To the Pointe.... News....
On June 21, 22, 23, & 24, Ballet Concerto will celebrate its 24th annual presentation of the Summer Dance Concert, a unique dance event held each summer on an outdoor stage at the Trinity Park Pavilion. The Summer Dance Concert is Fort Worth's only full-evening, FREE outdoor professional dance performance.
Internationally acclaimed ballet director Bruce Marks, formerly Artistic Director of Ballet West and the Boston Ballet and currently Artistic Director of the Orlando Ballet, has been invited to teach and coach the company. Also teaching company classes will be Kim Abel, noted teacher of ballet at STEPS in New York City and Liuba Paterson, noted exponent of the Vaganova method and currently with the Nevada Ballet Theatre. Spanish Dance/Flamenco maestro Luis Montero has been engaged to choreograph a new ballet along with Mercyhurst College professor Christine Marie Hay, who will choreograph A Midsummer Night's Dream. The performance will close with the late Fernando Bujones Jazz Swing. Many favorite performers from ballet companies throughout the United States will be returning to perform this year. Bruce Marks' acclaimed Inscape pas de deux will also be presented.
The Summer Dance Concert will again offer college credit for the performers from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois, Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA, and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. ADMISSION: "picnic-style" seating, FREE; reserved table seating available for purchase; dinners available for purchase by In Good Taste Catering or pre-order at 817 683 7836. Table for ten $200; table for four $80; single seat $25. Phone 817.738.7915. PERFORMANCE SITE: Trinity Park Pavilion, 2300 W. 7th Street.
Bates Dance Festival celebrates 25 years of offering contemporary dance training, commissioning and performance. The Festival has its 25th Anniversary season from July 7 to August 12, 2007. The five-week Festival will feature workshops and performances by more than 30 internationally recognized dance artists from throughout the United States and abroad. It takes place on the campus of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.
Highlighting the 2007 Anniversary Festival will be workshops and main stage performances by the award-winning David Dorfman Dance, Montreal-based hip hop company Rubberbandance Group, Bridgman Packer Dance, BoánDanz Action, PearsonWidrig DanceTheater as well as renowned choreographers Danny Buraczeski, Sean Curran, Rennie Harris, Liz Lerman, Bebe Miller and Doug Varone who will present new solo works for a 25th Anniversary Gala performance on July 28. The season features innovative contemporary works that blend dance, video, live music and spoken word to address perspectives on the body, community, and the environment and themes of political activism, the impact of technology and cultural change.
Recognized throughout the contemporary dance community for its non-competitive environment and emphasis on experimentation, the Bates Dance Festival will offer its renowned Professional Training Program July 21-August 12 which brings together more than 180 dance students, 18 years and older for three weeks of intensive training with foremost veteran dance educators and exceptional choreographers. Teaching artists on the 2007 roster include Art Bridgman & Myrna Packer; Rennie Harris; Liz Lerman; Dianne McIntyre; Bebe Miller; Doug Varone. They will offer workshops in creative process and performance. Students have the opportunity to choose from 32 daily classes and enjoy a wide variety of evening workshops, films, lectures and performances to complement their daily class schedule.
The Bates Dance Festival Young Dancers Workshop, two weeks of intensive training for pre-professional dancers ages 13-17, will take place July 7-21. A structured, non-competitive program, the 2007 Faculty features eight master teachers: modern teachers Michael Foley and Colleen Thomas; Shonach Mirk-Robles, a former principal dancer with Bejart's Ballet of the Twentieth Century; veteran ballet instructor Martha Tornay; hip-hop artist Jennifer Archibald; Simonson jazz teacher Katiti King; improviser Karl Rogers; and West African teachers Marilyn Middleton Sylla and Sekou Sylla, principal dancer and drummer with Les Ballets Africains, the national dance company from the Republic of Guinea. Evening activities include dance-related and special workshops, performances, films and lectures.
More information about the Bates Dance Festival, its training programs, schedules, workshops and performances is available at http://www.batesdancefestival.org; by emailing dancefest@bates.edu or by calling the Festival Registrar at 207-786-6381.
Chicago's Crystal Ball DanceSport Competition takes place June 15,16 & 17 2007 at the Westin Chicago Northshore. There will be Three full days of exciting competition and dancing for competitors and spectators alike. See dancers from all over North America compete in all levels and styles of Latin and ballroom dancing. Check out www.chicagocrystalball.com for more information and to download all forms needed for tickets and entries.
Colorado Ballet and Volunteers of America team up to make dance study accessible to all children. Each Friday evening at 6 p.m. since late January, 25 to 30 children and their parents arrive at Colorado Ballet and go straight to Studio B. The company has been offering significantly discounted classes to this group of children in its downtown academy as an extension of the Head Start program, sponsored by the Volunteers of America (VOA). The program is an outgrowth of the city's 5 By 5 Project, whose aim is to expose children to 5 different cultural opportunities by the age of 5.
"It is important to help low-income families," said VOA Family Service Worker Felipe Lopez, who helped coordinate the program. "To see the Hispanic population get involved with Colorado Ballet is wonderful because they contribute greatly to the spirit and culture of Colorado ."
Colorado Ballet Education and Outreach Director Tiffany Pallotto says that while free tickets and creative movement classes have been traditionally offered at each participating 5 By 5 school, it was a phone call from Lopez which prompted the discounted classes at the Academy.
"Parents wanted to keep children involved but regular academy classes were too expensive," explained Pallotto, "What we've arranged to do is offer the same caliber classes already being taught at our studios for only the price needed to cover costs. Colorado Ballet doesn't profit from this at all. It wasn't something we'd previously considered but there have been a lot more students than I would have expected."
For five dollars, participating children attend a 45-minute class conducted by Colorado Ballet Academy instructor Beth Vinson and are also provided the necessary clothing to dance. The course runs for 10 weeks and will culminate with a reception and recital on April 13 at the Denver Art Museum , from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Students who signed up for the class committed to the full 10 weeks and no drop-ins are allowed.
"We would love to find a way to continue to do this," said Pallotto, "It's very creative movement at this age, not necessarily ballet, and they all seem to love it." Parent testimonials underscore the program's success.
The VOA and Colorado Ballet hope to continue the program next year. "Families deserve this opportunity," said Lopez, "Expanding horizons through culture and art is important and this program is a chance to bring the community together. It is a privilege to work with Colorado Ballet."
The internationally-acclaimed Los Angeles Modern dance company, Lula Washington Dance Theatre holds its Professional Development Workshop (PDW) from June 18th to August 5th. The unique summer intensive program offers technical training, career mentorship, and the opportunity to perform and tour in LWDT's 2007-2008 season! Students can enroll for the entire program or for selected weeks during the summer months. Classes can also be taken on an independent, daily basis.
Held in its new state-of-the-art facility at 3773 South Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles , this program continues LWDT's quarter-century legacy of grooming young dancers for professional careers in a competitive dance world.
The PDW program, which is designed for intermediate/advanced teens, recent high school graduates, college students, and aspiring dance professionals, seeks to develop dancers who can sustain themselves in concert dance, commercial, theatrical, or Broadway dance work. The program meets five days a week for five hours a day, on an evening schedule modeled after that of many professional companies.
PDW participants take daily technique classes and have special workshops and seminars on a range of topics, including but not limited to: dance career options, financial management, and audition techniques. They also attend daily rehearsals, audition with master choreographers, and make valuable, lasting connections with seasoned dance industry professionals.
The Professional Development Workshop will hold an informal showcase in the middle of the program and special concluding performances on August 4th and 5th. Participants who show exceptional promise and progress may be invited to perform with LWDT in upcoming engagements, including the Lincoln Center Outdoors and the REDCAT Theatre at Walt Disney Music Hall . Selected dancers may also be invited to apprentice with or join the company for the entire 2007-2008 season.
Early enrollment in the full time six-week program is $950, offered to those who register and pay in full by April 30th. Regular enrollment is $1200, and payment can be made in installments. PDW participants can take regular studio classes at no additional cost. Lula Washington Dance Theatre also offers a limited number of scholarships to qualifying students. Visit the LWDT reception desk for information on how to apply.
The World Salsa Federation World Salsa Championships, presented every year in Miami, promises to be even more exciting than previous events. The championships will be held again in Miami, at the Miccosukee Resort and Gaming, on November 8-11. For information, call 786.566.2604.