Teen Intensive

Jazz Dance – 4:30-6:15pm
Have fun in this high-energy and upbeat class featuring a “studio jazz” style. Dancers will engage in classic jazz dance sequences, including isolations, progressions, rhythm practice, and a final combo. Stylistic intent, performativity, and dynamics of this art form will be highlighted. We will explore the historical context of jazz dance and the evolution of studio jazz dance. 

Talk Back – 6:20-6:40pm
A facilitated conversation about the importance of participating in your dance community in multiple ways and fostering an encouraging environment for yourself and your peers.  

Musical Theater – 6:45-8:15pm
This musical theater class will access jazz skills and intentions from the earlier class with the added component of storytelling, staging, and acting. Students will have the opportunity to explore choice-making to highlight storytelling and musicality as they create a routine, along with Amy, to a musical theater song.

Afro-Contemporary Class – 4:30-6:15pm
Afro-contemporary dance is grounded in traditional movements found across the West African region. Modern West African dance movements are energetic, with large, bold and grounded rhythmic movements that build cardio vascular fitness and coordination. With live accompaniment, the music will get your feet tapping, heart pumping, and the fun movements encourage dynamic improvisation and joy of spirit.

Talk Back – 6:20-6:40pm
Etienne and Yaw will share their personal journey in dance and drumming, beginning from a young age and strongly influenced by their upbringing in Benin and Ghana, West Africa. Dance and drumming are an integral part of daily life, with dances practiced for social, historical, ceremonial or religious events. Etienne and Yaw invite an informal exchange to explore whatever aspects of their culture and life experience students are curious about.

Traditional Roots – 6:45-8:15pm
Etienne will demonstrate and teach a common traditional dance from his culture, challenging students to try something completely new, different, and 100% authentic. Traditional dances are generally accompanied by specific rhythms, are practiced in certain geographies or for particular events, such as weddings or funerals. Once the basic movements are learned, there is room for choreographic construction and personal stylistic enhancement. Yaw accompanies with lively traditional drum rhythms that guide the tempo and transitions of each piece.

Bhangra with Sarthak – 4:30-6:15pm
Bhangra is a traditional Punjabi folk dance straight from the heart of India, with a range of movements that capture a spectrum of emotions, from delicate and graceful, to explosive and powerful. Starting by building strong foundations, this class will teach you to embody the pride of India and the Punjabi community as you string together variations of several core movements, creating and performing a beautiful symphony of energy, pride, and expression. 

Talk Back – 6:20-6:40pm
Sarthak will share how his relationship with dance shaped him and his outlook on life. With this starting point for an open discussion, he’ll invite his fellow dancers to reflect on and share their backgrounds and experience with dance. Sarthak will use this information to help you tap into the emotions you feel while listening to different types of music. Through interactive activities, you’ll learn how to reflect those emotions in your performance. Sarthak truly believes that a good dancer doesn’t just do the steps to a song, but rather is someone who lives, breathes, and embodies the song in their own way. 

Bollywood with Sarthak – 6:45-8:15pm
Bollywood – one of the most popular film and entertainment industries in the world, it is characterized by iconic songs and signature dance steps. This Indian dance form is an opportunity to bring out your best and most confident persona. Students will learn one of Sarthak’s own choreographies to an energetic and exciting Bollywood song. More importantly, students will be challenged to use what they learned in the Talk Back to really perform the choreography, not just do the movements. This class will require students to bring forth all of their personality and charisma to not only channel, but unleash, their inner Bollywood star. 

Danza from the Cem Anahuac – 4:30-6:15pm
This style of dance comes from central Mexico, commonly known as “Danza Azteca, or Danza Azteca-Chichimeca.” While the dances have evolved greatly over the decades, the foundations they are built upon have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. The dances, accompanied by live drumming on traditional instruments, each having a respective rhythm, tell stories about our experiences in life and our relationship with the Earth and the elements through movement and even the number of steps. This first class segment will teach the fundamentals of Danza, which include cultural significance and symbolism, and the first dance that represents the four basic elements of life: fire, water, air, and earth.

Talk Back 6:20-6:40pm
Victor will share a glimpse into the cosmovision and territories of Anahuac; the values, beliefs, practices that unite the people of Anahuac in their ways of life. Victor’s personal childhood experiences and a brief overview of Anahuac history will paint a more complete and rich picture of the Pre-Columbian Americas. Victor and Laura will also share their personal experiences with Danza and how movement, music, and culture has transformed their lives and communities.

Danza of the Waters – 6:45-8:15pm
In this second segment, Victor will demonstrate step-by-step a dance dedicated to the element of Water, fitting for Pacific Northwest, accompanied by the live drums called Huehuetls played by Laura. Instruction will start out at a lower speed, and once participants feel more comfortable, the rhythm will pick up, allowing the dance to flow more naturally and the dancers to be totally present in the moment with the rhythms.

Horton Basics – 4:30-6:15pm
Students will learn foundational exercises of the Lester Horton dance technique, a modern dance technique first developed during the 1920s-40s that is still practiced today by many schools and companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Talk Back – 6:20-6:40pm
Robbi will give a brief synopsis of their dance career to help broaden the students’ awareness of the dance community around them. There will be time for questions from the dancers. 

Contemporary Repertory – 6:45-8:15pm
Students will learn phrases from Robbi’s own choreography and also create their own creative phrases using the material they learned.