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Dance
CCA Envision Dance and Conservatory was established to foster excellence in dance. Day classes strive to develop original thought and creativity, as well as encourage socially aware artists and human beings. Our students are taught to view dance as a way of seeing life, art, and the world around them. Envision Dance seeks to initiate a dialogue about how art can affect and reflect on a community.
Envision Dance Teachers and guest artists are constantly creating new works and experimenting with new concepts that push our audiences to think and feel. We also strive to educate each dancer on the backbone of dance, which includes education on dance history and dance greats. Some of these include: Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Fosse, Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, and Paul Taylor, to name a few.
Through the class progression and rigorous curriculum of both day class and Conservatory, students are hopefully inspired to continue their process as dance artists throughout high school and on to college as Dance Majors or Minors. If dancers don’t study dance in college, it’s always amazing to hear of students who end up being involved in the art form in some capacity, whether it’s taking classes, or incorporating dance as a piece of their lives.
Day Classes
**All dancers are encouraged to follow the progression of classes, no matter how advanced. The most advanced dancers can find value in an Intro Class, when they have the right mindset. If a dancer wishes to skip Intro or the Intermediate Level, they need instructor approval and are often asked to take a placement class**
- Introduction to Dance: Designed for all levels of dancers, but specifically for beginning dancers. Many advanced dancers take this class to meet their Health Credit. This class explores basic body alignment along with the fundamentals of ballet, modern and jazz. Dancers are also introduced to hip hop and some other dance cultures.
- Intermediate Dance: Designed for dancers who have completed Intro to Dance.
- Ballet I-III: Ballet I-III are always offered together. However, each level is given attention, and higher level dancers are held to higher expectations. They are often asked to demonstrate, and sometimes they teach their peers during the semester.
- Jazz/Modern I: This course is a combination of jazz and modern dance. Dancers in this course have mastered the basics of technique.
- Jazz/Modern II: This course pushes dancers to connect artistry and technicality. Dancers are held to a higher standard of technical accuracy and also deepen their understanding of dance history through research and class discussion.
- Jazz/Modern III: This course at CCA has gained a reputation of being intense and advanced. Dancers gain a great deal of strength while also continuing to develop as individual artists.
- Dance Lab: This course is by audition only. Dancers selected work on choreography by Conservatory Seniors, under close supervision and direction from Rayna and Ericka Moore. Dancers are also given one technique class per week from Ericka. This class performs in Senior Thesis at the end of each school year.
Conservatory
Envision Dance Conservatory is a preprofessaionl training program and entrance is by audition only. The Conservatory is comprised of highly skilled dancers with a passion for dance. Conservatroy curriculum, designed after some of the best university conservatory programs, is designed to offer high-level challenging instruction to the dancer as skilled technician as well as artist. The Conservatory Progression Matrix can give you an idea of what types of classes are offered (but not limited to) in Envision Dance Conservatory.
Faculty
Rayna Stohl, Envision Dance Coordinator
Tracy Yates, Director of Envision
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