This program is a unique offering of foundational modern dance technique. Beginning at five years of age with Creative Dance and advancing to Modern Dance I, II & III with Horton-based technique, students are working with respected faculty who themselves are experienced teachers and performers. Students acquire strength, physicality, rhythm and proper body alignment as well as celebrating the expressivity of dance. Our Intermediate and Advanced Modern Ensemble students have the additional advantages of learning Cunningham and Graham technique in addition to a variety of repertory.
They also have performing opportunities with our Winter and Spring dance concerts, as well as participating in masterclasses throughout the year. Colburn Dance’s partnership with the Cunningham Trust enables our students to go beyond the technique and learn Merce Cunningham’s works directly from stagers who themselves worked with Merce. An incredible opportunity that expands the dancers understanding of the technique and furthers their artistic development. Colburn Dance is the only dance program on the West Coast offering these opportunities to middle school and high school aged students.
Creative Dance classes combine the mastery of dance skills and vocabulary with creative expression. They can be a transition from Early Childhood movement classes or be a child’s first experience with dance and movement.
In Creative Dance, students learn to invent movement from within their own skills and movement history. They are taught to experiment and try new, unexplored movements that arise from the demands of the moment, enabling them to create, think and respond to a variety of stimuli and prompts.
Students work along, with partners, and in small groups to explore key dance concepts as space, time, energy, relationship, and body awareness. Through structured improvisations, skill building and creative problem solving, students are immersed in the artistic process, empowered to make creative choices in a supportive, joyful environment.
Auditions are not required but students between ages of 4 years, 5 months and 4 years, 11 months are encouraged to take a trial class
Auditions are not required but students between ages of 6 to 8 years, 11 months are encouraged to take a trial class.
This class introduces students to proper body alignment and engaging and strengthening muscles. Articulations through the spine and torso are developed together with work on coordination, balance, rhythm, musicality and a fundamental movement vocabulary.
While continuing to work on body alignment and strength, students begin to build a movement vocabulary. Phrases of movement across the space, use of different levels, and jumping are added to help build physicality and spatial awareness.
Continuing to build on the foundation from Modern II, students’ progress with continued focus on developing technique and musicality while further developing strength and artistry. Ballet technique is added once a week to further their development and to add the necessary vocabulary. Modern III students will be part of the creative process when learning choreography for the Spring dance concert.
In addition to studying Horton and ballet technique at this level, students’ progress to training in the Cunningham technique which is unique in its core use of the torso, space and musicality. These classes continue to develop strength, physicality and artistry. Students will also have original dance works created on them, with performances.
At the most advanced level, students continue to study Cunningham, Horton and ballet technique, with the addition of a Graham technique class once a week. The focus in this level, while continuing to enhance general technique and strength, is the cultivation and development of personal artistry, learning repertory and playing an active part in creating works, culminating in performances.