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Inside Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s 2018 Summer Intensive

January 5, 2018 by 4dancers

If you are looking for an interesting Summer Intensive program, you may want to consider this one. It’s located in Israel, and it is truly unique! Learn more about the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s 2018 Summer Intensive program, and visit their website for more details.


First, tell us a bit about Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, and how the Summer Intensive was created.

Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company (KCDC), founded by Yehudit Arnon in 1973 in Kibbutz Ga’aton, is located in the beautiful and historic Galilee of northern Israel, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Arnon’s vision was continued by Artistic Director and Choreographer, Rami Be’er, who has led the company since the mid-90’s and who’s works have been presented in some of the most prestigious stages worldwide for the last few decades.

The company’s based on the principals and ideals of elite performing arts, education, and community outreach. With that in mind, we establish our second company (KCDC 2) in the mid 90’s with the mission to expose contemporary dance to youth across Israel and internationally. With a similar initiative, we opened up our Summer Intensive nearly 10 years ago to both high school and university dance students from across all over the world.

What are your Summer Intensive classes like — meaning what types of classes are held, and what type of training is provided?

We offer an exciting and diverse curriculum at our Summer Intensive where dancers of all levels, from beginner to intermediate to more pre-professional levels, are able to study with Kibbutz company dancers as well as leading choreographers and dance teachers. Naturally, our Summer Intensive participants have the opportunity to delve into and study company repertoire. We also have an emphasis on contemporary dance, modern dance, ballet, choreography, jazz, hip-hop, Gaga technique, and other classes.

Where do you get your instructors for the Intensive? Can you give us an overview of some of the people who will be teaching?

Our Summer Intensive faculty is composed of main company and second company dancers along with ballet masters, established choreographers, international dancers and dance teachers who’ve dance with Israeli and international prestigious dance companies.

Korina Fraiman is a former Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company dancer, who then danced with the Batsheva Dance Company where she was trained as a Gaga teacher and offered Gaga dance workshops to our Summer Intensive students this past summer.

Oryan Yohanan is another former company dancer who’s considered today as one of Israel’s most respected and recognized solo artists, dance teachers, and choreographers, and has been a recipient of the Ministry of Culture & Sport’s Award for Performing Dancer of the Year.

Sara Wilhelmsson, originally from Sweden, studied at the Codarts University for the Arts (Rotterdam Dance Academy) in The Netherlands. During her studies and internship, she worked with Ton Simons, Bruno Listopad, Philipp Adams, André Gingras and Regina van Berkel among others. She danced in our main company, then with Yasmeen Godder Dance Company, and is currently working with Emanuel Gat (France) while teaching both in Israel and abroad.

Alexander Alexandrov, a top ballet master, is widely considered one of the leading teachers in the field of ballet in Israel. He is a graduate of the Dance Academy of Kiev, and served as a principal dancer at the Moldova National Ballet in Kishinev, Moldova. For more than two decades, he has taught some of the leading companies including Batsheva Dance Company, Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, and others. He also serves as head ballet master at The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and its adjacent high school. Alexandrov is a guest artist, and teaches ballet worldwide. He is also a member of the evaluation committee and competition ‘Outstanding Dancer’, and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.

This Summer Intensive is held at the International Dance Village in Kibbutz Ga’aton, Israel. Would you share a bit about what it is like there? 

The International Dance Village is truly a unique location unlike any other in the world. While most top dance companies are based in major urban areas, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s heart and home are in a kibbutz (a communal village). Over the years, the Int’l Dance Village has developed through the work and leadership of Artistic Director Rami Be’er, and today it offers 10 dance studios, a performing arts center and theater, a café and restaurant, a swimming pool, a social hall and much more. For dancers coming to study and live here; whether they’re company dancers or studying at our Summer Intensive, its really a dream come true and a place of inspiration, creation, community, and peace of mind.

What sets your SI apart from others? What is it that makes it special or unique?

The Summer Intensive program held by Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company is one of a kind for several reasons. First and foremost, it’s because it’s the only one taking place at an International Dance Village. This special dance place has a strong tradition of innovation in contemporary dance, as the founder, Yehudit Arnon, a Holocaust survivor, envisioned that the world could be better through a strong dance community. She founded the dance company and the International Dance Village in Kibbutz Ga’aton in Western Galilee of Israel in the 70’s. She collaborated with renowned choreographers such as Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, Jiří Kylián, Christopher Bruce, Kei Takei, Susanne Linke, Hada Oren, and Oshra Elkayam with the purpose of keeping the contemporary dance community in Israel fresh and innovative. In this context, 10 years ago, the Summer Intensive was born to offer young dancers and high school students from all over the world the opportunity to discover a unique and innovative dance environment, where they could express themselves and evolve as professional dancers.

All the students that come to our Summer Intensive said that they gained a new family there, and besides learning a lot of impressive dance techniques from renowned teachers, they also felt a deep connection with each other, which was one of the best take-aways from the Kibbutz Summer Intensive. Young students get to live in the beautiful and inspiring International Dance Village along with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s dancers and choreographers. They get to learn a lot of things from them while also seeing them perform live. It’s like no other place you’ve seen before.

Who should consider attending this SI, and how do they go about signing up?

High school students, dance academy students, dance enthusiasts of all levels, young aspiring dancers and any dancer in general, from any corner of the world is welcomed at the Kibbutz Summer Intensive. In the past we’ve had students from Africa, Asia, North & South American, Europe, and the South Pacific and they all had the same life changing experience in the International Dance Village. If you love dancing, you have to experience this at least once in your life.

Visit the website for the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s 2018 Summer Intensive.

Read more about this particular Summer Intensive in this interview on Dance Advantage.


Disclosure: 4dancers received compensation for publishing this sponsored post.

Filed Under: Summer Intensives Tagged With: Alexander Alexandrov, Dance In Israel, Gaga Technique, gaga training, International Dance Village, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, Kibbutz Summer Intensive, Korina Fraiman, Oryan Yohanan, Rami Be'er, Sara Wilhelmsson, summer dance intensive

Summer Intensive Tips From Ballet Austin

April 2, 2014 by 4dancers

Summer intensives are all about learning and growing as a dancer. The best of them challenge you, shape you and open your eyes to different things in the world of dance. Everyone wants the time they spend at a summer intensive to really count, but how do you go about getting the most out of your time there?

We reached out to William Piner from Ballet Austin to see if he could share some tips for success. Mr. Piner is the Director at the Ballet Austin Academy, and he was happy to share these five points to keep in mind for your next summer intensive..

SM-with-dancer
Stephen Mills, Ballet Austin’s artistic director working with a student in class

1.       Don’t worry about your level placement. Usually the directors know what they’re doing and place you in a level where they think you will get the best results and make the most progress in their program.

2.       Stay focused on your classwork and try to absorb as many new concepts as you can from your teachers.

3.       Be open to new ideas and perspectives and try to see how they can augment your home studio’s curriculum.

4.       Journal. It’s the best way to remember your time away and retain the information/corrections you received in class when you return home. It’s also a great way to remember all the new friends and fun times you had!

5.       Be open to new styles of movement and be willing to give them a try. You may discover something about yourself, including a new love for a different way of moving.

Have any good summer intensive tips to share? Feel free to post them here!

Filed Under: Summer Intensives Tagged With: ballet austin, summer intensive tips, summer intensives

Here We Grow

August 19, 2013 by 4dancers

Hubbard Street 2 Dancers Katie Kozul, left, and Lissa Smith in Flipped Script by Alicia Delgadillo. Photo by Quinn B Wharton
Hubbard Street 2 Dancers Katie Kozul, left, and Lissa Smith in Flipped Script by Alicia Delgadillo. Photo by Quinn B Wharton

by Lissa Smith

The end of Hubbard Street 2’s 2012–13 season was jam-packed. We had two full weeks of danc(e)volve: New Works Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art with my family visiting Chicago for the shows, then rehearsals and preparation for our Inside/Out Choreographic Workshop. I had a teaching schedule to prepare for the Hubbard Street Summer Intensive in Iowa City and summer plans to coordinate for my time off-contract. When the last danc(e)volve performance came to an end in mid-June, I said goodbye to my family, hopped in a cab, and headed back to my apartment to pack my bag for a flight to Iowa at 6:15 the next morning.

At the airport, I sat at the gate with a coffee in one hand and my iPad in the other. So many thoughts were racing through my mind, at such an early hour! Going away to a dance intensive is something I have done every summer since I was 12 years old, so the excitement and apprehension were familiar to me — only this time, I was nervously anticipating being on the faculty roster and calling roll. Every trip I took for summer study was a life-changing experience and so I wanted my students to leave Iowa at the end of the Intensive with new insights, magical memories and renewed passion for dance.

In my mind, I “ran through” choreography that I planned to teach. I was confident that the students would enjoy learning Hubbard Street repertory. I would work with them on Jacqueline Burnett’s and David Schultz’s solos from Recall by Robyn Mineko Williams; time permitting, I also hoped to teach a brief section from Strides by Norbert De La Cruz III, one of last year’s winners of our National Choreographic Competition.

I figured having the students learn selections from Recall and Strides would be great because of the works’ opposing qualities. Recall’s score is electronic, having almost a “club” kind of feel, while Strides is set to more dramatic orchestral music. Likewise, their movement proposes different ideas and has different “rules.” In Recall, there is room for individual interpretation and play, musically and physically; Strides has set musical counts for its choreography and requires its entire cast to dance as one, often in unison.

After arriving and checking into the hotel, I packed my dance bag and walked over to a studio at the University of Iowa, which hosted the program, for my first rehearsal with Summer Intensive students. I stopped in the doorway and thought, Here we grow! Little did I know how true these three words would ring through the following weeks.

Hubbard Street 2013 Summer Intensive students and faculty at the University of Iowa. Photo by Benjamin Wardell
Hubbard Street 2013 Summer Intensive students and faculty at the University of Iowa. Photo by Benjamin Wardell

This year’s Hubbard Street Summer Intensive was divided into two sets of 14- to 17- year-old dancers, assigned to groups named Blue and Green. I took attendance and think I managed to mispronounce only about a quarter of their names — not too bad for day one.

We got right to work and all of the dancers were focused, hardworking, driven and open. Since auditions are required to attend our summer program, I was not at all surprised by the level of talent of the students, and I was so pleased with all that we accomplished in a single day. The hopes and goals the dancers brought with them seemed the same as the ones I had for myself: to have fun, be open, absorb, give and learn as much as I could — to grow in every way possible. Teaching passionate students is both a privilege and a pleasure! I felt so lucky to be able to guide the students during their first week in Iowa City, and looked forward to returning for their final week and showings at the end of the program, although I couldn’t have guessed just how fulfilling this would be on a personal level. Week one was over in seemingly no time at all. Once again I was packing a bag.

I traveled to Chicago to rehearse for Inside/Out and thought about my students often while back in Hubbard Street’s studios. The two performances of the choreographic workshop went great. Having the opportunity to work so closely with fellow company members on their own experiments in dance is a joy and refreshing. Once the performances concluded, I filled my suitcase again and headed back to Iowa City.

My task was to rehearse and “clean” the Recall choreography I’d taught for the showings as well work on the students’ modern technique demonstration. I was unprepared for the amount of growth that had occurred while I was away, and the level of intensity with which the students inhabited their material. The pride I felt for them was incredible — Maybe like what a parent feels for her child, I thought. They took ownership of all I had taught them, each dancer far surpassing all of my expectations, putting personal stamps on their progress for their friends and family members to see. I hope these dancers carry this culmination of joy and growth through their coming year of training, to next summer’s studies and beyond.

For me, the Summer Intensive embodies exactly what makes Hubbard Street Dance Chicago so special. Hubbard Street dancers are strong, diverse, unique — and always learning. Every moment in the studio and onstage is supercharged with passion and talent melded together and shining with individuality. We arrive at the studios each day ready to explore and grow. Our Summer Intensive students lived up to those high standards and embraced everything that they were taught; to those who are reading this, I say Thank you, and #dothelissa. I’ll explain: the hashtag came about in my rehearsals and as you can see in this panorama, became something of a sensation. Go ahead and put your foot in your hand, and #dothelissa yourself! I’ll keep an eye out for your photos.

hubbard street dance
Hubbard Street Summer Intensive participants #dothelissa in Iowa City. Photo by Hubbard Street Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton

Beginning August 26, Lissa Smith begins her third season with Hubbard Street 2, joining fellow returning members, promoted HS2 Apprentices Jules Joseph and Katie Kozul, and new dancers Andrea Thompson, Odbayar Batsuuri and Adrienne Lipson. Catch HS2 onstage this year in Chicago, New York City, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia, plus Canada, Germany and additional locations. Visit hubbardstreetdance.com for a complete touring schedule, artist profiles and more.

lissa smith
Lissa Smith

Contributor Lissa Smith, age 21, was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She is currently dancing with Hubbard Street 2 of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She attended The Boston Conservatory where she was both a Dance Conservatory Scholarship recipient and Jan Veen Dance Scholarship recipient.

Lissa has trained at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Juilliard School, Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, The Martha Graham School, The Joffrey Ballet School and The Joffrey Midwest Workshop. Lissa has worked with world renowned choreographers such as: Thang Dao, Peter London, Alberto Del Saz, Maurya Kerr, Clébio Oliveira, Penny Saunders, Hofesh Shecter, Didy Veldman, Uri Sands, Gregory Dawson, Stephen Pier, John Magnus, Josée Garant, Viktor Plotnikov, Robyn Mineko Williams, Tony Fabre, and Judith Jamison. She has danced principal roles such as: “Yellow Girl” in “Diversion of Angels”, “Conversation of Lovers” within “Acts of Light” and “Frontier”, the solo choreographed by Martha Graham and staged by Yuriko and Susan Kikuchi along with Yasuko Tokunaga.

Lissa was the soloist lead dancer in both Thang Dao’s contemporary ballet, “Foil” and Greg Dawson’s contemporary ballet, “Eclipsing Venus”. She has also performed Jose Limon’s “Choreographic Offerings” staged by Jennifer Scanlon and Libby Nye. Lissa has performed the “Doll with Broken Head” solo from within “Mechanical Organ” choreographed by Alwin Nikolais, staged by Alberto Del Saz. Lissa received the “Modern Dance Award” and the “Dean’s Dance Award” upon her graduation from New World School of the Arts High School in June 2009 and won the “Arts For Life!” dance scholarship in 2009 presented by Former First Lady Columba Bush.

In 2012, Lissa was awarded the Martha Hill Young Professional Award.

Lissa’s posts on 4dancers are her own opinion and in no way reflect the thoughts or opinions of her employer, Hubbard Street 2.

Filed Under: Editorial, Summer Intensives Tagged With: hubbard street dance, hubbard street dance chicago, lissa smith, museum of contemporary art, summer intensive

Solid Snacks For Summer Dance Intensives

March 11, 2013 by 4dancers

Even though it may not seem like it, summer is right around the corner. This means that you may soon find yourself in a new place dancing for hours on end at a summer intensive. It will be more important than ever to maintain a balanced diet to stay energized and healthy through the duration of your program. Eating full meals becomes a challenge during intensives due to the packed schedules and sporadic breaks. So, how do you avoid feeling hungry right in the middle of an intense variations class? Try bringing snacks with you to the studio so you can grab a bite in between rehearsals! The Barre team is here to suggest some of out favorite healthy snacks that will fuel you through an entire intensive.

Barre. A Real Food Bar: Sure, it’s our own product, but since Barres were developed by a principal dancer, they were created with the purpose of keeping us fueled throughout long rehearsals. Barres have the perfect balance of slow and fast burning carbs, protein, and fiber for sustained energy. They also provide natural electrolyte replacement with naturally occurring sodium. Make sure you have a box in your dorm this summer!

When you’re craving something sweet…

Fruit:  Refreshing on a hot summer day, fresh fruit provides a great source of fiber, boosts your energy with naturally occurring sugar, and helps to fulfill your daily requirement for vitamins and minerals. Here are some fruits that will be perfect for summer time:

  • Apples: High in fiber and coming in at only 80 calories per fruit, they will help keep you full longer and are especially easy to eat. Try slicing one and spraying with lemon juice to keep it from browning.
  • Avocado: High in vitamin E and folate, they are a good source of healthy, monounsaturated fat. Try half an avocado on some crackers, in a wrap, or just on its own.
  • Berries: Summer is the best time of year for berries. Try having darker berries such as blueberries and blackberries to boost your antioxidant intake
  • Melon: Watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe are at their peak in summer. Cantaloupe is high in vitamin A and potassium (which is key in preventing muscle cramps), and has only 25 calories in half a cup!
  • Figs: Also readily available dried, figs are high fiber, filling, and are a great source of potassium, bone-healthy calcium, and folate.
  • Bananas: A good source of fiber, and provide you with vitamin B6 and potassium. Pair them with a tablespoon of nut butter for a quick and energizing snack.

Dried Fruit: Less messy than fresh fruit, dried fruit is available year round, provides a great source of fiber, and gives your blood sugar a boost. Just make sure you keep track of quantity… it’s easy to eat too much of these tasty treats!

Dark Chocolate: If you’re craving something a bit richer, opt for a square of dark chocolate. It’s heart healthy, satisfying, energizing, rich in antioxidants, and has been found to improve short-term brain alertness. It may just help you pick up an extra tricky combo faster!

If you’re after something with a crunch…

Air-popped Popcorn: Skip the chips and opt for some salt-free, oil-free air popped popcorn! With only 30 calories in one cup, 1g of fiber and protein, this healthy snack is high in micro-nutrients and has a low glycemic index, meaning it won’t spike your blood sugar.

Whole Grain Cereal and Granola: If you choose to munch on some cereal or granola or add it to your yogurt, make sure you choose a whole grain, low fat, and low sugar variety. You can buy an all natural, healthy brand or even make your own!

Vegetables: Veggies have a high fiber content, vitamins and minerals, are low calorie, low fat, and generally have less sugar than fruit. Some of our favorite portable veggies are baby carrots, sugar snap peas, celery, bell pepper, and cucumber. Each veggie has different vitamins and minerals, so try to aim for an assortment of colors and types. Veggies are also perfect for pairing with high-protein yogurt dips, hummus, and nut butters.

Whole Grain Crackers and Rice Cakes: Make sure you choose a baked whole grain cracker that is not made from refined flours, as it will keep your blood sugar more level. Crackers can be a great source of healthy carbs and a vehicle for proteins such as cheese, nut butter, and dips.

Dried Seaweed: A snack growing in popularity, seaweed is incredibly low in calories, contains fiber, is high in antioxidants, and balances blood sugar. You can also get flavored versions if you’re craving something saltier.

To get you through a long day (aka high-protein foods)…

Nuts and seeds and butters: Nuts are a great and satisfying source of protein. Just make sure you eat them in reasonable portion sizes (around ¼ cup of whole nuts or 1-2 tablespoons of nut butter) because of their high calorie and fat content. Some of the top nuts and seeds to eat include pumpkin seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds and almonds. They all have between seven and eight grams of protein per ¼ cup. If you choose nut butter, it’s best to buy an all-natural brand that doesn’t contain extra sweeteners and hydrogenated vegetable oils. You can even buy single-serving packets at your local supermarket!

Tofu: A complete protein, a 3- oz. slice of firm tofu contains 13 grams of protein! You can also buy flavored varieties and use it in salads, wraps, or on its own with veggies.

Eggs: Another wonderful protein source, one egg has around six grams of protein. They are high in cholesterol, so make sure to consume them in moderation.

Cheese: An easy, mess-free snack, low-fat cheese is a great source of on-the-go protein. Try an individual Babybell cheese or a low-fat mozzarella stick, which has around six to eight grams of protein per serving.

Greek and Icelandic yogurt: Both varieties have significantly higher protein content than typical yogurt, with 15-20 grams in one six-ounce serving. Try to buy a flavored variety that doesn’t have too much added sugar, or buy plain and add your own fruit or granola.

Cottage Cheese: Like yogurt, cottage cheese can be combined with fruits and veggies for a well-rounded snack. ½ a cup contains around 14 grams of protein. Try adding some salt and pepper or cinnamon if you find it too boring on its own.

A Quick Refresher…

Frozen Fruit: Try freezing grapes or bananas for a refreshing, popsicle-like treat.

Smoothies: They can be made with fruits and veggies, yogurt, or protein powder for a nutritious snack. My favorite combo? Blend 1 banana, 6 oz Icelandic yogurt, ½ cup unsweetened soy milk, and a big handful of spinach until creamy. Yum!

Ice Water: Remember, hydration is just as important as sustenance. Drinking lots of fluids will keep your body working at its optimum level of performance. Make sure you’re drinking at least eight glasses of water per day!

Try mixing and matching all of these snacks until you find a combination that best suits your needs! Here’s to a healthy and tasty summer!

~Caroline~

BIO: The Team at Barre contributes posts about food, snacks and healthy eating for 4dancers. The mission of Barre is to provide exceptional nutritional fortification for dancers and everyone else who demands clean, wholesome, nutritious and great tasting sustained energy. To accomplish this goal, Barre produces and distributes health-minded snacks and performance products specially formulated to live up to the rigors of such a demanding artist-athlete lifestyle.

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Filed Under: Recipes/Snacks, Summer Intensives Tagged With: snacks for dancers, summer dance intensive, summer intensives

Summer Dance Intensives – A Guidebook

February 15, 2013 by 4dancers

There’s a lot to know about summer dance intensives, and both students and parents may have a lot of questions regarding topics such as which one to choose, what to do about housing and which intensives are the best match for their particular situation. And the biggest question of all may be where to find those answers…

Nina Amir is a journalist with a vested interest in the subject–she is also the parent of a dancer, and the author of “My Son Can Dance” – a popular dance blog on the web. She created a handbook that helps answer a lot of the basic questions people may have about summer intensives in the dance world. Today, we talk with her about that resource–and learn more about why she decided to write it…

ballet summer intensivesHow did the idea for this handbook come about?

Every year I receive a ton of questions about summer dance intensives—especially about the American Ballet Theatre intensive in New York. From about November or December, when the boys and their parents start gearing up to audition for the bigger intensives, through until May or June, my readership at My Son Can Dance, skyrockets. Mostly these visitors are reading posts about summer intensives. It became obvious parents needed and wanted help not only deciding on an intensive but choosing the right one for their dancers—not just the dancin’ boys but the girls as well.

I’d written a number of blog posts on the topic of choosing and preparing for an intensive that I felt could be expanded into longer articles, if you will, or chapters. Also, I thought I would be doing the community a service by compiling some of the posts I’d written into one document—an easily read handbook—and adding more information as well.

What is covered in the handbook?

The Handbook includes chapters on:

  • How to Choose a Summer Dance Intensive Program
  • How to Register for a Summer Dance Intensive
  • What to Bring to a Summer Dance Intensive
  • How to Prepare for a Summer Dance Intensive
  • How to Stay Healthy and Strong During a Summer Dance Intensive
  • How Dancers Should Conduct Themselves During a Summer Dance Intensive

Plus, it has one full chapter on “What to Consider When Attending the ABT Summer Dance Intensive in New York City.”

The new edition, which I released the last week of January, includes a bit more information than before. I’ve updated it to include the experiences Julian and I had during our additional summers in New York while he was at ABT and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and what we learned when he attended the School of American Ballet and San Francisco Ballet summer intensives. It also includes a brief discussion of how some of these programs can lead to year-round residential programs.

Can you give readers a few tips for summer intensives that you talk about in the handbook? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Summer Intensives Tagged With: american ballet theatre intensive, balanchine, my son can dance, nina amir, san francisco ballet summer intensive, school of american ballet, summer dance intensive, summer dance intensives, summer intensive

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