Summer Waves: Youth Camps at Dancewave

Friday marked the end of this year’s Youth Camps. Students of all ages enjoyed dancing the summer days away learning ballet, modern, jazz, and getting to create their own choreography.

The younger children during Summer Camp I collaborated with City Sculpting to create artwork to inspire their dancing. Participants spent the mornings dancing their way through A Magical Forest. Madeline Irmen led the kids in explorations of  dance principles including shape, level, rhythm, and dynamics through group dancing, choreography, improvisation, and dance games. In addition to dancing, the five and six year olds in Summer Camp I spent the afternoons with Melissa Lohman-Wild from City Sculpting creating visual art including drawing, painting, collage, 3D soft sculpture, masks, and puppets. Daily walks around the neighborhood allowed students to explore the outdoors and fed their creativity and allowed them to experience a magical exploration through an imaginary forest. Kids enjoyed the play-based atmosphere culminating in an informal showing at the end of the week.

Summer Camp II attracted seven to nine year olds eager to learn ballet and modern from Mariah Martens and jazz and choreography from Caci Pritchett. The students also enjoyed crafts activities, games, and films. Dancers in Summer Camp II learned the fundamentals of each dance style, paving the way for creative expression. Choreography offered an outlet for their vivid imaginations to come alive! The processes of creation and exploration culminated in a showing at the end of the week.

Ten to thirteen year olds danced the days away during Summer Camp III. Kathleen Helm taught ballet and jazz in the morning and Caci Pritchett taught modern, hip hop, and choreography in the afternoons. These young dancers appreciated the opportunity to make their own dances either inspired by dance techniques or their own movements. The fun continued through the end of the week as the dancers performed their pieces and showed off their new skills at a studio performance.

Stay Tuned…

If you want to continue the fun at Dancewave, register today for Fall 2016 Semester! Our classes are open to ages from 24 months to 18 years+ and provide quality dance training, mentorship and a supportive environment for all.