San Francisco Conservatory of Dance's Superstar Summer

Wendy Garofoli | Jul 17, 2008 | 0

A student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance

Morning, folks! I'm writing to you from the East Coast for the next two weeks, as I run around trying to finalize wedding plans (I'm getting married in Boston in September!) As I checked my email, I ran across a press release that made me yearn to be back in the Bay Area, if only to witness some of the genius taking place at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. Powerhouse choreographers William Forsythe, Jirí Kylián and Ohan Naharin have all endorsed the school's summer intensive, sending representatives to serve as guest faculty for the summer. While the artistic directors of The Forsythe Company, Netherlands Dance Theater and Batsheva Dance Company, respectively, have set works on many prestigious professional dance companies, this is one of the rare times they've chosen to work with a dance studio.

To find out more about the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance's summer intensive (including other amazing guest faculty), check out the press release after the jump:

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--Students at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance have the rare privilege this summer of learning works by no fewer than three of the world's leading contemporary choreographers-William Forsythe, Jirí Kylián and Ohad Naharin. Customarily in the repertories of the world's leading dance companies, their works are seldom taught in dance schools. Artistic directors of The Forsythe Company, Netherlands Dance Theater and Batsheva Dance Company respectively, these preeminent choreographers have collaborated with the Conservatory in designing courses of study which involve teaching their trademark movement methodologies and selected choreography to the Conservatory's advanced dancers. They will be sending their personally-designated representatives Thomas McManus, Elke Schepers and Bobbi Smith to San Francisco from Germany, the Netherlands and Israel to serve as guest faculty members.

Mr. McManus was formerly principal dancer with Frankfurt Ballet, Ms. Schepers is currently ballet mistress with Netherlands Dance Theater, and Ms. Smith is currently a dancer with Batsheva Dance Ensemble who concurrently spearheads Batsheva's outreach program for young dancers.

150 talented dancers ranging in age from 14 to 23 have been selected through national auditions to participate in the 2008 rendition of the Conservatoryâ€^TMs trail-blazing Summer Intensive Program. They hail from 35 states and six countries, with many coming from the B.F.A. dance programs at the Juilliard School, The Ailey School/Fordham University Partnership, SUNY Purchase, Boston Conservatory, Philadelphia University of the Arts, University of Arizona, University of Utah, Florida State University, Cornish College of the Arts, Loyola Marymount University, UC Irvine, Cal State Long Beach, California Institute of the Arts and various other colleges, as well as from a nationwide assortment of dance schools.

While this will be the first year Mr. Naharin's work is incorporated in the Conservatory's curriculum, it will be the second year for that of Mr. Forsythe and the fourth for that of Mr. Kylián (the first three of which were taught by Glenn Edgerton, former artistic director of Netherlands Dance Theater, recently named associate artistic director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago).

"We're very proud to have the endorsement of such dance icons as Forsythe, Kylián, and Naharin, and we're thrilled to have Thomas, Elke and Bobbi join our faculty," said Summer Lee Rhatigan, the Conservatory's artistic director. "As our students will also be developing new works with choreographers Robert Moses, Alex Ketley, Cheryl Chaddick, and Christian Burns, studying advanced technique with Chiharu Shibata
and myself, and working with other distinguished guest teachers, they are sure to finish the summer with a wealth of invaluable experience. Our showcase performances in July and August promise to be very exciting."

The San Francisco Conservatory of Dance was launched in 2004 by Rhatigan, a veteran dancer and teacher, and a team of collaborators whose primary goal was to create a new kind of dance school specifically designed to guide and support young dancers in their discovery, understanding, development and application of the tools necessary to thrive as an artist. For more information, visit www.SFconservatoryofDance.org.

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Ballet, Modern, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Studio, Performance, Summer Study (all tags)