by throwing me into all kinds of things that I never thought I would be doing. I had to sing, I had to act, and I had to write for my screenwriting class,” he says. “We also had a Dance for Camera class where I had the chance to direct a few of my friends’ pieces.”

Wade also loved his Industry and Networking class, taught by Tara Nicole Hughes. The class covered everything from resumés and headshots to learning about unions and agencies. Walking out of that class, in conjunction with all of the other classes like senior-year audition technique, senior showcase, I felt so prepared for pretty much anything,” he says.

The next generation: When he’s not in rehearsals for a project or auditioning for his next gig, Wade works as part of AMDA’s traveling team as an admissions representative, talking to prospective students and their parents about his college experience and his transition into the industry. “Our love for the craft and the art shows in all the representatives, faculty and staff,” Wade reflects. “And I think that’s what attracts prospective students and makes them want to go to AMDA even more.”

Cassidy Ratliff

Graduate of AMDA’s Dance Theatre BFA Program, Summer 2018

Industry credits: “When I graduated from AMDA, I had the best foundation for the industry that I possibly could,” says choreographer and dancer Cassidy Ratliff. Over the last few years, she’s performed with FINNEAS, Sam Fischer, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Meghan Trainor, and has made TV appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” and NBC’s “Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting,” just to name a few. Her choreographer and assistant choreographer credits include MTV’s “Becoming a Popstar” finale, NBC’s “The Good Place,” AIDA: The Musical at AMDA L.A., and work with Lil Baby, Ava Max and Kendrick Lamar.

Notable gig: Out of all her performing credits, she says that the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent was, “hands-down,” her favorite. “It was in L.A. The Rams won. There were six iconic artists, and we were right there immersed with all of them,” says Ratliff. “The artists were with us throughout production rehearsals, all the way onto the stage. And it was like a family mentality, they were wanting to be great with us, and we wanted to elevate towards what they were doing.”

For TV and music video jobs, she says that AMDA’s Dance for Camera class was extremely helpful. “Having those classes to hone in on what it’s like on a live stage versus on camera was a huge deal for me because a lot of my huge goals are in the camera and TV and film world.”

Back at AMDA: In between appearing in music videos with Meghan Trainor, working as an assistant choreographer for artists like Kendrick Lamar, and teaching classes at Millennium Dance Complex, Ratliff choreographs and substitute-teaches classes at AMDA Los Angeles. Being back in those studios reminds her of how much she’s grown since her first day at AMDA. “Now being an alum, I have tools that I can give these students that they don’t see yet,” says Ratliff, mentioning that her goal is to make them feel more at ease as they work through the demanding curriculum. “Mentally it’s tough. And as a dancer, physically, it’s tough.”

Thanks to its recent accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, AMDA is now poised to prepare more students to thrive in the dance industry. In addition to AMDA’s longtime membership with the National Association of Schools of Theatre, since 1984, this new accreditation makes it even easier for transfer students to enroll, and AMDA credits are now accepted by a larger range of schools, strengthening its place in the larger arts education community.

To learn more about AMDA Los Angeles’ Dance Theatre programs and to see upcoming audition dates, check out its website.

The post Meet 3 Industry Insiders—and They’re All AMDA Grads appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Marymount Manhattan Dance Department’s Embodied Africanist Aesthetic course, which launched last year, is co-taught by a group of five faculty members; each section includes a mix of hip hop, Latin jazz and Afro-Caribbean forms, and includes live drummers, giving students a chance to learn about polyrhythms. “We really felt that as an institution, we needed to update our curriculum,” says department chair Nancy Lushington. “We were looking for ways to diversify our training, and we felt that the Africanist aesthetic needed to be as important as teaching ballet five days a week.” In an ever-changing dance world where artists are asked to be more versatile than ever, Marymount is one of the first dance programs to forge new ground, not only better preparing students for what’s to come, but showing them through practice that all dance forms hold equal weight.

Decolonizing the Department 

Students entering Marymount’s Dance Department can choose between a BFA (with concentrations in ballet, modern, jazz and choreography) and a BA (with concentrations in body, science and motion; dance and media; dance studies; and teaching dance arts). When it comes to updating the program’s curriculum, Lushington sees the Embodied Africanist Aesthetics course as just the first step. “We’re trying to decolonize the form and not place ballet at the top of the ladder,” she says. For example, instead of simply taking modern, third-year students now rotate through studies in Kathak, Butoh and Flying Low techniques. “With this diversity comes a different way of looking at all the forms as equally important for dancers to know,” adds Lushington. “The age of specialization is gone. After all, New York City Ballet is doing Kyle Abraham! Dancers have to be much more versatile and much more aware.” 

Technique Rooted in History and Culture 

Each of the professors who teach within the Embodied Africanist Aesthetics course strikes a balance between practice and explanation. “In hip hop, Keenan Thomas would break down the history of how robotics and animatronics have transformed throughout the years,” remembers senior BFA dance major Sydney Worthy, who’s completing a BFA with a concentration in choreography. “He made sure what we were learning connected to pop culture and things we knew about.” 

Sekou McMiller, who teaches Afro-Latin jazz, Cuban modern and Senegalese Acogny technique, roots dances in their cultural context by connecting to spirituality. “He talked about orishas (West African deities), which allowed me to harness a different part of myself as a dancer, feeling connected to a spiritual entity,” says Worthy. Similarly, Ingeborg Kolstad, a junior BA dance major with a concentration in teaching dance arts, found Angie Pittman’s Umfundalai class to have a therapeutic quality. “Unlike a ballet class, where you leave your problems at the door, she told us to process our emotions through the movement and acknowledge our surroundings and ancestors,” she says of the contemporary African dance technique. This experience has encouraged Kolstad to look into movement therapy as a possible profession. 

A Community-Centered Approach 

For Worthy, taking Embodied Africanist Aesthetics also changed her understanding of how community and dance interact. “As a person of color, I feel like it allowed me to gain a different perspective on dance,” she says. “These classes reinforced the idea of community, and how to generate spaces as a choreographer that hold respect for all the dancers within it.” 

Jazelynn Goudy, Marymount’s newest dance professor, who’s teaching hip hop, imparts the communal element of the form to her students. “They have to learn that this technique is more social-communal–based versus a typical dance studio format,” she says. “They start my class looking at each other and have individual handshakes known as DAPs, standing for ‘dignity and pride.’ ” McMiller expands this value to all of nature: “What I always strive for is for dancers to see how their bodies are in concert and communication with each other and in community and with the planet itself.” 

Preparing Well-Rounded Dancers 

A through line that links these forms is groundedness—a quality McMiller believes not only helps dancers interact with gravity, softening their landings out of jumps and preserving energy in pliés, but enhances the longevity of their careers. The students who’ve taken Embodied Africanist Aesthetics have already noticed that they’re moving differently in their other dance classes. “How I use my chest and torso is really helping in modern,” says Colado. “But what I really got out of the class is confidence.”

McMiller agrees. “I’ve witnessed a sense of empowerment in the students, regardless of their ethnic background,” he says. “The students walk taller, and move with more confidence in themselves.” Marymount Manhattan certainly hopes this experience will make their graduates stand out in the job market. But more than that, that their dancers will simply be more well-rounded people. “My hope is that as we develop and grow this class, the dancers who come in will understand that all dance aesthetics are valuable, not just those that are Eurocentric,” says Goudy. “And that experiencing this technique will not only enhance your ability to get employment, but open your view of how diverse this world is and how diverse dance is.”

You can find more information about Marymount Manhattan College’s dance program here. Prospective students can click here to find out more about the admissions and audition processes.

The post How Marymount Manhattan’s Newest Required Course—Embodied Africanist Aesthetics—Is Swiftly Making an Impact on Its Dance Majors appeared first on Dance Magazine.

We asked students and faculty to share what their studios mean to them—and how Harlequin Floors have become a hallmark of helping them dance their best.

Southern Methodist University

“Harlequin Floor systems are essential to the pre-professional development process. SMU has a triple-track program of ballet, modern, and jazz. The floors need to provide the appropriate spring, traction, and durability to support proper training in these diverse movement modalities. When students are working on a well-sprung floor, their joints are allowed the necessary buffer to support lengthy rehearsals without wearing down the muscles that support the key weight-bearing joints of the hips, knees, and ankles.” —Christopher Dolder, Chair and Associate Professor, Division of Dance, Meadows School of the Arts

DeSales University

“The purchase and installation of our Harlequin Floors was a valuable investment in our program and the well-being of our dancers. The quality of service we received was excellent.” —Julia Mayo, Chair of Dance

“The new Harlequin floor in our studio has helped me jump higher and dance fuller, knowing that my body will be safe dancing on this floor.” —Elena Andriopoulos, BA in Dance, ’23

“The floor allows for ease of moving in socks, ballet shoes, tap shoes, and bare feet. It is ideal for floorwork, allowing flowing movement with enough grip to stay grounded.” —Lauren Linder, BA in Dance, ’23

George Mason University

“We proudly offers our diverse student body an exceptional dance experience that broadens their physical and creative practice, scholarly research, and service to our field. The bright and spacious studios we call home are paramount to accomplishing this endeavor. From our Harlequin Floors, that provide a safe and supportive foundation, to our state-of-the-art video and sound systems, our studios enable us to educate and inspire tomorrow’s leading dance artists.” —Shaun Boyle D’Arcy, Assistant Professor of Dance

“The studios’ expansive layouts and beautifully sprung floors make George Mason’s facility one of the most inviting environments I have experienced throughout my training. The spaces themselves and their amenities invite all dancers to take the space with such confidence and fervor, and I think that this shows in our dancing as a school!” —Morgan Olschewske, BFA in Dance, ’24

Kennesaw State University

“Our Harlequin Liberty LatchLoc sprung flooring with Harlequin Cascade protects students from injury while providing the requisite setting to train, learn, create, rehearse, and grow. Students who enter this space immediately admire and cherish the studio and recognize its outstanding state-of-the-art characteristics. The KSU dance studios serve as my sanctuary.” —Marsha Barsky, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Dance

Montclair State University

“MSU offers spaces that invite the imagination to run free. There is a sense of vast space with silky sprung floors that encourage low floor flight and high-impact, velocity-based phrasing and partnering.” —Stefanie Batten Bland, Assistant Professor

“The studios offer my peers and me a massive space where we can dance together while still having ample room to individually explore. The safety and security of sprung floors decrease the risk of injuries and modifications needed. Especially after trying to take classes virtually from the dorms’ cement and tile-covered floors, I am immensely grateful that our campus has multiple studios, all of which have marley with sprung floors.” —Nicole Arakaki, BA in Dance, ’23

“The studio is where I find community and where I get to honestly express myself. It feels like a safe space to explore my passion, and because of this, I often discover new elements of myself and my movement on the dance floor!” —Isa Segall, BFA in Dance, ’23

Slippery Rock University

“Our dance studios are environments for learning, artistic exploration, and building community. Having a variety of spaces that are equipped with excellent flooring provides greater access and flexibility for our students and faculty to work independently and collectively on achieving artistic, educational, and professional goals.” —Ursula Payne, Professor of Dance

“Recently, we received beautiful renovated dance spaces that make me feel valued and cared for. I can focus on the process of creation, trial and error, composition, and performance quality to allow me to reach my maximum potential.” —Auriana Carrington, BFA in Dance with a Concentration in Studio Ownership and Entrepreneurship, ’23

“Having both Harlequin hardwood and Harlequin vinyl floors gives me maximum flexibility for scheduling classes. The hardwood floor is a dream for allowing the body to slide on the floor for contemporary floorwork or contact improvisation, but it’s not too slippery to also hold ballet classes.” —Jennifer Keller, Chairperson, Department of Dance

The post The Harlequin Difference: 6 University Dance Programs Share What Makes Their Studios Special appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Founded in 2006 in New York City before finding its current home in Memphis, Tennessee, Collage Dance Collective is a ballet company and conservatory that aims to inspire the growth and diversity of ballet, provide a platform for professional dancers of color, and expand access to classical training to communities of color. 

Recently, Collage co-founders Kevin Thomas and Marcellus Harper collaborated with Harlequin Floors to install flooring in all five of its new state-of-the-art studios. The dancers’ “safety and well-being is one of my top priorities,” says Harper, “so installing premier dance flooring where our professional ballet company and more than 400 students within our conservatory train each week was very important to me. Utilizing Harlequin WoodSpring® sprung floor systems in our studios is one of the intentional ways we invest in the well-being and dreams of the diverse professional artists and budding dancers we serve.” 

Bringing Thomas and Harper’s vision for the new space to life was no small feat. The process began with Harlequin’s CEO, Guy Dagger, and American Harlequin’s sales director, Steve Gough, paying a visit to Memphis to work directly with the two co-founders. In discussing their needs, it was clear that Thomas and Harper had a vision for each of the studios both functionally and aesthetically. After the Harlequin team walked them through all of their options, they selected Harlequin WoodSpring® sprung floors for all the studios, to ensure optimal performance and safety for their dancers. For performance surfaces on the sprung floors, they chose Harlequin Studio™ for the spaces dedicated to ballet, Harlequin Cascade™ with BioCote® for multi-purpose studios, and a prefinished maple hardwood for its studios with tap classes. Collage’s facilities also use Harlequin Wall-Mounted and Freestanding Ballet Barres.

Design-wise, Collage had more choices than you’d expect thanks to Harlequin, which really allowed the ballet company’s unique vision for their new home to shine. “About 30 years ago, Harlequin started offering our flooring in colors other than the standard black and gray,” says American Harlequin executive vice president Pat Basileo. “We’re always listening to our customers, and we were getting requests for custom floor colors for different ballets, and designers that were looking for offerings in various tones. We now offer not only different shades of gray, but warmer colored floors.” For both practical and aesthetic reasons, Thomas and Harper chose hazelnut- and beige-colored floors. “Our dancers wear flesh-colored shoes,” says Thomas. “The shoes have to be sprayed, and on a gray or black floor where they’re dancing, that spray comes off, and you see the markings. With the brown floors, it’s more camouflaged. Also, it’s wonderful to have these brown tones that highlight our own skin color.” 

The actual installation process of Collage’s flooring took about three weeks, and once completed, Collage’s co-founders, company dancers and conservatory students were thrilled with their new dance home. Kendall Lockhart, second-year company artist, appreciates the versatility of Harlequin’s floors, which is essential for Collage’s diverse and challenging repertoire. “This is the first time I went into the studio and felt like these were floors I could do both pointework and dance barefoot on,” she explains. “In the past, I’ve had issues being able to do both on one type of floor.” 

Overall, having a beautiful, functional space to work in allows Collage Dance Collective to focus on what matters: creating, engaging with their community and continuing to break boundaries in the world of classical ballet. “If we don’t have confidence in what we’re dancing on, it takes down the quality of the performance, because we’re worried if we’re about to slip or get stuck during a pirouette,” explains company artist Fábio Mariano. “We can really focus on our art and not worry about slipping or sticking, because we know what to expect, and what we expect is great. We have the best material floor to work on every day.” 

Considering investing in a dream space for your own dancers? As Collage’s studios show, it’s definitely possible to find practical ways to bring your design visions to life, especially when working with the experts at Harlequin. “A new build for a dance company, no matter big or small, is a vast undertaking that can be overwhelming,” Basileo shares. “We at Harlequin always recommend working with a designer, theater consultant or architect familiar with performing arts spaces, and to contact us early on, so we can help guide you in the floor selection process and ensure the space will be built to meet the requirements for your chosen floor system.” Explore the Harlequin line of sprung and vinyl marley floors using their Floor Selector. 

The post Collage Dance Collective’s Stunning Harlequin Floors Are Breaking the Ballet Mold appeared first on Dance Magazine.

This concept is the throughline of the curriculum at American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where dance students spend all four years honing their audition skills.

“You’re always auditioning,” says Santana Trujillo, AMDA’s dance outreach manager and a graduate of its BFA program. On campus in Los Angeles and New York City, students have access to dozens of audition opportunities every semester.

For advice on how dancers can put their best foot forward at professional auditions, Dance Magazine recently spoke with Trujillo, as well as AMDA faculty members Michelle Elkin and Genevieve Carson. Catch the whole conversation below, and read on for highlights.

1. Do Your Research

Every audition, no matter the style, should start with research. Elkin, who works professionally as a choreographer and a dancer for film, television and theater, tells her students to focus on the big picture. Ask yourself: “What character am I auditioning for?” Once you’ve found your storyline, look behind the scenes: Who is choreographing? What kind of artists have they hired before, and what will you highlight in yourself to show them you’re up to the task?

Carson, who served as artistic director of the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company from 2016–20, says the preparation looks similar even if you’re working in concert dance. “The only way you’re going to understand the ethos of the company you’re auditioning for is by putting in the time,” she says. Just like you’d research the specific character of a commercial role, look at the artistic director’s bio. Study the movement vocabulary of the company you’re interested in and reflect on how you can demonstrate that you’re prepared to take on its rep.

​2. Know the Expectations

That said, there are still differences between commercial and concert auditions, so being familiar with each will help make the process less overwhelming. Television and film move faster than theater or concert auditions, says Elkin, “especially if you’re a union member,” because the panel may only have an hour to see people. Build your skills in learning choreography quickly, and be ready to dance at a moment’s notice. In theater, there’s “a little bit more time to see people dance longer, sing and read sides,” says Elkin. At AMDA, she teaches her students to be prepared for both situations: The more flexible you are, the more opportunities will come your way.

Auditioning for a concert-dance company will be a longer process, says Carson. “There’s a lot more than the technical prowess of a dancer that an artistic director looks for,” she says. When she directed the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Carson was drawn to auditionees who were versatile, open-minded and had a collaborative spirit. When you’re hoping to join a company, she says, you’ll want to demonstrate that you’re interested in the whole creative process—not just the final result. At AMDA, concepts like these are built into the curriculum: Carson leads classes that expose students to a range of different choreographers and working methods every semester.

​3. Use Technology to Your Benefit

Elkin, who has worked in the commercial-dance industry since childhood, continues to watch the ways that technology transforms the audition process, especially as we move through the pandemic. “A lot of the first initial calls are going through self-tapes,” she says. “The big pivot to being online created this wonderful experience to figure out how to shoot, how to be on camera, and how to slate and submit that information.”

Elkin thinks that most first-round auditions will continue to be online, even post-pandemic, but the change isn’t necessarily for the worse—dancers can save time and money by eliminating the need to travel and wait in long lines before they’re seen. Right now, she works to make sure her students at AMDA feel comfortable and confident presenting their best selves on camera.

4. Look Past the Binary

“There’s cross-pollination happening between the commercial and concert dance worlds,” says Carson. At AMDA, students are taught to “dive into each world without hesitation.” The result creates an environment where students are able to change or vary their career paths, leading to more artists who are increasingly open-minded in how they approach dance.

Trujillo, for example, started at AMDA wanting to be a Broadway-style singer, but the mentorship she found in the dance department guided her toward hip-hop and heels dancing instead. “I’m honored to be on faculty at AMDA because of the forward thinking that goes into the programs we create,” says Carson. “I feel like we’re constantly innovating.”

The post AMDA’s 4 Tips for Acing Your Next Audition appeared first on Dance Magazine.

The recently renovated and vastly expanded 26,000-square-foot Dance Center at Interlochen is now a world-class facility on par with those of premier conservatories and professional companies. Joseph Morrissey, Interlochen’s director of dance, says a lot of careful thought went into the architecture: “This could not just be a building that dance is going to go into. This is a building that is made for dance.” To build the best facilities for his students, Morrissey sought out Flansburgh Architects, the group behind the beautiful Perles Family Studio at Jacob’s Pillow.

​Studio Spotlight

The northern section’s three bright, cavernous studios are a dream, boasting 16-foot ceilings and an uninterrupted space that is devoid of columns—a luxury for studios of this size. Additionally, each studio features eight-foot-tall windows looking out onto Green Lake and beautiful Michigan woods. “We were rehearsing Swan Lake last year and the scenery was right there behind the dancers,” Morrissey recounts. “Just look to your left, and you really were dancing on Swan Lake.”

In addition to the breathtaking aesthetics, the new studios feature sprung marley floors, professional lighting grids, state-of-the-art sound systems, large-screen televisions for virtual guest artists and sophisticated climate control.

​A Central Hub for Dance

Interlochen’s upgrade doesn’t stop at the studios; the school renovated its whole dance center. The Nancy Hoagland Wing is a central hub for student dancers, with modern locker rooms with showers and a comfortable lounge to rest and work in between classes. With multiple studios and abundant space, all Academy and summer Arts Camp programs now operate from this central location, with the ability to run separate rehearsals and classes simultaneously.

​Life at Interlochen

Ava Blain, Interlochen Arts Academy third-year student, knew she wanted to prioritize her dance training alongside her high school education. “I love the balance of arts and academics here at Interlochen,” she says. “The academic teachers are all very understanding. They know you are devoted to your art, and work to integrate academics harmoniously.”

At the Academy, classes are divided into two blocks: an academic block and an artistic block. Around 8:30 am, Interlochen Academy students start their academic classes, consisting of high-school level courses like English, math, science, history, and either Spanish or French. Following a morning of academics, the dance students have a break to get ready for their artistic block of classes at the Dance Center. Dance majors take a mix of classical ballet technique, contemporary, pointe, dance conditioning and repertoire, as well as rehearsal.

​Taking the Stage

Fourth-year Academy student Taylor Jones, of New Jersey, didn’t always picture herself at Interlochen. In fact, she didn’t necessarily see herself going out of state for high school, but she knew she wanted to seriously study dance. After looking at other performing arts high school programs and self-reflecting, Interlochen rose to the top of her list: “When it came down to it, Interlochen was the best fit for me, both artistically and personality-wise, considering all of our incredible teachers and performing opportunities.”

Jones admits that she’s always been pretty independent, but, of course, moving away from home at 14 years old was still an adjustment. “The community here at Interlochen made it easy to adjust to the culture,” she says.

Interlochen Arts Academy dance majors perform in four staged performances—two full ballets and two mixed-repertoire shows—each school year. In addition to performances in the theater, students can also take part in local touring opportunities (talk about prepping for dance-company life!).

Jones says she’ll always remember rehearsing and performing her first full-length ballet, Swan Lake, at Interlochen and then taking it on tour. “Having the experience of being able to do so much in one performance at 14 is mind-boggling,” she says.

Outside of technique classes and performances, dance majors are a part of Interlochen’s larger ecosystem of young artists, which includes majors in creative writing, film and new media, interdisciplinary arts, music, theater, and visual arts. “I feel inspired being around such creative energy every day,” says Blain. “You get the opportunity to explore other art forms through your friends, which is really unique.”

​Summer at Interlochen

For students looking to further their training away from home for a shorter duration, Interlochen hosts various dance opportunities during the summer. Offering multiple sessions ranging from two to three weeks for dancers grades 3–12, Interlochen summer programs focus on either classical ballet or contemporary dance. Additionally, Interlochen offers one-week intensives (starting June 18, 2022) in classical ballet, contemporary or hip hop.

Applications for both Interlochen Arts Academy and Interlochen Arts Camp are currently open online (with virtual auditions submissions). January 15, 2022, is the regular-decision deadline for Interlochen Arts Academy and the priority deadline for Interlochen Arts Camp. Financial aid is available and awarded on a rolling basis, so prospective students are encouraged to apply early.

The post Interlochen’s New Breathtaking Dance Center Is Ready for Class appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Built with the intention to break barriers and bend the rules, CalArts’ interdisciplinary curriculum ensures that students take classes that cover an entire spectrum of artistic approaches. The result? A dance program that gives you much more than just dance.

Last week, Dance Magazine caught up with Kevin Whitmire, assistant director of admission for CalArts School of Dance, and recent alum Kevin Zambrano for the inside scoop on how an interdisciplinary curriculum can make you a stronger artist. Watch the full event below, and read on for the highlights.

​Learn to Problem-Solve Through Art

No matter the department, CalArts teaches its students to start with a concept rather than a medium. “The idea determines the discipline,” says Whitmire, not the other way around. This way, dancers learn to work through ideas with their mind and body in sync. It’s an approach that trains the brain to problem-solve through art; for Whitmire, the process isn’t unlike the scientific method. CalArts dancers are encouraged to ask questions about the world around them, and use their movement to find the answers.

​Find Your Artistic Voice

“I think in performing arts we always forget to ask the ‘Why,’ ” says Whitmire. “Why are we onstage? Why does my voice deserve to be heard? Or why is my body expressing this story?” Learning to stay aware of these questions will give more meaning to the work at hand, while also teaching students to be more intentional in all walks of life. The interdisciplinary program at CalArts places students of dance, film, music, animation and more all in the same collaborative spaces. “Exposing yourself to other art forms is one of the best ways to enrich yourself as an artist,” says Whitmire.

Trade the Image of Starving Artist for Working Professional

There’s a traditional, perhaps-outdated image of what it looks like to try to “make it” as an artist: Someone overworking themselves at a job they don’t care about in order to buy time before a big break. CalArts’ program kicks this image to the curb. “As artists, our careers started yesterday,” says Whitmire. Taking the time to explore other artistic mediums while still in college is often the best way to expand your perspective on what success actually means.

Whitmire once met a student, for example, who started at CalArts solely focused on ballet, but the connections she made with animators on campus got her passionate about motion capture, too. Now she works at Universal. The curriculum “opens up this lens of different things you can do,” says Whitmire.

​Create a Varied, Flexible Career Path

After Zambrano graduated from CalArts with a BFA in dance in 2018, he’s spent time jumping from project to project—some onstage, others on camera and some that use both. It can be tricky to switch between such different environments, but Zambrano is certain his CalArts education is what makes him feel up to the task. “It’s those quick switches in your brain that you have to utilize,” he says. His years spent running between classes for different techniques, different theories or different mediums that prepared him for the real world.

​A Dance Education That Keeps on Giving

Since he’s been out of college and catapulted into the professional sphere, Zambrano says he’s still gleaning lessons from his degree. “I didn’t realize the mapping of what I was learning until I put it in the real world,” he says. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, this is what they were teaching us.’ ” Armed with an interdisciplinary perspective, Zambrano now feels empowered to make his dance career as wide-ranging as possible. These days, he is guided by a question he learned to ask at CalArts: “How can I make dance the forefront and then bring in other attributes that I want to try, like film or fashion or music?” Just like his time at CalArts, it’s a question that continues to open new opportunities well beyond graduation day.

The post 4 Reasons Interdisciplinary Education Can Make You a Stronger Dancer, According to CalArts appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Dance Magazine caught up with five recent grads to see where they’ve landed and how USC Kaufman and its career services department prepared them for their future in the dance industry.

The post Meet 5 Recent USC Kaufman Grads Making Waves in the Dance Industry appeared first on Dance Magazine.

But your dance training doesn’t have to be completely virtual or completely in person. In fact, finding the sweet spot between in-studio and online training could be exactly what takes your dancing to the next level.

Here are five reasons online dance training should stay in your tool kit post-pandemic.

The post 5 Reasons to Keep Taking Online Dance Classes Post-Pandemic appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Check out these college dance studios—and their sweeping views, eye-catching design, and industry-leading Harlequin floors—that are soon to become a home away from home to the class of 2025.

University of Florida

“My favorite dance studio is G6, because not only do we take class there but we also perform for our BFA Showcase. I love seeing G6 transform into a beautiful stage, and being able to perform in one of my favorite spaces.”—Elise Gaudry, BFA in Dance

“Many of us, before UF, came from small studios without adequate flooring. Coming to UF and having a safe space has allowed me to be more creative and to dance freely, without fear of injury.”—Olivia Hensel, BFA in Dance

University of Florida

“My favorite dance studio is G6, because not only do we take class there but we also perform for our BFA Showcase. I love seeing G6 transform into a beautiful stage, and being able to perform in one of my favorite spaces.” —Elise Gaudry, BFA in Dance

“Many of us, before UF, came from small studios without adequate flooring. Coming to UF and having a safe space has allowed me to be more creative and to dance freely, without fear of injury.” —Olivia Hensel, BFA in Dance

University of Arizona

“High-quality sprung floors are essential to ensuring the health, safety, and career longevity for our dancers and faculty. We trust Harlequin with this top priority.”
-Whitney Herr-Buchholz,
Director, Operations and Advancement

“Harlequin is the gold standard for dance floors. When our dancers train in our studios on Harlequin floors, we know we are preparing them to leap onto the world’s greatest stages.”
-Jory Hancock,
Director, School of Dance

University of Alabama

“The dance studio in Clark Hall is one of the most beautiful spaces on campus. Nicknamed,’The Dance Castle,’ due to the incredible cathedral windows, it provides a space where students can reconnect with their own bodies, the community around them, and their surroundings. The memories this studio holds are endless.”
—Aidan Nettles, Professor of Dance

“The FF 2019 dance studio accommodates technique classes in ballet, contemporary, jazz, musical theater, improvisation, and dance academic courses. I like this studio because of its intimacy, natural light, and the floor’s versatility and durability to handle the plethora of diverse courses our program offers.”
—Lawrence M. Jackson, Professor of Dance

University of Alabama

“The dance studio in Clark Hall is one of the most beautiful spaces on campus. Nicknamed,’The Dance Castle,’ due to the incredible cathedral windows, it provides a space where students can reconnect with their own bodies, the community around them, and their surroundings. The memories this studio holds are endless.”
—Aidan Nettles, Professor of Dance

“The FF 2019 dance studio accommodates technique classes in ballet, contemporary, jazz, musical theater, improvisation, and dance academic courses. I like this studio because of its intimacy, natural light, and the floor’s versatility and durability to handle the plethora of diverse courses our program offers.”
—Lawrence M. Jackson, Professor of Dance

Marymount Manhattan College

“The Great Hall at MMC is magical, not just because of its size, but how expansive it feels. It inspires dancers to move beyond their boundaries, and to push the limits of their bodies in space.”
—Nancy Lushington, Dance Department Chair

“The Great Hall is a second home to me.
In it, I have lived many lives and have nurtured so many lives still to live. Tears of satisfaction, defeat, and joy live in that room and burnish the Harlequin floor, indelible marks that keep us returning to satiate an insatiable passion to move.” —Katie Langan, Fine and Performing Arts Chair

University of Southern California, Glorya Kaufman School of Dance

“The Turquoise studio, on the second floor of the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center, is the perfect space to take a breath and dance. The natural light continues to pour in through the entire day, offering a view of USC’s campus and the USC Village.”
—Zackery Torres (BFA ’21)

“The Ruby studio is my favorite studio space in the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center. The tall ceilings coupled with the white marley floor and the deep red back wall create such an expansive and inspiring atmosphere. As the sun begins to set in L.A., natural light pours into the space, creating dynamic and awe-inspiring shadows and designs across the entire studio!”
—Benjamin Peralta (BFA ’22)

“The studios at USC Kaufman are some of the most unique, state of the art, and inviting spaces I have ever danced in. The vast Harlequin flooring allows me to stay grounded, and is the perfect surface for jumping, landing, and pointework in particular. The environment you dance in makes a huge difference, and I feel the USC Kaufman studios have supported my improvement and quality of learning.”
—Lauren Brophy (BFA ’23)

University of Southern California, Glorya Kaufman School of Dance

“The Turquoise studio, on the second floor of the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center, is the perfect space to take a breath and dance. The natural light continues to pour in through the entire day, offering a view of USC’s campus and the USC Village.”
—Zackery Torres (BFA ’21)

“The Ruby studio is my favorite studio space in the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center. The tall ceilings coupled with the white marley floor and the deep red back wall create such an expansive and inspiring atmosphere. As the sun begins to set in L.A., natural light pours into the space, creating dynamic and awe-inspiring shadows and designs across the entire studio!”
—Benjamin Peralta (BFA ’22)

“The studios at USC Kaufman are some of the most unique, state of the art, and inviting spaces I have ever danced in. The vast Harlequin flooring allows me to stay grounded, and is the perfect surface for jumping, landing, and pointework in particular. The environment you dance in makes a huge difference, and I feel the USC Kaufman studios have supported my improvement and quality of learning.”
—Lauren Brophy (BFA ’23)

University of Southern California, Glorya Kaufman School of Dance

“The Turquoise studio, on the second floor of the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center, is the perfect space to take a breath and dance. The natural light continues to pour in through the entire day, offering a view of USC’s campus and the USC Village.”
—Zackery Torres (BFA ’21)

“The Ruby studio is my favorite studio space in the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center. The tall ceilings coupled with the white marley floor and the deep red back wall create such an expansive and inspiring atmosphere. As the sun begins to set in L.A., natural light pours into the space, creating dynamic and awe-inspiring shadows and designs across the entire studio!”
—Benjamin Peralta (BFA ’22)

“The studios at USC Kaufman are some of the most unique, state of the art, and inviting spaces I have ever danced in. The vast Harlequin flooring allows me to stay grounded, and is the perfect surface for jumping, landing, and pointework in particular. The environment you dance in makes a huge difference, and I feel the USC Kaufman studios have supported my improvement and quality of learning.”
—Lauren Brophy (BFA ’23)

This piece originally appeared in print in Dance Magazine’s 2021-2022 College Guide.

The post More Than Just a Studio appeared first on Dance Magazine.

The post There’s No Better Time Than Now to Upgrade Your Flooring: Here's How appeared first on Dance Magazine.

And she doesn’t hold back. Her anecdotes—from getting fired from one of her first major jobs, to her longtime friendship with J. Lo (and its brutal comparison game), to refusing gigs with predatory male artists—all come with lessons readers can apply to their own careers, whatever industry they’re in.

The 2020 Dance Magazine Award winner recently spoke to us about what went into her debut book, now available for pre-order before its official release on February 16.

The post Laurieann Gibson Is Telling Her Story—With a Purpose appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Researcher/dancer Huang Lei performing in “Convergence”Courtesy Hong Kong Dance Company

The Practice

In April 2018, HKDC artistic director Yang Yuntao launched a series of dance and martial arts interactive-training workshops. These workshops saw a dozen professional dancers immersing themselves in several southern-Chinese martial-arts traditions over two- to three-hour sessions that were led by local masters of each specific style. The selected methodologies ranged from baguazhang (dynamic, undulating whole-body maneuvers) to choy lei fat (fast, powerful arm punches) and Fujian white crane (graceful and focused on agility).

The goal was not necessarily to achieve proficiency or mastery in any of these disparate traditions—as dancer Chou Jo-yun came to realize, “It is no surprise that the martial arts masters practice each routine for three years!”—but rather to use martial arts as an access point for new kinesthetic experiences. For example, “When practicing the white-crane style,” says dancer Pan Zhenghuan, “as I concentrated the power of my entire body into one singular point, I was able to feel the body’s opposing force, and also the pressure and power brought by the sense of physical space.” In extensive discussions following the workshop series’ conclusion in late 2019, participants agreed that imagining an invisible sparring partner, as required for martial-arts practice, led them to respond to their surrounding physical space in unprecedented ways.

The Insights

Dancer Ong Tze-shen hesitates to use the term “mindfulness” to describe the changes he observed internally and personally over the course of the study. Still, “I feel better prepared to perform,” he says. “It’s almost like something has woken up inside me from going through the martial-arts training. Martial arts sometimes asks you to hold a posture for 20 minutes or more. That’s like meditation that really activates your mind, your body, everything.”

Impressive as it is, the dancer-researchers believe that the internal transformation is just part of what they gained as artists and athletes. Over three years of embodied inquiry, just a few of the research study findings were: increased leg and knee strength, greater ability to contract and relax muscles quickly, more efficiency of energy dedicated to any given step or phrase, and a game-changing new understanding of how brute muscular strength can be applied for maximum results—especially where partnering is concerned.

The Synthesis

Throughout the embodied-research process, the HKDC team gave periodic informal showings of the techniques they’d studied so far. These mini performances culminated in Convergence, a work that brought Chinese martial arts and Chinese dance together in a wholly contemporary way. While both are obviously traditional practices, it’s clear from the final piece (portions of which can be viewed in virtual reality) that dancers everywhere could stand to embark on their own intensive course in martial arts. With dizzying speed and cut-glass specificity, the dancers whirl through challenging sequences that are downright thrilling but executed with ease—this is no dry lecture-demonstration.

What with HKDC’s repertoire consisting mostly of classical Chinese dance and adaptations of Chinese literature or folklore, it could be argued that the study of martial arts is primarily useful to their own dancers. Not so, believes Ong: “As a classical dancer, I’m always thinking about gracefulness. But in this practice, I’ve discovered whole new levels of strength and speed. My dancing has a new power and fluidity to it, without losing any of the beauty my prior training has built.” Versatility, focus, endurance: What more could any movement artist want?

The post Here’s What Happened When Hong Kong Dance Company Trained Its Dancers in Martial Arts appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Many dancers have tried to make their home spaces as safe as possible for class and rehearsal by setting up a piece of marley, like Harlequin’s Dance Mat, to work on. But there’s another element needed for taking thorough ballet classes at home: a portable barre.

“Using a barre is kinda Ballet 101,” says 16-year-old Haley Dale, a student in her second year at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. She’d bought a portable barre from Harlequin to use at her parents’ home in Northern Virginia even before the pandemic hit. “Before I got it, honestly I would stay away from doing barre work at home. Now I’m able to do it all the time.”

Blackmon bought her 15-year-old stepdaughter a freestanding Professional Series Ballet Barre from Harlequin early on in quarantine. “I was worried about her injuring herself without one,” she admits.

What exactly makes Harlequin’s barres an at-home must-have, and hanging on to a chair or countertop so risky? Here are five major differences dancers will notice right away.

The post Why Your Barre Can Make or Break Your At-Home Dance Training appeared first on Dance Magazine.

As the coronavirus pandemic stretches on, the dance world continues to be faced with unprecedented challenges, but USC Kaufman’s faculty and BFA students haven’t shied away from them. While many schools have had to cancel events or scale them back to live-from-my-living-room streams, USC Kaufman has embraced the situation and taken on impressive endeavors, like expanding its online recruitment efforts.

November 1 to 13, USC Kaufman will present A/Part To/Gather, a virtual festival featuring world premieres from esteemed faculty and guest choreographers, student dance films and much more. All semester long, they’ve rehearsed via Zoom from their respective student apartments or hometowns. And they haven’t solely been dancing. “You have a rehearsal process, and then a filming process, and a production process of putting it together,” says assistant professor of practice Jennifer McQuiston Lott of the prerecorded and professionally edited festival.

The post Go Behind the Scenes of USC Kaufman’s Virtual Dance Festival appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Enter the brand-new, three-week Boston Conservatory at Berklee Commercial Dance Intensive, aimed at dancers ages 15-22 and emphasizing industry-specific skills—from urban dance to singing to hip hop to acting for the camera. The program aims to provide dancers with the confidence and expertise they need to thrive in an ever-competitive dance field where versatility is key.

The post Boston Conservatory at Berklee Has a Transformational New Summer Intensive in Commercial Dance appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Dancers too often find themselves warming up on the concrete or carpet backstage, or wanting to practice in a location without a proper floor. For years, Harlequin Floors has offered a solution to this problem with its innovative turning board, offering a portable and personal floor that can be flipped between marley and wood. Now, they’ve revolutionized portability again with their practice mat, offering dancers the option to roll up their own personal floor and sling it over their shoulders like a yoga mat.

We spoke with experts from every corner of the dance industry to see how Harlequin‘s products have become their everyday essentials:

Chris Stark

Chris Stark

The post How Turning Boards and Practice Mats Can Revolutionize Your Dance Training appeared first on Dance Magazine.

“But I was pleasantly surprised by the enormity of talent that was there,” she says. “His goal was to start scholarship opportunities, and I said okay, I’m in.”

Today, it’s fair to say that Lanteri has far surpassed his goal of creating scholarship opportunities. But NYCDA has done so much more, bridging the gap between the convention world and the professional world by forging a wealth of partnerships with dance institutions from Marymount to The Ailey School to Complexions Contemporary Ballet and many more. There’s a reason these companies and schools—some of whom otherwise may not see themselves as aligned with the convention/competition world—keep deepening their relationships with NYCDA.

Now, college scholarships are just one of many ways NYCDA has gone beyond the typical weekend-long convention experience and created life-changing opportunities for students. We rounded up some of the most notable ones:

The post NYCDA Is Redefining the Convention Scene Through Life-Changing Opportunities appeared first on Dance Magazine.

The University of Arizona, located in the heart of Tucson, acclimates dancers to the pace and rigor of company life while offering all the academic opportunities of a globally-ranked university. If you’re looking to get a head-start on your professional dance career—or to just have a college experience that balances company-level training and repertory with rigorous academics—the University of Arizona’s undergraduate and graduate programs have myriad opportunites to offer:

The post Why University of Arizona's Dance Program Is the Ultimate Prep for Company Life appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Now, the first graduating class is entering the dance field. Here, six of the 33 graduates share what they’re doing post-grad, what made their experience at USC Kaufman so meaningful and how it prepared them for their next steps:

The post Meet the First-Ever Graduating Class of USC Kaufman appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Why are so many flamenco dance companies and dancers in the U.S.—especially those pushing the form forward—overlooked and undervalued? Why do we constantly have to defend our work?

Angelica Escoto, Courtesy Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana

Daniel Tang, Courtesy Blumenfeld

The post Why Is American Flamenco So Undervalued? appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Back in 2015, we were in communication with Ms. Rodríguez and her company regarding a potential choreographic partnership for our 40th Anniversary American Spanish Dance & Music Festival Gala performances. We shared many examples with her about our distinct offerings in the four styles of Spanish dance and she was impressed with our dedication to preserve all of the styles.

Ensemble Español wants Dance Magazine readers to know that American audiences do, indeed, have remarkable Spanish dance and flamenco companies in the United States. Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, thanks to our beloved founder, Dame Libby Komaiko and her mentor, Jose Greco, is extremely proud to have close to 45 years of experience in all four styles of Spanish dance. We would like to thank all of the dance enthusiasts out there who support Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, and ask you to continue to support all the arts as an institution worthy of recognition in America. ¡Olé!

—Jorge Pérez, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater’s Executive & Associate Artistic Director

The post Letter to the Editor from Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Here’s why Neblett recommends all dance students try choreography at least once:

The post Why Every Dancer Should Choreograph At Least Once, According to Boston Conservatory at Berklee appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Since Shea New, the festival’s artistic director, founded the festival in 1998, she’s worked tirelessly with McCallum’s director of education and festival producer, Kajsa Thuresson-Frary, and stage manager and festival production manager Joanna Fookes to build a festival that nurtures choreographers, highlights high quality work, powerfully engages the local community and cultivates an audience base for dance in the Coachella Valley. The trio is backed by a strong team of professionals at McCallum and the brilliant volunteers from the local and national level who serve as adjudicators.

The post The Choreography Festival That's Boosted the Careers of Danielle Agami, Joshua L. Peugh and Olivier Wevers appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Wrong. Anyone who has attempted this feat can tell you that taking class at home—or even just giving yourself class in general—is easier said than done. But with the right tools, it’s totally doable—and can be totally rewarding.

The post Your Ultimate Guide to Taking Class At Home appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Transitioning from being a performer to a professor is a shift in focus. Ernst explains, “Instead of requiring hyper-focus on your own technique and level of performance on stage night after night, the rigor of being a faculty member is balancing the requirement for excellence in teaching, service, and creative activities.” This triple proficiency is a standard for university positions.

Photo by Ed Flores/MFA candidate Kara Madden rehearses undergraduate dance majors

At the University of Arizona in Tucson, all graduate students receive hands-on teaching experience in dance technique classes, as well as lecture courses. The program ensures M.F.A. dancers develop teaching skills in multiple disciplines, something that Assistant Professor Autumn Eckman highlights as critical for working in academic settings. Eckman, whose career spanned performing and choreographing for Hubbard Street, Giordano Dance Chicago and State Street Ballet, emphasizes the importance of being able to move between disciplines as a teacher and artist saying, “As a teacher, you call upon your experiences. M.F.A. candidates need a breadth of knowledge and experience to become leaders.”

That breadth of experience also extends to scholarly research. Ernst explains “service to the art form as a faculty member includes producing research that moves dance forward as a discipline in an academic setting. This is built into the curriculum for our M.F.A. dancers. They have an opportunity to explore their interests and how they inform their creative practice.” At UA, an internationally recognized research intensive university, this aspect runs deep. M.F.A. dancers are encouraged to take advantage of the proximity to experts in other fields and seek out collaborations with other disciplines on campus. M.F.A. dancers are just as likely to be on stage performing as they are presenting research.

Photo by Ed Flores/MFA candidate David Bagley teaches undergraduate dance majors

The balance of performance, choreography, and academics is what attracted now Assistant Professor Tamara Dyke-Compton and Instructor Christopher Compton to pursue M.F.A. degrees at the University of Arizona. After touring as principals in Twyla Tharp’s Movin’ Out, they were ready to put down roots, but the decision to leave the stage was a hard one. At UA, they were able to perform in the state-of-the-art Stevie Eller Dance Theatre in a robust season of faculty and guest work. Dyke-Compton says, “dancers unsure if they want to leave the stage or not can continue to perform and evolve as artists. An M.F.A. is a time to explore and re-inspire.” Compton adds, “the undergraduate talent and technical support available in this program provide choreographic opportunities that are unmatched.” For both, this time of exploration yielded them the roots they were looking for sooner rather than later, and both were appointed faculty positions. “Now it’s about having an impact in the long run,” says Dyke-Compton, “it’s about giving back to students.”

To prepare graduate students for careers in academia as well as other leadership roles in the field, the University of Arizona curriculum is a “three-dimensional view of dance,” Ernst says. “The M.F.A. curriculum requires dancers to produce scholarly research alongside choreography, and to teach dance academics alongside technique classes. The focus is on learning from real-world settings and the challenges that arise. And if you’re interested in becoming a faculty member, an M.F.A. is key. It is a terminal degree, and now for most universities, a minimum requirement.”

There is one aspect of being a professor that seems to rise above the rest. For all, it is about mentorship and developing the next generation of dance leaders. As Eckman puts it, “as a professor or graduate teaching assistant, it is about supporting the strengths of the students you have in front of you. You meet them where they are and help them find their unique voices and contributions to this art form.”

The post University of Arizona Faculty On What It's Like to Go From Professional to Professor appeared first on Dance Magazine.