The Ailey Organization, American Ballet Theatre, Pilobolus, And Martha Graham Team Up With Usdan For Its 2016 Camp Season
NEW YORK, NY (PRWEB) June 01, 2016 -- Four venerable American dance companies are joining forces with Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts (http://www.usdan.org), just in time for the 2016 summer camp season. Announced today, the troupes –The Ailey Organization, American Ballet Theatre (ABT), Martha Graham, and Pilobolus-- are officially on the Camp’s proverbial dance card, further strengthening Usdan’s notable offerings for campers from ages four through 18.
As a result of the newly inked collaborations, Usdan’s curriculum now includes:
• Ailey’s Arts In Education & Community Program’s teaching artists will lead two separate hour-long Jazz Dance sessions for the Junior division (grades 4-6), as well as one hour for Dance Ensemble students (grades 4-10);
• Martha Graham's Technique classes and Creative Workshop throughout the summer, available to Dance Ensemble students (grades 4-10);
• Pilobolus’ “Moving and Making with Pilobolus” Masterclass, which allows dancers and non-dancers alike (grades 2-12) to discover their own unique artistic voice, while learning how to work with others to create original material collaboratively;
• American Ballet Theatre (ABT) weeklong program is an extension of their “Make a Ballet” program, during which students will explore an existing ballet from the ABT repertoire and create a performance inspired by that piece. The class will be offered to Dance Ensemble majors (grades 4-10) and Junior Ballet students (grades 2-6) during the week of August 8-12.
In addition, the Camp has added Dance Lab: The Art of Dance-Making to its docket. An innovative movement class, Dance Lab students will create their own dance using music, smartphone technology, props, poetry, and personal story, all informed by historical and cultural practices of world-renowned artists. Designed to help students broaden their creative and artistic skills through the art of dance, the daily explorations will be offered to Junior Dance minors (grades 4-6) as well as Recreation students during all sessions.
“Usdan has a history of collaborating with major artists and cultural organizations, and that we are thrilled to welcome these four companies to our campus for the first time,” says Lauren Brandt Schloss, Usdan’s Executive Director. “We are also grateful to our friend --the wonderful Dance Educator and Advocate Jody Gottfried Arnhold-- for making the introduction to these incredible partners. With these new collaborations in place, we’re poised to take the program to even greater heights. I’m more excited than ever to see the performances that emerge from this summer’s sessions.”
To enroll in the above classes or for more information about the 2016 Camp season, visit http://www.usdan.org or call 631-643-7900 or 212 772 6060.
The nationally acclaimed summer arts day camp that has introduced the arts to more than 40,000 children since its inception, begins its new season on June 27th. All programs will take place at the camp’s magnificent 140-acre woodland campus, located at 185 Colonial Springs Road in Wheatley Heights, NY.
ABOUT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
American Ballet Theatre (http://www.abt.org) is recognized as one of the great dance companies in the world. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope, and outreach. Founded in 1940, ABT is the only major cultural institution that annually tours the United States, performing for more than 450,000 people. Over its 75-year history, the Company has also made more than 30 international tours to 50 countries as perhaps the most representative American ballet company and has been sponsored by the State Department of the United States on many of these engagements.
ABOUT ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER AND THE AILEY ORGANIZATION
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” grew from a now-fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance. Founded by Alvin Ailey, recent posthumous recipient of the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and guided by Judith Jamison beginning in 1989, the Company is now led by Robert Battle, whom Judith Jamison chose to succeed her on July 1, 2011. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on six continents, promoting the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. Each year, Ailey’s Arts in Education & Community Programs educate and inspire over 100,000 young people in classrooms and communities through student performances, lecture-demonstrations, technique classes, curriculum-based residences inspired by Alvin Ailey’s signature masterpiece "Revelations" and AileyCamp, a unique summer day camp in cities nationwide. For more information on the Ailey organization’s performances, training and educational programs, visit http://www.alvinailey.org.
ABOUT MARTHA GRAHAM
The Martha Graham Dance Company (http://marthagraham.org) has been a leader in the development of contemporary dance since its founding in 1926. Today, the Company is embracing a new programming vision that showcases masterpieces by Graham alongside newly commissioned works by contemporary artists. With programs that offer a rich thematic narrative, the Company creates new platforms for contemporary dance and multiple points of access for audiences.
ABOUT PILOBOLUS
Pilobolus (http://www.pilobolus.org) is an internationally acclaimed dance company and arts organization known for its playful approach to movement and theater. Founded in 1971 by a group of Dartmouth College students with no training in dance and no interest in playing by the rules of classical dance technique, Pilobolus has created and toured over 120 pieces of repertory to more than 65 countries and currently performs its work for over 300,000 people across the U.S. and around the world each year. The company has been recognized with many honors, including a Scripps Award in 2000, a Dance Magazine Award in 2010, a TED Fellowship, a 2012 Grammy® Award Nomination, and several Cannes Lion Awards at the International Festival of Creativity.
ABOUT USDAN SUMMER CAMP FOR THE ARTS
Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts (http://www.usdan.org) offers nearly 70 classes in music, dance, theater, visual arts, creative writing, nature, recreation and chess, annually hosting more than 1,500 students from towns throughout the New York City metro area. Open to all young people from age 4 to 18, no audition is needed for most courses, and transportation is provided in air-conditioned buses that depart from most New York-area neighborhoods. One-third of Usdan’s students receive scholarship assistance based on family need or merit.
Although the mission of Usdan is for every child to establish a relationship with the arts, the unique stimulation of the campus has caused many to go on to arts careers. Alumni include members of Broadway shows and major music, theater, and dance ensembles such as the Boston Pops and the New York City Ballet. Usdan is an agency of the UJA-Federation of New York.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Meryl Cooper, 917-974-0022, meryl@theCOOPERationinc
Meryl Cooper, Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts, http://www.usdan.org, +1 917-974-0022, [email protected]
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