Photo respectfully reproduced from the Ririe-Woodbury Summer Intensive webpage.
Bring in the Summer Season: How Dance Intensives and Festivals are Making a Comeback in 2021
By Camryn Eaglin
Now that many dance companies and programs are back to their summer festivities, dancers have many options. However, each particular format is up to the discretion of the specific organization. Throughout the country mandates are becoming less strict with vaccinations available. Now, programs are able to function in person to some capacity if they desire, and many are doing so. Across the dance community this summer the consensus seems to be around a virtual, in-person mix (aka hybrid). This decision can be dependent upon either maximizing access to a program through the virtual space or prioritizing in-person learning in real time but with a very limited number of dancers. Let’s take a look at what the dance community has to offer this summer and how they are doing it!
Dance Summer Workshops
Many dance workshops and intensives this summer are offering an in-person option along with a virtual option. All the in-person options do require a health screening with COVID protocols in place. Please visit links to access exact costs and exact application requirements if still accepting.
Complexions Contemporary Ballet is offering one virtual option via Zoom this summer, and five in-person options in four different cities: Dallas, LA, Detroit, and NYC. The company is executing this through a limited capacity of students both online and in person. For their virtual setting, they are only admitting 30 students on a first come first serve basis. Their in-person capacity varies city to city, but overall there are no more than 35 students allowed per group. Auditions are still required for acceptance into the program. True to tradition, Complexions plans to put on a showcase at the end of each intensive where friends and family can join. The LA intensive deadline is June 30th; the others are closed.
Alvin Ailey’s highly remarked summer intensive is forging on this summer. Their annual junior division for ages 14-16 will take place in person, but they are only allowing dancers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont to participate. Their junior division has no virtual option. However, the professional division for ages 17-25 has only one restriction as far as enrollment. Due to visa restriction and quarantine requirements, international students aren’t eligible to enroll for this in-person option. Although this program is filled to capacity, the professional division is offering a virtual Horton workshop with pre-recorded classes that you can take at your own pace. There is no audition required. Dancers can still enroll in this virtual workshop.
This year David Dorfman Dance’s annual summer workshop has both a live and virtual option simultaneously. Participating dancers are given a choice to select what option best suits them and their learning. Students participating live are welcome to stay in the dorms at Connecticut College in New London, CT for the five day intensive. All in-person students will be required to be a part of their COVID-19 testing program. There is no capacity listed for the maximum number of virtual students or the in-person option. DDD is still accepting enrollment prior to the intensive start date of July 6th.
The A.I.M (Abraham in Motion) Intensive is happening both in person and online. The intensive is only permitting 32 people. This includes 12 people for in person training and 20 people joining virtually. Although their applications closed, their admission process was quite interesting. The application asked potential participants to complete two short essay questions elaborating on why they desire to either learn through the virtual space or in-person, and what they could gain from the experience.
The Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company of Salt Lake city, Utah is hosting a Move-it Teacher Workshop along with their annual Professional Workshop. However, for the first time this professional workshop will be intertwined with a new Salt Lake City-based dance festival, Dance West. Both of these workshops are hoping to be in-person but they have made clear that updates will be made as the intensive comes closer. Applications are still open for both workshops.
There are a few companies that will execute intensives strictly online:
AXIS Dance is hosting a virtual intensive via Zoom (August 2nd-6th) which is open to disabled and non-disabled artists. There is no virtual capacity as the company strives to engage the community from all around the world. They are utilizing the virtual ability to have greater reach. There will be a plethora of classes including a teacher training portion that provides teachers with information on inclusive dance methods.
New Dialect in Nashville, Tennessee is hosting an all-virtual workshop with its focus as a research lab. They are providing three access options to participants. The three offers give dancers the options to what content they have access to. They also have no set capacity as they also are placing focus on connecting with peers all over the online space to explore creative process, guest artist sessions, and hold discussions. All access options are still open for registration.
The Doug Varone and Dancers Summer workshop for pre-professional and professional dancers is also functioning completely virtually. Classes will be hosted online with no audition necessary. The company strives for no more than 30 participants in a given class.They also offer great flexibility. If a participant can’t attend a specific part of the workshop, there will be recorded videos and discussions provided so you can access the classes when time permits. The company says this will be their last virtual workshop. Applications for the intensive are currently open.
Photo respectfully reproduced from the Jacob's Pillow website, related to the zoe | juniper virtual performance in August. Find out more here.
Dance Festivals
Some of the biggest dance festivals in the community are gearing up to create an experience like never before, making the best of the circumstances and expanding the way they reach dancers.
Jacob’s Pillow is offering an encompassing experience for participants with their first multi-platform festival. The 2021 festival will span from June 30th to August 29th, and streaming events will go on as long as September 23rd. The festival will include various performances from different companies on their outdoor stage, online discussions, dance classes, exhibits, and community events. Onsite events and performances are functioning at 25% capacity to promote social distancing; but audiences can tune in from anywhere in the world if they RSVP their tickets.
The American Dance Festival will run as a four-week program this summer from July 21st to July 17th. This festival will be done virtually where there are drop-in classes, discussions, virtual performances, and weekend workshops.. Participants have the option to enroll as drop-in, part-time, or full-time. The full-time option gives you access to 8 classes per week. The intensive is movement and technique focused and will still challenge dancers even through a virtual zone.
The Bates Dance Festival will be hosting workshops and performances at Bates College in Maine. Their Professional Training Program for dancers 18 and older will be held for 3 weeks in-person. BDF is limiting student acceptance to just 35 in order to ensure proper distancing in its studios and dorms. Evening and weekend events will include outdoor performances, panel discussions, screenings and more. The only online feature of this program will include artist talks and digital performances. They will also host two programs virtually, Young Dancers Workshop @ Home for ages 14-16 and Professional Training @ Home for dancers 18 and up. They are truly providing options suited for all. Only the two at-home intensives are still open for applications.
The Yard has a creative and performance platform for artists. From June to August, they will host six choreographers for creative residencies to produce workshops and performances. These will function as “bubble” residencies. The Yard will present a combination of in-person and online performances throughout the summer. All in-person performances will be carried out for the Martha’s Vineyard community, and they will enforce reduced capacity at events. Tickets will go on sale throughout the summer and performances will occur based upon proper protocol.
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