In December (27-30th), I had the opportunity to attend a new workshop called ASH (Artists Simply Human) in Philadelphia. It is a contemporary focused workshop offered by Braham Logan Crane.
Braham assembled an amazing faculty consisting of Wes Veldink, Dee Casparay, TOKYO, Tovaris Wilson (Hip Hop), Sascha Radetsky (Ballet), Christopher Huggins (Modern), Melanie LaPatin (Ballroom) and Jim Keith (former Agent, now Manager). Sonya Tayeh was also scheduled to teach but due to the massive storm on the eastern seaboard, was unable to safely land!
The workshop aims to "connect emerging dancers with working choreographers and directors". It offered small class sizes and four days of instruction. In addition to the opportunity to learn alongside these amazing dance talents, you could participate in a solo competition, parents could attend a Question and Answer session and there was an informative discussion with Jim Keith about the realities of the dance industry.
Check out the videos above to see two class combos. The first is a contemporary class with Wes Weldink and the second a clip from TOKYO's jazz funk class.
It was an amazing week of dance and I was fortunate to be selected as a Demonstrator for future ASH events! I am so honored to be affiliated with this convention and it's organizer Braham. Not only is he a talented choreographer but he gives great recommendations on where to get an authentic Philly Cheese Steak sandwich!
Not only was the dancing great...but so were the sights. Our trip to Philly would not be complete without a visit to the famous "Rocky Steps" at the Museum of Art and the Rocky Statue. My mom and I sang the Rocky tune as we raced up the steps just like Sylvester Stallone in the original movie!
For more information on ASH Productions, visit www.ashproductions.com or Facebook "ARTISTS SIMPLY HUMAN".
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In December, I travelled to Chino, California to train for a day with Francisco Gella, Founder and Creative Director of Nuevo School of Contemporary Dance. Francisco is the Ballet expert on the Coastal Dance Rage Convention Tour and a very inspiring person.
Nuevo offers Monthly Master Class Series with some of the best choreographers in the industry. They are mandatory classes for his company dancers but the school allows guests to participate too. In December their Guest Instructor was Sonya Tayeh. She put everyone through their paces with a technical warm-up and challenging combos!
For more information regarding the Master Class Series or Nuevo, check out the school Facebook site at "Nuevo School of Contemporary Dance". Thanks to Francisco for permitting me to attend his school and for sharing his knowledge of ballet and physiology...I now have a pretty arabesque! It's easy to love Ballet when you can work with someone like Francisco...ballet is the foundation of all dance genres...so keep practicing!!!
