OCTOBER 8th(6:30pm-7:30pm) at Dance Theater West
Janaea Rose Lyn is a new addition to the Phoenix Dance community from Maryland where she was Assistant Professor of Dance and Performing Arts Program Coordinator at Cecil College. Previously she was the Founding/Artistic Director of Dance Matrix and Convergence Dancers & Musicians. She began her career as a third generation Duncan Dancer and Historian. Janaea was the Artist in Residence at the Akademia Raymond Duncan where she initially curated the Musee des Duncan archives which appear in the book “Life Into Art.” Additional information at http://www.linkedin.com/in/janaearoselyn.
Isadora Duncan (1877 – 1927) was the mother of modern dance. The principles of her technique was based on the rhythms of nature, and the movements appear spontaneous, but actually require great skill. With a sense of energy and grace that radiates from the solar plexus, Duncan Dance is both a philosophical approach to movement and a style of dance.
Experience the Dance of Isadora Duncan! – This class is based on the principles of Isadora Duncan’s technique and philosophy of movement and style of dance.
Janaea Rose Lyn is a guest instructor for Movement Source Dance Company.
OCTOBER 9th(6:00pm-7:30pm) at Dance Theater West
Frances Smith Cohen is the Artistic Director of Center Dance Ensemble and a teacher, choreographer, and administrator. She is a dance graduate from Bennington College in Vermont. In 1963 Frances helped create Arizona Dance Arts Alliance in Tucson and in 1972 she co-founded the dance program at the University of Arizona. Frances began Wolf Trap in Arizona, the placing of performing artists in Head Start classrooms. She has been the regional director for this program since 1986. She also created Dance Theater West with partner Susan Silverman, and directs Center Dance Ensemble, housed at the Herberger Theater Center. Cohen is the proud recipient of the 1994 Arizona Governor’s Outstanding Artist Award, the 2004 Women Who Care Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2010 Childsplay’s Pied Piper Award for her contributions to arts education. Most recently she was one of the final 10 recipients to receive the Arizona Cultural Keepers Award celebrating Arizona’s 100th birthday. She is co-author of “Dance Essential Skills” and “Performing Dance Standards” for the Arizona Department of Education.
Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 –April 1, 1991) is considered the mother of modern dance. She created the only fully codified modern dance technique, choreographed over 150 works during her lifetime, and has had a remarkable impact on the entire field of modern dance. Her technique’s deviation from classical ballet and use of specific body movements such as the contraction, release, and spiral have had profound influence on the development of modern dance.
Modern Dance/Graham Based Technique – This class focuses on the modern dance technique that was created by Martha Graham, which includes contractions, spiral and release of the spine, as well as other floor work. This class is appropriate for intermediate/advance level dancers.
OCTOBER 10th(6:00pm-7:00pm) at Dance Theater West
Anandha Ray, MA, MA, DTR is the Artistic Director and Founder of Moving Arts Dance. She has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions in dance from Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Kentucky, New Mexico, and Arizona. Her work has been presented across the United States and in Europe, and has been commissioned/performed by professional companies, universities and colleges. Ms. Ray danced principal roles on international tours with dance companies from ASU, UCLA, “A Ludwig Co” in AZ, and “Clarence Teeters and Friends” in NY, in choreography of Merce Cunningham, Laura Dean, Cliff Keuter, Jose’ Limon and Doris Humphrey among many others. She has two Master of Arts degrees from UCLA, was the Director of the Dance Program at the University of the Pacific and Yavapai College, faculty at Santa Monica College, leads residencies and lectures for universities and festivals as well as adjudicating for several dance festivals and granting committees nationally and internationally, and choreographing on college, university and professional dance companies.
Intuitive Technique – Based on developing the body’s pure, kinesiologically correct technique, this class incorporates highly directed improvisational content to unlock the physical blocks to absolute and intuitive technical mastery. A non-stop, highly athletic technique class, it provides the opportunity for each student to experience pure technique in motion through guided movement instructions that expose and re-program blocks to pure technique in the performance arena. Students trained through this method attain the highest levels of mastery in technique, risk taking, and emotional expression. It can be attended by all levels but is best suited for intermediate/advanced students.
Anandha Ray is a guest instructor for Desert Dance Theatre.
OCTOBER 11th(6:00pm-7:30pm) at Phoenix Center for the Arts
Candy Jimenez earned her BFA at Arizona State University, and was awarded the “Outstanding Undergraduate Dance Major” from the National Dance Association. Candy continued her training at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York City. Upon returning to valley, Candy joined Desert Dance Theatre as a Core Dancer, Choreographer, and Associate Artistic Director. Through her work and studies with Desert Dance Theatre, Arizona State University, Alvin Ailey, New York, and Dulce she has worked with choreographers/artists such as Cliff Keuter, Elina Mooney, Lee Berger, Neta Pulvamacher, Jennifer Tsukayma, Mary Fitzgerald, Nina Watt, Denise Jefferson, HT Chen, Billbob Brown, Marion Jones, and teachers of Donald McKayle Intensive. She has taught dance at Cesar Chavez High School for the past 11 years. She founded Dulce Dance Company and has been the Artistic Director, Choreographer, and Dancer for the company for the past 6 years.
Modern Dance/Contemporary – This contemporary/modern class offers dancers the opportunity to explore a range of movement qualities and expression. The progression of combinations allows dancers the chance to make connections. Whether it’s with the floor, the air, an idea, or each other, the relationships are made in a very kinetic and expansive manner. A strong technique is emphasized and provides the basis for dancers to engage in phrases involving release, precision, and breath.
OCTOBER 14th(11:30am-12:30pm) at Al Moro Studio
Ava Fleming’s dynamic performances captivate audiences worldwide, while her talent and skill in both the academic and performance arenas have made her a regular guest presenter in 5 continents. Ava has been a traveling professional for over 15 years where she has grown and evolved the traditional “belly dance” into a fusion art that melds Western dance and stage theory with Eastern concepts. In addition to her active traveling career Ava Fleming currently teaches accredited Raqs Sharqi courses at Arizona State University and the Silk Road Studios. Ava has also taught at Paradise Valley Community College, University of California Riverside, Scottsdale Community College and numerous local primary and secondary schools. Ava offers a variety of education and performance programs.
Intro to Belly Dance – This introduction to Belly Dance, explores some of the fundamental movements that make this dance form unique from any other! Most of the movements in belly dancing involve isolating different parts of the body (hips, shoulders, chest, stomach, etc.). Correct posture and muscle control is as important in belly dance as it is in other fields of dance.
OCTOBER 14th(12:40pm-1:40pm) at Al Moro Studio
Nancy Happel, a Jacob Javits Fellow, holds an MFA in Dance from Arizona State University with a focus on technology in performance and curriculum development. She has served on the faculty at Arizona State University and Paradise Valley Community College, and as Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She currently is on faculty at The School of Ballet Arizona and Arizona School for the Arts. She has had the good fortune of studying with master teachers in both modern and ballet. As a professional dancer, Nancy has been a member of numerous dance companies, including ZviDance and Anna Sokolow’s Players Project in New York City, and with Nova Dance Theatre in Canada.
Modern Dance/Limon Based Technique – Strongly influenced by Limon and Muller techniques and by her work with Zvi Gotheiner, Ms. Happel’s classes combine qualitative and technical demands to create a class that moves from a balanced warm-up to lush, full movements that rely on technique, breath and line.
José Arcadio Limón (January 12, 1908 – December 2, 1972) was a pioneer in the field of modern dance and choreography. Jose Limon was a great admirer of Doris Humphrey and his technique reflects clearly the teaching of Humphrey. Like Doris, his main goal was to express his personal relationship with the outside world through his movements in an organic manner. His technique utilizes the “quality of body’s weight” which was represented with the fall and rebound, influenced by the “vocabulary of suspension and succession.” His technique is not codified, because he believed that a structured technique would limit creativity which was vital for his technique. His technique helped his students to find their own movement and personal uniqueness.
OCTOBER 14th(1:50pm-2:50pm) at Al Moro Studio
Preethi Sundaram’s love for dance began in India at the age of seven, when she started her training for Bharatanatyam under Dr.Yamini Krishnamurthy. She was later meticulously trained in Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam under the eminent world famous Guru Padmasri Adyar K Lakshmanan, from the “Bharatha Choodamani” School for about 15 years. Under his tutelage, she was also trained in Classical Dance theory and Nattuvangam (The rhythmic pattern of cymbals). She has performed in the professional dance productions, competitions and has given solo performances in various cultural organizations and Television broadcasting in India. She is also a member of ABHAI – ASSOCIATION of Bharatanatyam Artists of India and has performed through the organization. Preethi has also won many accolades for her choreography in dance competitions. Preethi honed her dance skills further under Smt. Nita Mallya in Phoenix, where she learnt various aspects of Bhava (facial expressions in Bharatanatyam). She is currently learning Kathak (Classical Indian dance of North) under Smt. Anjali Desai in Phoenix. She has been actively performing many styles of Indian Dance in the Phoenix Valley.
Deepa Anil Sankar has learned various Indian classical dance forms such as Bharathanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi that emphasize on the dimension of Bhava Abhinaya(expressions of emotions among characters in a story) as well as folk dance forms from gurus in Dubai such as Smt. Girija Rajendran and Sri Sukhu Anthikad(disciple of Kalamandalam Kshemavati) for 14 years. Deepa has performed in and won several competitions in the Middle East and India for dance as well as choreography. She is currently learning the classical North Indian dance form of Kathak in Phoenix under the tutelage of Smt Anjali Desai. She pursues her passion for dance and performs at competitions, professional dance productions, charity events and other cultural events and gatherings in the Valley.
Classical Indian Dances and Bollywood – The goal of the master class is to give a good overview of 2 different classical dances of India – Bharatanatyam (Classical Dance of the south) and Kathak (Classical dance of the North) and create a 2-minute Bollywood composition. We will be working on the Rhythm (Tala) and the expression (Abhinaya) in the Classical dance forms.
Bharatanatyam – “Adavus” are the building blocks of Bharatanatyam, they are like alphabets that when stringed together form words and sentences. And we would be doing just that! We will be learning some basic steps and then join them together to form a simple “Jathi”. The class will also go over the art of Facial expression (Abhinaya) and the “9 Expressions” or “Nava Rasa”.
Kathak – Participants will be introduced to the ABC’s of Kathak.
• Tatkaar – Basic footwork of Kathak, syllables created from stomping, demonstrated in 3 speeds.
• Chakris or Spins – A very interesting or dynamic form of the dance and we will go over 5step, 3step and single step spins.
• Toda – Rhythmic syllables strung together to create a short dance composition.
Bollywood Dance – A 2-minute dance composition of “Rangeelo Maro Dholna” which is based from the state of Rajasthan in India. Groove to the fast paced beats of Bollywood!
OCTOBER 14th(3:00pm-4:00pm) at Al Moro Studio
Yumi “la Rosa” left her established accounting career and decided to follow her passion in flamenco dance. After studying Flamenco through well-known Flamenco artists in Spain, she started to teach the art form in the valley. Over the last 10 years, Yumi has taught locally at Paradise Valley Community College, Coconino Community College, Arizona Ballet School, Arizona School of Classical Ballet, Yen-Li Chen Ballet School, Silk Road dance studio, and the Yumi la Rosa Dance studio. Yumi teamed up with another artist and produced her own show, “Mujeres” in 2009. The show was successful, and she has made “Mujeres” into an annual show coordinating with other talented artists to enhance and expand the show. Yumi enjoys collaborating with other artists to explore new creation in her performance art.
Flamenco Dance/Sevillanas - The Sevillanas is an old folk dance from Southern Spain. It is danced by couples of all ages and both sexes. This folk dance is performed during the fairs and festivals on the street. In class, we will be covering the steps, hand clapping, and arm movements to enhance the dance. We will be practicing in pairs, but there is no need to bring a partner. Please bring closed toe dance or street shoes.
OCTOBER 14th(4:10pm-5:10pm) at Al Moro Studio
Step Raptis received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Choreography & Performance from Mary Grove College in 1976. He also trained and/or performed in New York and Canada with National Ballet of Canada, Le Groupe de la Place Royale, Toronto Dance Theatre, Danny Grossman, Louis Falco, Jennifer Muller and Christopher Hyde. He was a co-founder of Adzido-West African Folkloric Drum and Dance Company under the direction of master drummer, Uncle C. K. Ganyo from Ghana. Step is the founder and director of Step’s Junk Funk, a movement and percussion performance group that utilizes nontraditional, recycled and found objects to create tonal orchestrations. As a part of Desert Dance Theatre, Step has composed several music compositions and contributes as a choreographer. He is the co-founder/co-director of Crossroads Performance Group. He is highly recognized for his outreach residency programs for at-risk student populations, and was honored with the Chairman’s Circle Arts Award in 2000 for Artists/Educators of the Year from the Scottsdale Cultural Council.
Step’s Junk Funk/Movement and Percussion – This class will focus on rhythmical patterns using ordinary objects as percussive instruments, and experimenting with choreographic movements using space, time and quality. Students will learn choreography from current repertory using Samsonite suitcases, 50 gallon drums, etc.
