Summer Dance
Alex Ewing, Interim Dean

Curriculum
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Distinguished Dance Alumni

If dance is your passion, the North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Session in dance may be the place for you. The program is an exciting five weeks of extensive, disciplined training in classical ballet, contemporary dance, and a wide range of dance-related subjects with an internationally-recognized faculty at one of the finest professional dance training centers in the world. Graduates of the School's program can be found in all the major companies and at the creative vanguard of dance. Careers in dance begin at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Each summer, dance students train with distinguished teachers who have danced with some of the most prestigious companies in the world. The permanent dance faculty is augmented by notable guest artists such as Kirsten Simone of the Royal Danish Ballet. Students from respected dance programs throughout the United States and Europe, and as far away as Brazil and Israel, come to share in the energy of the summer program.

Because student levels of accomplishment vary widely, class assignments and course offerings are based on proficiency rather than age. The intensity of a student's schedule depends upon their class placement (determined by the faculty at the beginning of the five-week program - see curriculum). Students participate in a minimum of three classes per day and are required to participate in all five weeks of the program. Selected students will also have the opportunity to participate in the workshop performance on July 27, 2007.

The summer dance program is the perfect opportunity for students and faculty to get to know each other, especially important for high school and college students interested in the year-round programs.

The dance curriculum reflects the School’s belief that the dancer must be proficient in a variety of dance forms to compete in today’s professional dance world. The goal of all classes is to provide the highest level of professional training while encouraging the students’ personal development and sense of artistic expression. Classes are taught
by guest and permanent faculty, assuring a wide spectrum of concept and expression.

Summer ballet students begin each day with a ballet technique class. Depending on class
placement, a student’s daily schedule may include instruction in a variety of related subjects, such as pointe, men’s class, variations, partnering, contemporary technique, improvisation, jazz, body conditioning, Pilates, music, character and makeup.  Selected students are scheduled for sessions in classical repertory, including works by Petipa, Bournonville and Balanchine among others, often presented in the end of session workshop performance.

Summer contemporary students begin each day with a contemporary technique class designed to combine the best in traditional and contemporary training. Additional classes in courses such as composition, improvisation, ballet technique, jazz, body conditioning and floor barre help prepare dancers for a competitive field. Repertory classes provide select students with a performance opportunity which, when combined with daily training, extend the students’ experience in dance as a theatre art.

Ballet Faculty

*Frank Smith
Director, Ballet Summer Session; Soloist, American Ballet Theatre; Graduate of NCSA

*Warren Conover
Soloist, American Ballet Theatre; Artist Associate/Ballet Master; Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

*Fanchon Cordell
American Ballet Theatre; Eglevsky Ballet; Ballet Repertory Company

*Nina Danilova
Kirov Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet

Dayna Fox
North Carolina Dance Theatre
Graduate of NCSA

Gyula Pandi
Hungarian National Ballet

Brantley Shapiro
San Francisco Ballet
Basler Stadt Theatre

Kirsten Simone
Principal, Royal Danish Ballet

Contemporary Faculty

*Dianne Markham
Director, Contemporary Summer Session; Murray Louis Dance Company; Nureyev and Friends; Nikolais/Louis Dance Company

*Trish Casey
Pauline Koner Dance Company; Graduate of NCSA

*Rebecca Hutchins
Clay Taliafero; Graduate of NCSA

*Sean Sullivan
Limon Dance Company

Nina Lucas
Director, Dance Program, Wake Forest University; MFA, University of California, Los Angeles

Tina Yarborough
Artistic Director, Otesha Creative Arts Ensemble

Music Faculty (Ballet and Contemporary)

*Lynn Messick
B.M., Salem College

*NCSA Permanent Dance Faculty
Faculty is subject to change

All students classified in grades 12 or below are eligible to earn high school credit; college students may earn college semester hours.

High School students – three-fourths unit (dance technique)
College students – three semester hours (dance technique)

Graduates of the dance program of the North Carolina School of the Arts are currently performing with classical and contemporary companies throughout the world. A few notable ones include:

Gillian Murphy
Soloist, American Ballet Theatre

Dwana Smallwood
Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble

Katita Waldo
Principal, San Francisco Ballet

Jamie Martinez
David Parsons Dance Company