Young dancers around the Morgantown community have the chance to train with the best performing arts professors in the Division of Theatre and Dance at West Virginia University.

The first-ever Mountaineer Summer Dance Camp is a weeklong workshop geared toward students (ages 11 and up) pursuing top-notch dance training. The program begins June 6 and ends with a student showcase at the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre on June 11 at 11 a.m. The showcase is free and open to the public.

Classes will be taught by current WVU dance program faculty, including Yoav Kaddar (modern and choreography), Renee Nicholson (ballet and pointe), and Barbara Yurick (jazz). Additionally, students will take specialty classes from WVU theater faculty such as Jessica Bishop (stage combat) and Joann Siegrist (puppetry), and special guests Stephanie Morris (tap) and Fiona Upward (nutrition and injury prevention).

Yoav Kaddar, director of dance at WVU, says the camp is important for young dancers since local schools let out before other summer dance activities begin, leaving a gap in the dancers’ training.

“This program gives the WVU dance faculty the chance to reach out and offer local dancers the opportunity to train with teachers they wouldn’t normally get the chance to during the school year,” Kaddar said.

“They will also be exposed to new teaching methods, dance techniques, and other specialty courses. This will hopefully expand their versatility and help them be better informed future artists.”

The camp will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. All classes and performances will be held in WVU’s Creative Arts Center. Dancers are responsible for their own room and board, transportation, and meals.

Tuition for the camp is $275 with a one-time registration fee of $25. In order to enroll, the student must have three years of previous dance experience. Class levels will be up to the discretion of the faculty following the placement classes on the first day of camp.

Camp faculty members come from diverse performing backgrounds and have choreographed, taught and performed nationally as well as abroad with companies such as Paul Taylor Dance Company, Pilobolus, Jose Limon Dance Company and more. Professors are also certified in American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum, physical therapy, stage combat and puppetry.

Kaddar hopes the program will promote WVU’s dance program and attract prospective students, as well as promote dance within the state.

College students who have gone through WVU’s dance program have gone on to attend summer intensives around the country and internationally such as Paul Taylor Dance Company Summer Intensive, American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive, North Carolina Dance Theatre School, the ProDanza Italia/USA Workshop in Italy, as well as internships with Walt Disney World.

Kaddar said the program hopes to expand in the future, with students living on campus in the residence halls for the week with a meal plan, and with more dance-related activities offered throughout the week. Additionally, they’d like to set it up in the future to offer credit for completion of the program.

Any local dancers that are interested in taking only one or two classes during the week should contact the office, Kaddar said.

-WVU-

mm/06/03/11

CONTACT: Yoav Kaddar, WVU Division of Theatre & Dance
304-293-8623, Yoav.Kaddar@mail.wvu.edu

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