Summer Dance Intensive

RDA Summer Dance Intensive featuring the Craft of Choreography Conference

June 22 through July 4, 2009

The RDA Summer Dance Intensive featuring the Craft of Choreography Conference (CCC) is a multi-faceted program, providing dancers, emerging choreographers and seasoned choreographers the unparalleled opportunity to work, study and create under the guidance of nationally recognized professionals in the fields of music and dance. The CCC provides a vital training ground/working environment for choreographers and a one-of-a-kind experience for dancers to work within a variety of styles and train with some of the best teachers in the world. Tracing its roots back to 1961, it has been guided by luminaries from the professional dance world. CCC 2009 is a culmination of this history plus so much more.

Faculty

Director of Choreography

Rob Kitsos

The Director of Choreography for the 48th Annual Craft of Choreography Conference will be Rob Kitsos. Rob Kitsos is an acclaimed dancer, dance instructor, performing artist and choreographer who has appeared with dance companies across the United States, Europe and Asia. He has a strong grounding in classic and contemporary dance techniques, and continues to experiment with new blends of dance that combine movement and text, digital sound and video and more.

In addition to choreographing and performing, Rob has been teaching dance in universities for eleven years. He was a full time faculty member at the University of Washington from 1998-2002. In 2002, Rob began a two-year Senior Lecturer position at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In 2004, Rob joined the faculty of Simon Fraser University as an Assistant Professor in the School for the Contemporary Arts. He has taught all levels of Modern/Contemporary Dance, Composition, Hip Hop, Dance Aesthetics, Improvisation in Performance and Movement and Music Collaboration.

He has performed his own and other works at international festivals on four continents, including the Spoletto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, the World Expo in Lisbon, the Grec Festival in Barcelona, the Palais Royale in Paris, and others in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands and Venezuela. Kitsos has also appeared in well-known theaters including the Cultural Center in Hong Kong, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the Joyce Theater and DTW in New York.

Rob has been a member of more than fifteen performing companies which cover a broad range of styles from mime to hip hop to ballet, including Doug Elkins Dance Company, Gina Gibney Dance, Pat Graney, the Chamber Dance Company and the Berkshire Ballet.

His work combines a broad range of skills. He has studied Mime at Ecole Jacques Lacoq in Paris and played drums in a rock band in popular clubs like CBGB’s in New York City as well as a tour through Spain in 2004. Rob records drums and percussion for the Westport Sunrise Sessions, which just completed its second albbum. He has also composed and performed many of his own sound scores for his choreography. Rob has recently been experimenting with digital video production and photography.

Rob received his BA in Theater/Dance from Bard College and his MFA in Dance from the University of Washington in 1997.

Director of Music

Paul Moore

Paul R. Moore, Music Director, began his work for dance at the University of California Santa Barbara where he studied Music Composition with Marc Ainger, Carolyn Bremer, Jeremy Haladena, Larry Karush and Margaret Mayer. After graduating from the College of Creative Studies at UCSB in 1993, Paul remained in Santa Barbara for two years as Senior Musician of the UCSB Dance Department. During this period, Paul focused on composing musical works for small ensembles, soloists and orchestra, as well as collaborating with faculty choreographer, Christopher Pilafian. He has collaborated with choreographers Mark Dendy, Katie Duck, Mark Haim, Rob Kitsos, Peter Kyle, Maria Simpson and his wife, Alice de Muizon, and has performed with the Chamber Dance Company for five seasons. He was commissioned to compose a new orchestral work for the Degenerate Art Orchestra, which premiered in March 2005. Paul was selected to be a part of the 2003 season at On The Boards and won the Washington Composers Forum orchestra competition. His work has been performed by the Seattle Creative Orchestra and published by Mimicry Records. Currently, he is the Director of Music for the Dance Department at the University of Washington.

Dance Faculty

To Be Announced

Facilities

The Francia Russell Center opened in fall 2002 and is conveniently located east of downtown Bellevue in the Bel-Red area of Seattle. It features four large dance studios with state-of-the-art sprung flooring plus two conditioning studios, library and spacious dressing rooms. The La Quinta Inn is located approximately 3 miles from the Francia Russell Center.

For More Information

Gretchen Vogelzang
RDA Executive Director
703-956-6429
[email protected]

RDA Summer Dance Intensive
c/o PO Box 3327 Reston, VA 20195

Registration Form

Transportation Form

Medical Form

Conference Costs
Tuition and Food (Two weeks)
RDA Members: $900
Non-Member: $1100
Airport Transportation: Included

Tuition and Food (One Week)
RDA Members: $650
Non-Member: $750
Observer/Weekly: $400
Observer/Daily: $100
Airport Transportation: Included

Room (Two Weeks)
Quad: $750
Double: $1050
Single: $1800

Room (One Week)
Quad: $400 (6 days)
Double: $650 (6 days)
Single: $1000 (6 days)

RDA Artistic Directors
$150 per day – includes single hotel room, meals and all attendance

For the Dancers

Two classes daily in Ballet, Modern Jazz, Pointe or Men’s classes
Bi-weekly evening seminars
The dancer becomes part of a collaborative team, expanding their technique and increasing their confidence

Dancers must be studying dance at an intermediate to advanced level and be at least 13 years of age.

For the Student Choreographer/Dancer

Daily choreography session (after warm-up with the Directors of Choreography & Music
One morning class each day – Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Pointe or Men’s
Afternoons will be divided between an Emerging & Guest Choreographer whose short works will be performed that evening and with a Project Tier Choreographer whose complete work will be shown at the end of the 2-week conference.
Bi-Weekly evening seminars from professionals in the field.

Student Dancer/Choreographers must be studying dance at an intermediate to advanced level and be at least 15 years of age. A letter of recommendation from their Artistic Director must accompany their application. Student Dancer/Choreographers are accepted for the two week program only.

For Guest Choreographers

Daily choreography session with the Director of Choreography & Director of Music and given assignments.
May participate in morning class each day – Ballet, Modern Jazz, Pointe or Men’s.
Afternoons spent creating new works/assignments that will be shown that evening.
Nightly critique sessions, discussing and dissecting that evenings works.

Guest Choreographers are limited to five choreographers and are chosen by the Director of Choreography via a video audition of their work. Guest Choreographers are accepted for the two week session only. Videos must be received no later than May 1, 2009.

For Emerging Choreographers

Daily choreography session with the Director of Choreography & Director of Music and given assignments.
May participate in one morning class each day – Ballet, Modern Jazz, Pointe or Men’s.
Afternoons spent creating new works/assignments that will be shown that evening.
Nightly critique sessions, discussing and dissecting that evenings works.

Emerging Choreographers are are limited to five choreographers (one per region) and are chosen by the adjudicators of each region. Emerging Choreographers are granted full scholarships to attend and are accepted for the two week session only.

For Project Tier Choreographers

May participate in daily choreography session with the Director of Choreography & Director of Music.
May participate in morning class each day – Ballet, Modern Jazz, Pointe or Men’s.
Afternoons spent creating a new work in a non-judgmental environment that will be shown at the end of the Conference.
Nightly critique sessions, discussing and dissecting that evenings works.

Project Tier Choreographers are limited to five choreographers (one per region) and are chosen by a panel appointed by each region. Project Tier Choreographers are granted full scholarships to attend and are accepted for the two week session only.

New This Year!

Dancers may attend the Summer Intensive for one week or two! Dancers wishing to attend the Intensive for only one week must attach a letter from their Artistic Director verifying the dancer’s conflict for the other week.

Student Choreographer/Dancer Track!
This track will accommodate 20 RDA Choreographer/Dancers who would function in the dancer track of the conference but would also give them the experience of 10 group choreography lessons with the Director of Choreography. This is an excellent way for dancers with an interest in choreography to gain a basic understanding of choreographic theory.

Guest Choreographers! We will have room for five additional choreographers to participate in the emerging track of the Dance Intensive. Choreographers are chosen by video audition by the Director of Choreography.

Lecture Series for Dancers! Lectures will be provided for all dancers who attend the conference.

A Typical Day

8:45-10:15
1st Class
9:15-10:15
Student/dancer Choreography Session
10:30-12:00
2nd Class/Choreography Session
12:00-12:30
Lunch
12:30-2:00
Emerging Choreographers
2:15-3:45
Guest Choreographers
4:00-5:30
Project Tier Choreographers
5:30-6:15
Dinner
6:30-7:00
Spacing
7:00-8:00
Showings
8:00-???
Critiques/Dancer lecture Tuesday & Thursday

(Schedule will vary slightly depending upon which group the dancer or choreographer is participating in.)

Arrival and Placement Day

June 22
Departure Day
July 4