Smuin Contemporary Ballet Announces First-Ever Early Bird Summer Intensive for Pre-Professional Dancers

Smuin Contemporary Ballet has announced its first-ever Early Bird Summer Intensive for pre-professional dancers. This four-day program, open to dancers aged 14-22, allows students to dive deeper into their artistry, learning directly from Smuin's company artists. A comprehensive course for dancers who have intermediate/advanced training, Smuin's Early Bird Summer Intensive will prepare students for their summer training with a well-rounded program that includes daily classes in ballet technique, pointe/variations, jazz/contemporary, and Smuin company repertoire, plus Pilates, yoga, and educational seminars focused on Health & Wellness and Tips of the Trade. Smuin's Early Bird Summer Intensive will take place June 13-16 (Monday-Thursday, 9:00am-4:30pm), at the Smuin Center for Dance, 1830 17th St, San Francisco. Fee for the program is $475, with an early bird special of 10% off on all registrations prior to May 15, and space is limited. For more information or to register, the public may visit smuinballet.org/c4d.

Faculty for this program includes current and former Smuin dancers Valerie Harmon, Terez Dean Orr, Tess Lane, and Brennan Wall. Each day begins with a fitness class led by a Smuin dancer and certified fitness instructor, followed by a ballet technique class. In the afternoon, pointe or variations class will be followed by a repertoire class where students will learn classical and jazz/contemporary repertoire from the Smuin company, taught by the dancers themselves. Each day will conclude with an educational seminar focusing on dance health, wellness, and injury prevention, as well as pointe shoe tips and other tips of the trade. Students will celebrate their hard work and achievements with their instructors and fellow students with a small party held on the final day.

ABOUT SMUIN

For more than 25 years Smuin has pushed the boundaries of contemporary ballet by presenting works that engage and delight audiences with their uncommon physicality and expression. Founded in San Francisco in 1994 by Tony and Emmy award-winning choreographer Michael Smuin, the company is committed to creating work that merges the diverse vocabularies of classical ballet and contemporary dance. Since 2007, Artistic Director Celia Fushille has built on Michael Smuin's legacy by creating her own vision and expanding the company's repertoire. Fushille has invited numerous choreographers to create works that highlight the Smuin artists' extraordinary versatility, presenting pieces that are unique, joyful, athletic, and inventive. Smuin moved into its first permanent home in San Francisco in the fall of 2019.

Smuin began offering dance classes at the Smuin Center for Dance in January 2020, which continued remotely with virtual class offerings in spring 2020. Smuin Ballet Master Amy London was tapped by Artistic Director Celia Fushille to launch the virtual classes, which have grown to offer a wide array of dance styles and fitness classes for all levels. London has been Smuin's Ballet Master for 13 years, and with more than two decades of experience as a dance educator and program director she was ideally suited to create the program. The company has led hundreds of aspiring and professional dancers, as well as those simply looking for a fun class to stay in shape, through a variety of movement including ballet, tap, jazz, and more. Smuin's dance training and education programs continues to expand through new initiatives such as the summer intensive.