Professional Development Workshops

We will be offering three professional development workshops this year for teachers and directors.

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2023 Workshops

Character dance is a specific subdivision of classical dance, which is a stylized representation of a traditional folk or national dance, mostly from European countries, and uses movements and music which have been adapted for the theater. Join Mr. Kozadayev as he conducts a class for our UNCSA students and discusses the origins and importance of character dance in classical repertoire.

This workshop will discuss the important steps of teaching pointe work, with focus on optimal use of the feet when wearing the shoes and performing the basic ballet exercises. At an elementary level of pointe training, we focus on gaining strength through simple exercises that train line, and the coordination of pointe work technique. We aim to introduce the three methods of getting onto pointe, the two methods of descending and specifying when these are used, together with the essential dynamic qualities. As pointe work becomes more advanced, we will focus on helping dancers achieve the desired articulation, and the ability to rise and relevé onto pointe with calm control and alignment. This success facilitates the dancer's opportunity to build strong technique, and engagement with ballet styles from classical to contemporary.

In this workshop, Mr. Blanco will be analyzing the technical elements necessary to achieve different types of pirouettes, as well as looking at the multiple progressions through various levels of training that will give students the ability to accomplish this.