Virtual Joy in dance to check out this week!

Online dance performances & classes!

It’s ok to feel the loss of the life we once knew. This week, cheer yourself up with some dance! We have some fantastic online dance performances and classes to check out below.

Watch Works & Process Artists (WPA) Virtual Commissions

Works & Process Artists (WPA) Virtual Commissions, a direct response to the pandemic, was launched to financially support artists and nurture their creative process during these challenging times. Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, is granting more than $150,000 in commissioning funds to artists who have been or were supposed to be featured at Works & Process. Artists from a wide variety of genres have been commissioned to create new works, less than 5 minutes long, while social distancing, that will premiere on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (@worksandprocess) every Sunday and Monday at 7:30pm and can be viewed anytime after. Check out the WPA Virtual Commissions Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6On3OKBegI&list=PLJ08rQmWB63RFC3avQF-nDsneUXLrUd4X

New York Theatre Ballet School online classes

New York Theatre Ballet School continues its online summer classes August 3-28, 2020. Through the program, students receive world-class Cecchetti training from top industry instructors. The classes are intermediate level ballet, with elementary pointe. For more information and to register, email admin@nytb.org. All classes will be held through Zoom in Eastern Daylight Time. Classes run Monday, Wednesday, Friday 5:00pm-6:45pm for intermediate level ballet with elementary pointe.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company conducting regular Company Classes and rehearsals online

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is keeping its dancers in shape by conducting regular Company Classes and rehearsals online from Nai-Ni and Company dancer’s living rooms using Zoom while inviting intermediate/advanced level dancers around the world to join the class at no cost.  These classes have received overwhelmingly positive reception with more than 300 registrants.  Nai-Ni Chen has re-launched the classes and renamed the program: The Bridge. The new title signifies the Company’s focus on supporting artists of color whose practices are embedded in the community and are focused on advancing the art of dance. The mission is, through cyberspace, to provide the physical experience in the boundary-breaking dances from the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) Community. Interested dancers can join the class by registering on Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company’s website:  http://nainichen.org/company-class.

Dance/USA Announces Allyship Training Workshop

Dance/USA is pleased to present a two-day, virtual Allyship Workshop facilitated by Service Never Sleeps August 25 and 26 2020. This workshop is designed to train community members to be bridge-building allies who promote social justice as a way of life. The cost to attend is $35 per person. This Allyship Workshop is facilitated by Service Never Sleeps and is designed to train community members to be bridge- building allies that promote social justice as a way of life. Service Never Sleeps launched in 2015 as a program under the Aspen Institute’s Center for Urban Innovations. Through the Aspen Institute’s year-long incubation, Service Never Sleeps has emerged as one of the most innovative nonprofits of its kind for effective Allyship. For more information, please visit the following link: https://www.serviceneversleeps.org/

Watch Free Virtual International Dance Festival

Watch the Detroit Dance City Festival Choreographers Showcase on September 12, 7:00 p.m. on YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/artlabj DDCF’s Choreographers Showcase provides a platform for choreographers to present their work on the majestic Detroit Film Theater Stage, DDCF’s Choreographers Showcase is an opportunity to bring together artists and dancers from around the world to share their current projects with each other, and with DDCF audiences alike. From among the diverse body of works submitted by our applicants, pieces have been thoughtfully selected to showcase and inclusive representation of local, national, and international talent.

Los Pasitos: Early Childhood Virtual Dance Classes (Ages 2-5) 

Ballet Hispánico’s Los Pasitos, Early Childhood Program for ages 2-5 merges creativity, cultures, and technique. Its curriculum focuses on developing coordination, spatial awareness, and musicality, with an emphasis on each child’s individual self-expression. Students learn proper dance etiquette, explore the wide spectrum of Latino cultures, and build a solid foundation for dance training in a joyful, creative environment. Fall Mini Session runs from September 21 – December 12, 2020 and you can find out more here: https://www.ballethispanico.org/school/school-year-programs/early-childhood

Image courtesy of Detroit Dance City Festival Choreographers Showcase