Summer of Dance at The Phoenix Theatre Company is entering its 17th year. Seventeen years of providing a place for dancers of all experience levels to “develop skills, sweat, and have fun,” as Summer of Dance Director Molly Lajoie would say.
Dancing is good for the soul. Summer of Dance encourages dancers, ages 15+, of any level, to get out of the house this summer and enjoy dancing for the fun of it. So often, dance classes are for audition prep, hard to find, or expensive. Summer of Dance is a place to dance like no one is watching because no one is! Dancers are there to dance and work on their skills, and no one is there to judge – just help!
(Instructors L-R: Lauran Stanis, Nicole Olson, Hilary “Tink” Hirsch, Molly Lajoie, Nick Flores)
Instructors Molly Lajoie, Nick Flores, Hilary “Tink” Hirsch, Nicole Olson, and Lauran Stanis are returning to teach dance to dancers of all levels. They are no strangers to The Phoenix Theatre Company. Lajoie was seen on the TPTC stage as the Cat in the Hat in Seussical the Musical this past winter; Flores has worked with TPTC in various roles – most recently as fight choreographer for Cabaret, Hirsch has taught with Summer of Dance for years – her favorite part of teaching is watching students “get it’ and watching them glow while dancing, Olson was featured in the 2023 Festival of New American Theatre Choreography Lab and will be choreographing this seasons production of Into the Woods, and Stanis has choreographed various shows at TPTC and returned to the stage after 10+ years in TPTC’s production of Cabaret as Texas.
This summer, Summer of Dance will offer various levels of Tap and Musical Theatre dance classes, as well as skills classes like Heels + Precision and Turns + Leaps. Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, and Contemporary are also among the offerings. This year, a new class, Singers Who Move, has been developed. Singers Who Move focuses’ on beginner terminology, character, technique development, and combination retention. It is an ideal class for beginners or dancers who are looking to brush up on their skills and technique. The class will be taught by Molly Lajoie and Lauran Stanis on Thursday from 6:00 pm to 7:10 pm.
Classes will be held offsite at Ballet Theatre of Phoenix beginning Monday, June 2nd, and run through Thursday July 31st.
The typical Summer of Dance week will follow this schedule*:
Monday
6:00 – 7:10 PM: Tap 1
7:15 – 8:25 PM: Musical Theatre 1
8:30 – 9:40 PM: Heels + Precision
Tuesday
6:00 – 7:10 PM: Tap 2
7:15 – 8:25 PM: Jazz
8:30 – 9:40 PM: Turns + Leaps
Wednesday
6:00 – 7:10 PM: Musical Theatre 2
7:15 – 8:25 PM: Ballet for All
8:30 – 9:40 PM: Contemporary
Thursday
6:00 – 7:10 PM: Singers Who Move
7:15 – 8:25 PM: Tap 3
8:30 – 9:40 PM: Hip Hop
This program creates community and encourages each other to push beyond our boundaries and develop a stronger level of physical control and expression.
This stellar group of teachers is ready to help dancers and movers enjoy a 17th summer of dance, all while developing skills, sweating, and having fun!
*Classes are subject to change
Click here for more information about Summer of Dance.
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