By Briana Dickinson, Community and Teen Program Coordinator
The Teens at LINES program is entering its second year and booming! A sophomore year highlight of the program is the expansion of Teens at LINES master class series – a total of 6 for the coming school year. The Teens at LINES master class series brings young, emerging teen dancers from all corners of the San Francisco Bay Area to participate in a one-of-a-kind dance experience. Never before has LINES held a one-day workshop just for teens offering three technique classes at a pre-professional level with some of the best teachers in the world – including Alonzo King – here in San Francisco. In its first year, each of the four master classes were a sell out! One student travelled all the way from San Diego to attend every master class and seize this unique opportunity. Year two will officially launch on Sunday, September 11, 2016 with the first Master Class of the year.
What makes the Teens at LINES Master Class so unique?
The master classes are designed especially for the intermediate/advanced dancer and are comprised of three classes: classical ballet technique, contemporary and the choreographic process, and repertory from LINES (or other professional companies in SF) or a genre of world dance. Every day-long intensive concludes with a Q & A (section with guest speakers including, LINES Ballet company dancers, Directors of LINES educational programs, professionals from the industry, and Alonzo King). This upcoming school year, Teens at LINES will offer six master classes: 2 in the fall, 2 in the winter, and 2 in the spring. The line-up of teachers is five-star and promising throughout the entire year, marking the Teens at LINES master class as something not to be missed!
“What a wonderful opportunity these kids have to immerse themselves in a myriad of styles and rise to the challenge of giving all day!” replied Courtney Henry, LINES Ballet company member, when asked what she feels about the impact of the master classes. ”I enjoy the Q&A sessions because curiosity is contagious! Their unique inquiries force me to get clear about my own artistic statement, inspiring me to observe my life’s work through their eager eyes.”
To close out the 5-hours of intensive dancing, each master class culminates with a Q&A session that in the last hour of the day. It is an enriching opportunity for students to get up close and personal with dynamic individuals including current dancers from Alonzo King LINES Ballet. “I like doing the Q&A’s because it’s always nice to meet and sit down with a group of young dancers who are excited to learn more about dance and everything that comes with it”, says Adji Cissoko of LINES Ballet. “It’s a great feeling for me to be able to give advice that may help them on their individual journeys! I hope that sharing my experiences and knowledge will inspire other students!”
For those who are familiar with LINES internationally renowned educational programs, the master classes have been referred to as a day-in-the-life of LINES Summer Program. That is to say, the education provided in the one-day master class workshop is on par with the world-class caliber of all pre-professional educational programs here at Alonzo King LINES Ballet.
Last weekend on September 11, we held our first Teens at LINES Master Class. We had 30 students that enjoyed amazing instruction by Courtney Henry (company member of LINES Ballet) teaching Int/Adv Ballet Technique, Robert Moses (Artistic Director of Robert Moses’ Kin) teaching Int/Adv Contemporary and the Choreographic Process, and Robert Dekkers (Artistic Director of Post:Ballet) teaching repertory. The next Master Class is scheduled for October 23 and you will not want to miss it.
If you or your teen are looking for something longer or more consistent than the Teens at LINES Master Class series, Teens at LINES weekly classes have expanded and begin September 17 and 18. We are so excited to welcome new Teen at LINES faculty members, Natasha Adorlee Johnson, Kai Davis and Victor Talledos. The weekly classes promise to be an opportunity for students to dig deep into their technique and their creative process. At the heart of all LINES programs is the connection to the philosophy that the individual artist voice will emerge from each dancer. That unique voice has something incredible to say, to express, to question…and Teens at LINES expands to be a place where dancers ages 11 – 18 can develop and go further as artists. Space is extremely limited in these almost full classes. Register today for the NEW Teens at LINES.
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Enjoy this film of last year’s Teens at LINES dancers performing in our annual organization-wide outdoor event at Mint Plaza:
LINESConnected 