It's Intensive Time!

Advanced dancers after class with Mr. Kokich

Every year we can hardly wait for the last week in July, as it means the start of our Pre-Professional and Intermediate Intensive programs!

We love welcoming new and current students and guest faculty to work intensively on ballet, pointe, jazz and modern techniques, as well as pilates and body maintenance classes!

This year we were excited to welcome Jerry Kokich (former Joffrey Ballet dancer) joining us for week 2, Gary Sevani (a skilled Vaganova technique teacher), joining us for week 2 and 3 and Deborah Kenner (a faculty member of Pacific Northwest Ballet) for week 3!

There's nothing quite like the buzz in the air when the studios are filled to the brim with focused, attentive dancers.  This year, in addition to year round students, we were joined by an alumni student training at San Francisco Ballet, a student from Hawaii and several local dancers training at different schools!

Next year's intensive will be held July 27-August 14, 2015 and stay tuned for information regarding our Winter Audition Prep Workshop/Intensive that will be held again over Winter Break this year.

We're looking forward to a wonderful Summer Intensive performance tomorrow in the Vincent Paul Black Box! Hope to see some of you there!

And here's a fun fact: Mr. Sevani's son plays the role of Moose in the Step Up dance movie series!

 

Dancers in Character class with Mr. Sevani

Nadia, 15, at the Scripps Performing Arts Academy Intermediate Intensive Program

 Towards the end of the school year I saw an invitation to the Intermediate Intensive at Scripps Performing Arts Academy.  I became so happy and started counting down the days until it started. Until then, I took open classes in July to keep up my technique throughout the summer.  The last day of open classes, I was told that I would have the wonderful opportunity to attend the Pre- Professional Intensive for the first week. After I was told this news my excitement went out the window.

Nadia working on her own choreography in Contemporary Class

At the Pre- Professional Intensive I had the chance to work with Amanda Kofsky, Ryan Beck, and Miah Nwosu. Each teacher inspired me to do better, and to be better. I grew so much in just that one week. I don’t think I had ever been so sore before. Ms. Kofsky taught us ballet and contemporary, during ballet we incorporated floor barre which really helped me with my turnout and helped with placement. We also had the chance to do our own choreography, which was something that I never thought I could do. With Mr. Beck we focused on jumps and turns, he also helped me a lot with placing the head and arms in the proper place to make the movement gorgeous. We did pre- pointe with Ms. Miah and by the end of the week I could feel a difference. Being in the Pre- Professional Intensive for only one week helped me to improve so much.

Nadia in Ballet Class during the Intermediate Program

Thankfully I had the weekend to let my body rest after the first week and then I was off to the Intermediate Intensive. Our instructors were Robyn Shifren, Teresa Wells, Caryn Glass, Miah Nwosu, Lori Katz, and Audrey Bondoc. In these two weeks we had Ballet, Yoga, Pilates, Modern, Pre- Pointe, Jazz, and Choreography. I was glad to be doing this intensive because I got to work on the little things and trying to perfect movements. Yoga was a fun class for me because all though a lot of the movements were familiar to me it was nice to be able to relax and focus on how I was moving and my breath. I would have to say that my favorite class overall would have to have been jazz because it something so familiar and comes the movements come very naturally to me. Unfortunately, I was unable to do the performance at the end of the intensive, but I did learn all of the dances and they were amazing and I was very happy to have learned them. I will always remember those three weeks of my summer, and they were by far the best weeks and I was happy to spend them with all of my closest friends, the best teachers and at the perfect studio.

Earthkalah Opens This Week!

Princess Golah and the
Evil Sorcerer Greedious, in rehearsal

This year's All School Production will open this weekend, Friday at 6:30, Saturday and Sunday at 4pm in the Vincent Paul Black Box Theatre.

Earthkalah is a contemporary fairy tale, inspired by a trip Miss Angela took to the desert with Shirley MacLaine. Written by Executive Director Angela Amoroso, the narrated contemporary ballet illuminates the vision that together, we may have the courage to live our lives to the fullest and to contribute to humanity with a sense of selfless joy rather than selfish destruction.

Earthkalah has been performed several times since it's 1988 premiere and has become an audience favorite and a Scripps Performing Arts Staple! As a narrated ballet whose characters include bunnies, birds, flowers, mermaids and fisher boys, it's great for small children!

Earthkalah will be presented with Les Rendez-vous, a one act ballet about friends gathering in a park, performed by the Scripps Ballet Theatre.

This cast features dancers aged 3-19 years old and we hope to see you there!

Call 858-586-7834 to purchase your tickets today!