Events – Avanti Dance Company

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Advanced Modern Series

Friday, September 16th 6:30-8:00 pm
Friday, September 23rd 6:30-8:00 pm
Friday, October 7th 6:30-8:00 pm
Friday, October 14th 6:30-8:00 pm
Ages 11+ (advanced)
Cost $35.00 per class

Join Linda Sohl-Ellison, accompanied by percussionist Monti Ellison, for a limited series of Modern Dance Master Classes at Avanti Dance company!

Linda is thrilled be invited to teach Modern Dance at Avanti and to have the opportunity to share her life experience in dance with today’s generation of talented dancers. Her Modern Dance Master Class Series is open to Avanti upper level dancers and to adult dancers from the community. The class is designed for serious dancers with strong training in other styles such as ballet, contemporary and jazz, and welcomes mature dancers and those returning to dance after a hiatus. Classes will focus on a modern dance style that encompasses Linda’s training in Nikolais, Limon, and Cunningham techniques, her own choreographic work, plus rhythm and music explorations from her tap background. The goals are to help dancers develop or maintain efficient technique, alignment, balance, flexibility, strength and endurance, incorporate breath, swing, fall and recovery principles, and introduce foundational modern dance vocabulary. Class progressions emphasizing rhythmic clarity will build to full body movement phrases and traveling phrases, and may incorporate improvisation.

Dancers will be provided with spatial challenges, directional changes, phrasing and musicality challenges. What is the rhythm, intention, dynamic or quality of the movement? Does the energy flow from the spine out through the limbs and project beyond the extremities? Are the body shapes kinetic or positional? Dancers will be encouraged to be fully present, to listen and let the live music influence their dancing, and to find their own expression within the class material, as appropriate.

Linda Sohl-Ellison, a former full time dance faculty member at Orange Coast College for 37 years, taught advanced Modern Dance, Choreography, Improvisation, Jazz, Tap, Repertoire, and she enjoyed mentoring dancers in their pursuit of professional dance careers. She has taught, performed and toured internationally and is the Artistic Director of Rhapsody In Taps, a tap and live music company she founded in 1981 that incorporated modern dance structures and aesthetics in her tap choreographies.

Monti Ellison was head staff musician for 15 years at Alvin Ailey Dance Studio in New York, and for the past twenty years has been a dance musician at major California schools including Loyola Marymount, CSULB, The Wooden Floor and others. Monti also teaches African Dance and Drumming and conducts bucket drumming workshops.

Linda and Monti have each had illustrious careers in the arts, working individually and together. They continue to enjoy collaborating– teaching, and creating tap and percussion duets that they perform at tap festivals.

LEGS & EXTENSIONS

(Sunday Training Clinics)

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

This 1.5 hour training block will focus on lengthening, strengthening leg extensions to get more height and longer lines, skills worked on will be Arabesque, Penche’, Needle.

Two Levels:

Level 2/3 Ages 7+ 11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Level 4/5 Ages 10+ 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm

VAGANOVA BALLET

with Michael Houston

(Sunday Training Clinics)

OCTOBER 16, 2022

FEBRUARY 12, 2023

This 1.5 hour training block will focus on improving technique and learning new skills.

Two Levels:

Level 2/3 Ages 7+ 11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Level 4/5 Ages 10+ 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm