annual Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop
For 28 years, the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop, held at the University of Colorado, has been offering its summer dance intensive at the foot of the mountains, with an emphasis on jazz dance as both a technical dance form and creative art form. This year's curriculum includes: jazz dance, modern dance, musical theatre, hip hop, jazz funk, floor barre, Pilates mat, yoga and Performance Track classes through which students perform in the workshop performance at the conclusion of the two weeks. The workshop faculty members include master teachers from across the U.S., most of whom teach in college dance programs.
Other offerings this year include a workshop called "Lighting for Dancers" with Bob Shannon who has designed lights for many nationally acclaimed dance companies and serves on the faculty at the University of Colorado; a seminar class called "Tips, Tools and Resources for Making it in Dance" with workshop faculty Monica Anderson, Mark Haines, Chris Harris, and Wade Madsen; a floor barre class with former Erick Hawkin's dancer and University of Colorado Dance Professor Nada Diachenko; and a street jazz class with Jacob Mora former dancer with such companies as Cleo Parker Robinson and David Taylor. Mark Haines, choreographer of numerous musicals in Southern California, teaches the Musical Theatre class, featuring a number from the musical "Footloose" to be performed in the student concert. Rita Chenoweth, distinguished jazz dance historian, presents a multi-media dance history event focusing on the choreography and technique of Jack Cole. This event is free to all workshop students and is preceded by a reception for faculty and students.
For the fourth year, we are offering a nationally recognized continuing education program for dance teachers. Included in this program is a session on the Art of Teaching with Rita Chenoweth. Graduate level credit is available for the continuing education curriculum.
The workshop is designed for intermediate through advanced dancers ages 16 and up, with the median age being 22 (and a good number of dancers over 40!). This year we are offering four pre-workshop classes for ages 12 and up on July 21st to give younger local dancers the opportunity to take classes with workshop teachers.
The workshop performance held Friday, August 4th ,is a full theatrical production that includes dances learned in repertory classes (jazz dance, modern dance and hip hop), in the musical theatre class, as well as dances choreographed by students in the genre of their choice. Qualified Performance Track students can receive up to 2
credit hours from the University
of Colorado.
Classes generally fill to capacity, with students coming from across the U.S. and around the world, so students are encouraged to register early.
The workshop concludes with performances by Interweave Dance Theatre, the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop's resident performing company, on Saturday, August 5th at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. The company is composed of seven of the workshop faculty, ten other professional dancers, and about five college dance majors from throughout the U.S. Interweave Dance Theatre, founded in 1980, is Boulder's longest running dance company. This year's Interweave performance, The 80's Rewound, is an exploration of the pop music, fashion and cultural environment of the 80's through jazz dance, modern dance, and theatre pieces. Interweave consists of dancers from Colorado, L.A., Seattle, Minneapolis, & NYC. Most dancers are returning company members from previous years, however an audition will be held April 9th to add a few new company dancers and apprentices.
The 28th annual BOULDER JAZZ DANCE WORKSHOP will be held July 22 - August 5, 2006. For more information call: (303) 449-0399. E-mail: boulderjazz@juno.com; Website: www.BoulderJazzDanceWorkshop.com