DETROIT, Michigan, June 9, 2008...The Detroit Opera House Summer Dance Intensive returns to the Margo V. Cohen Center for Dance at the Detroit Opera House July 21 through August 8, 2008, and will offer a diverse experience for the serious dancer.  This rigorous dance intensive provides the serious dance student with optimal technical and performance training in a positive, nurturing environment.  Each year, international guest artists instruct and train students, imparting technical fundamentals that will be valuable in a wide range of performance settings.  For the first time, a jazz and hip-hop workshop will be offered.

The Summer Dance Intensive at the Detroit Opera House is a full-time day program for students ages 14 and up who demonstrate commitment and talent in ballet, modern, jazz or hip-hop dance.  Three separate programs will be offered: Advanced Ballet Intensive (July 21-25), age 16 and up; Jazz/Hip-Hop Workshop (July 28-August 1), age 14 and up; and Intermediate/Advanced Modern Intensive (August 4-8), age 14 and up.

Instructors for this year’s Summer Dance Intensive are all seasoned professionals in the dance world.  Giuseppe Canale (Ballet) has toured extensively with the Maurice Bejart Ballet of the 20^th Century and the Het National Ballet of Amsterdam, among others, and is currently the co-director of the Northeast Academy of Dance.  Erin Lamont (Jazz/Hip-Hop), an established dancer and choreographer in Los Angeles, is a jazz teacher on the faculty of EDGE Performing Arts; her credits include choreography for Sketchers, the LA Clippers, and ESPN halftime shows.  Christopher Huggins (Modern) trained at the Juilliard School and is best known for his time at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; he has recently choreographed for Ailey II and is an artist-in-residence at the Ailey School.

Criteria for acceptance into the Summer Dance Intensive at the Detroit Opera House include dance training specific to each program, a commitment to progressively challenging technique classes, and a significant interest in performance.  Programs are $200 each.  The deadline for registration is July 11 and can be completed online at www.MichiganOpera.org or by mail.  Applications are available to download on the Detroit Opera House website at www.MichiganOpera.org.

Each weeklong dance intensive culminates in a special performance in the fully-equipped Chrysler Black Box Theatre at the Detroit Opera House.  This informal performance setting provides an exciting finale to the summer dance experience and allows students to demonstrate their growth in front of a live audience.  The final performance will be on the last day of each class: Advanced Ballet on Friday, July 25; Jazz/Hip-Hop on Friday, August 1; and Intermediate/Advanced Modern on Friday, August 4.

Contact

Rebekah Johnson
(313) 237-3403
rjohnson@motopera.org

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