School of Dance Hosts Summer Dance Intensive

Last year’s students preparing for the Informal Showing

For the past seven summers, the FSU School of Dance has welcomed young dancers between the ages of 14-18 to take part in the Summer Dance Intensive. This year was no different. Thirty dancers from 12 different cities throughout Florida and Georgia arrived to the campus on June 18. The three-week Dance Workshop emphasizes both ballet and modern technique that follows a model similar to the dance major in the School of Dance. The program is designed for the dancer interested in all forms of dance. The dancers take classes in ballet, pointe, and contemporary technique as well as conditioning and repertory classes. In the evening, the dancers rotate between various styles of jazz, improvisation, and hip-hop.

Students also have the option to participate in small group, cross-training sessions where instruction can be tailored to each dancer’s individual needs. Cross-training helps dancers fine-tune their technique, re-establish capabilities following injury, reduce injury risk, learn more about how their individual bodies work, and acquire knowledge that builds confidence. The students meet in small groups of three to receive individualized attention and personalized plans to help them achieve their goals. A lot of parents and students really appreciate this feature of the program and note marked improvement when the students continue to use their personalized plan once they are back in their home dance studio.

The camp serves as an opportunity for dancers to improve their technique and can also be used as a means for students to get a sense of what it feels like to take classes in the SOD from current faculty and to stay on FSU’s campus. Students tour the campus, visit Doak Campbell Stadium, and partake in some of the activities that are available here such as Crenshaw bowling, Paint-a-Pot, and the movie theater at the Student Life Center.

This year’s teaching staff includes School of Dance Faculty, Kehinde Ishangi, Dr. La Toya Davis-Craig, Dr. Jen Atkins; recent MFA graduates Anna Patsfall and Jennie Petuch; and alumni Sarah Wilcoxon and Veoletta Range Dyer.

There will be an informal showing at 2 pm on Saturday, July 8, in the Nancy Smith Fichter Auditorium in Montgomery Hall. The students will showcase what they have learned during the three-week program. Parents and friends are invited to attend.