A Month of Sundays Master Classes
Anya Evans teaching Andrew Matte to turn Photo: Sharon Wagner
In the world of dance training, I can always count on The David Howard Foundation and its program, A Month of Sundays, to provide me with a month filled with excellent classes and a chance to see old friends and make new ones. I am a fifteen-year-old dance student and have traveled from my home in Philadelphia each Sunday in January to attend A Month of Sundays for the past three years. I return every year because of the superb training provided by David Howard, as well as the many other teachers who are at the forefront of the dance world. A Month of Sundays focuses on ballet, however, there are other exciting and extremely helpful classes offered.
At A Month of Sundays almost every week starts with a ballet class. The teachers give invaluable information to all of the students and, of course, since The David Howard Foundation sponsors this program, we have the honor of being taught by Mr. Howard. Eleanor D'Antuono, Artistic Director of the New York International Ballet Competition, was one of our technique teachers. We were taught partnering by Jared Matthews and Yuriko Kajiya, who are soloists with American Ballet Theatre. Heather Hawk, who danced with New York City Ballet, provided a Balanchine class that really opened my eyes to that style of ballet. Clinton Luckett, a ballet master with American Ballet Theatre, taught us repertoire from "La Bayadere." Mr. Howard taught a technique intensive that focused on each individual dancer's strengths and areas of need.
In addition to ballet classes we all gained experience in other dance forms. Jamie Jackson gave a hip-hop class. He emphasized how to look good at auditions for music videos. In the musical theatre class, taught by Peter King-Yeun, we learned dances from "West Side Story" and "Chicago." It was fun stepping out of the ordinary and singing while we danced. Classes in Pilates, a modern class featuring Horton technique given by Robert Garland from the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and an extremely helpful informational seminar on career guidance and audition techniques presented by Sharon Wagner, helped us to keep both our bodies and minds in top shape.
A group of students came each week from Delaware. Student Suzette Madanat said it "wasn't always easy waking up at 5AM every Sunday but it was all worth it. I have to say how much fun I had in the musical theatre class! Learning pieces from 'Chicago' and 'West Side Story' was an experience I will not soon forget. It was my second year of training at the A Month of Sundays program, and it is something I plan to continue with as long as it is offered. I feel fortunate to have been given the opportunity to learn from such great instructors."
Taylor Gillen also traveled from Delaware and thought the program was wonderful. "The variety of classes is amazing, and the different corrections are very helpful. It is always a huge help to have so many teachers, because it seems like they all notice different things." This was Bethany Berry's first year at A Month of Sundays and she "loved all the classes, especially the partnering class. It was amazing to be partnered by dancers who are in an actual company." She was referring to some of the male dancers from American Ballet Theatre and the ABT Studio Company who came to partner the girls. This was also the second year for Anna Schroeder and Mary Sinz from Cheshire, Connecticut. Anna thought "A Month of Sundays workshops were such a fun experience. I really enjoyed having all of the different teachers and a variety of styles of dance each week. Most importantly, it has taught me that dancing with the heart is just as important as having perfect technique. Dancing with many different techniques and styles has really helped to expand my horizons to more of the dance world" said Mary. This was also Erika Silverman's second year. "Mr. Howard's classes are superior. I like the way he focuses on one specific area of technique and makes you really work on it." It was Andrea Olazagasti's first experience at A Month of Sundays. "I absolutely loved the program. All the classes and teachers were wonderful. They knew how to break things down for every person to understand. A Month of Sundays was a great experience for me and I can't wait for the next year!"
Teachers who have students taking part in the program are invited to watch the classes and many of them came each week. The month went by too quickly, and during the week I had something to look forward to as the next weekend approached. I look forward to returning each year.
A Month of Sundays, sponsored by The David Howard Foundation and the Harkness Foundation for Dance, is presented each Sunday during the month of January in New York City. For more information, contact wags@rcn.com or phone 212/580-8828.
Jared Matthews, ABT soloist, partnering Nora McGinley-Hence. Photo: Sharon Wagner
David Howard teaching pointe class.
Horton class with Robert Garland from Dance Theatre of Harlem.