01.18.12
Ballet and Hip-Hop Master Classes In Willimantic
Willimantic—This spring, EASTCONN’s Capitol Theater Arts Academy (CTAA) will present two master classes, one in ballet, the other in hip-hop dance, for students, ages 8 and up, under the direction of two accomplished local dance teachers.
The classes will take place at EASTCONN’s Capitol Theater, which houses CTAA, at 896 Main St., in downtown Willimantic.
Beginning on Sat., Jan. 21, 2012, and continuing on Feb. 4, Mar. 3, Apr. 14 and May 5, from 2-3:30 p.m., former Hartford Ballet ballerina and ballet teacher Jeanne Giroir will teach a “Ballet Workshop” for CTAA. On Sat., Mar. 24, from 1-2 p.m., Hartford-area dancer and choreographer Bryan Smith, who has worked with “So You Think You Can Dance” stars, will teach the CTAA “Hip-Hop Workshop.”
The “Ballet Workshop” master classes, intended for students 11 and older with four years of training, will incorporate the concepts of the Russian (Vaganova) ballet technique. Each class will begin with a ballet barre and continue to work on center work, pointe work and ballet variations.
The “Hip-Hop Workshop” master class, intended for students 8 to 13 years old, will be a fresh, face-paced dance class, encompassing the fun and high-energy design of hip-hop, challenging students to think on their feet.
Advanced registration is recommended for all workshops. For more information or to register, call the Capitol Theater at 860-465-5636 x1023 or e-mail Rachel Roccoberton Griffin, CTAA coordinator, at rgriffin@eastconn.org .
Giroir studied at the School of American Ballet in New York City and at the Harkness Ballet. A principal dancer with the Hartford Ballet for 15 years, she danced such roles as the Sugar Plum Fairy/Clara in The Nutcracker, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and the Maiden in Carmina Burana. She has taught at the School of the Hartford Ballet, the Hartford Conservatory and is currently on the faculty of the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.
Smith is a Texas native who received a diploma in Dance Performance and Pedagogy from the Hartford Conservatory. He is a founding member of SOMA, a modern dance company based in Hartford. Smith has worked with “So You Think You Can Dance” season 5 contestant Ade Obayomi in his summer dance tour and has also toured the Northeast, producing and choreographing flash mobs for First Niagara Bank. He serves on the faculty at the Greater Hartford Academy of Arts, Miss Porter’s School and his work will be seen in the 2012 Rose Parade.
CTAA serves northeastern Connecticut residents, ages 3 and up. Classes are taught by some of Connecticut’s finest arts professionals, who help students explore the arts through dance, theater, cartooning, creative writing and individual music lessons. Classes are offered in both fall and spring sessions. CTAA is an arts education outreach program of EASTCONN, a public, non-profit, Regional Educational Service Center that has been serving the education needs of northeastern Connecticut’s schools and communities since 1980. Visit www.eastconn.org.
