Smuin Contemporary Ballet has announced its first-ever Early Bird Summer Intensive Course for pre-professional dancers. This four-day program, open to dancers aged 14 to 22, allows students to dive deeper into their art, learning directly from the artists of the Smuin company. A comprehensive course for dancers who have intermediate/advanced training, Smuin’s Early Bird Summer Intensive will prepare students for their summer training with a comprehensive program that includes daily lessons in ballet technique, pointe/variations, jazz/contemporary and repertoire of the Smuin company, as well as Pilates, yoga and educational seminars focusing on health and wellness and tricks of the trade. The Smuin Early Bird Summer Intensive will take place June 13-16 (Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), at the Smuin Center for Dance, 1830 17th St, San Francisco. The fee for the program is $475, with a special 10% discount on all registrations before May 15, and space is limited. For more information or to register, the public can visit smuinballet.org/c4d.
The faculty of this program includes current and former Smuin dancers Valerie Harmon, Dean Terez Orr, Tess Lane and Brennan Wall. Each day begins with a fitness class led by a Smuin dancer and certified fitness instructor, followed by a ballet technique class. In the afternoon, the pointe or variations class will be followed by a repertoire class where students will learn the classical and jazz/contemporary repertoire of the Smuin company, taught by the dancers themselves. Each day will end with an educational seminar focusing on dance health, wellness and injury prevention, as well as advice on pointe shoes and other tricks of the trade. Students will celebrate their hard work and accomplishments with their instructors and fellow students at a small party on the final day.
ABOUT SMUIN
For more than 25 years, Smuin has pushed the boundaries of contemporary ballet, presenting works that engage and delight audiences with their extraordinary physique and expression. Founded in San Francisco in 1994 by Tony and Emmy award-winning choreographer Michael Smuin, the company is committed to creating works that fuse the diverse vocabularies of classical ballet and contemporary dance. Since 2007, artistic director Celia Fushille has relied on Michael Smuinthe legacy of by creating his own vision and expanding the company’s repertoire. Fushille has invited many choreographers to create works that showcase the extraordinary versatility of Smuin’s artists, presenting unique, joyful, athletic and inventive pieces. Smuin moved into his first permanent residence in San Francisco in the fall of 2019.
Smuin began offering dance classes at the Smuin Center for Dance in January 2020, which continued remotely with virtual class offerings in spring 2020. Smuin Artistic Director Amy London was approached by Artistic Director Celia Fushille to launch Virtual Classes, which has grown to offer a wide range of dance styles and fitness classes for all levels. London was Smuin’s ballet master for 13 years, and with more than two decades of experience as a dance educator and program director, she was ideal to create the program. The company has mentored hundreds of aspiring and professional dancers, as well as those just looking for a fun course to stay in shape, through a variety of movements including ballet, tap, jazz, and more. Smuin’s dance training and education programs continue to expand through new initiatives such as the Summer Intensive.
