Mindset Workshop

UNCSA Summer Dance is proud to announce an intensive weekend workshop, "Mindset for Dancers," with Susan Jaffe, Dean UNCSA School of Dance and former Principal of ABT, and Catherine Board, former company member of Richmond Ballet and Nashville Ballet.

Workshop Details

For ages 14 and up, athletes are taught to train their minds with remarkable outcomes. Now, this information is available specifically for dancers. In this workshop, dancers will practice meditation and written exercises to break through negative mental habits that impede progress. Once a dancer learns how to train the mind, their dancing will transcend in miraculous ways.

Susan Jaffe and Catherine Board will co-teach this innovative and intensive 8-hour workshop held over 2 sessions. All dancers ages 14 and up are welcome to register and participate in this special event.

Once you have been accepted to either the Classical or Contemporary Summer Dance Intensive, you can register through the online registration portal – choose Mindset Workshop on the Options and Course Selection page. Participation is limited, so please register early to ensure your spot!

Schedule and Fees

The workshop date for 2020 has not yet been announced. The fee to attend is $40.

About the Instructors

Susan Jaffe, Dean UNCSA School of Dance
Declared by the New York Times as “America’s Quintessential American Ballerina”, Susan Jaffe was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre for 22 years, a career which began in 1980. Prominent in the international dance scene as well, her European engagements included performances with The Royal Ballet, The Kirov Ballet, The Stuttgart Ballet, Munich State Opera Ballet, La Scala Ballet in Milan, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet and English National Ballet.

Ms. Jaffe’s versatility as a dancer allowed her to tackle a large range of choreographic works which included her acclaimed interpretations of the classics like Swan Lake, as well as the dramatic works of John Cranko, Antony Tudor, Agnes de Mille and Kenneth Macmillian. She also worked with and danced the works of many prominent choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, Twyla Tharp, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Lar Lubovitch, Nacho Duato, Glen Tetley, James Kudelka, Roland Petit, David Parsons, Mark Morris, Merce Cunningham, Ronald Hynd, Frederick Ashton, Ulysses Dove and Lynn Taylor Corbett.

Catherine Board
Originally from Maryland, Catherine began dance training with the Maryland Youth Ballet under Tensia Fonseca, Michelle Lees and Eric Hampton. At Maryland Youth Ballet, she was honored to be the first student invited to teach and choreograph for the M.Y.B. Summer intensive. She was very inspired to be dancing alongside Julie Kent and other top professionals from MYB. She joined her first company, Classical Ballet Theater, in Washington D.C., at the age of 14. She then went to train and eventually graduate from the high school program at UNCSA where she studied under Melissa Hayden, Gyula Pandi and Fanchon Cordell. After her years at NCSA, she was offered a full scholarship from Boston Conservatory for her choreography, which she turned down to continue pursuing her career as a dancer. Catherine danced professionally for the Richmond Ballet, Nashville Ballet, and Ballet Nouveau Colorado in a wide range of classical and contemporary works by choreographers including George Balanchine, Choo San Goh, Peter Anastos, Jean Pierre Bonnefoux, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Violet Verdy, Janek Schergan, Paul Vasterling and Robert Mills among others.

Catherine has continued her career by becoming the Company Teacher and Ballet Mistress of Ballet Nouveau Colorado. She guided the 19 member company in a variety of classes, rehearsals and performances throughout the season. She was also one of the main members to create the 21st Century Choreography Competition written about in Dance Magazine and used by the current artistic team of Ballet Nouveau. Catherine has most recently been the Ballet Coordinator for a young arts competition named TASHCO, which encourages the arts to young people and offers talented students scholarships. In 2012, she had the rare opportunity to choreograph for The Silhouettes (runner up winners on America’s Got Talent). She has been inspiring young dancers at Classic Dance Academy since it opened in 2010 and has worked and choreographed for dancers competing in Youth America Grand Prix. Her choreography has been performed in New York with this competition.

Currently, Catherine is on faculty and teaching most of her classes at Classic Dance Academy. In addition to her involvement with dance, Catherine additionally holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Sciences. She was a leader at Landmark Education for 3 years and has traveled to many countries in the world including living and teaching in Barcelona, Spain. She has a wealth of knowledge to give to young dancers as they begin to explore who they are and how to evolve as a dancer. Catherine believes that regardless of how much ballet is part of a child’s life in the future, the lessons learned in the ballet classroom can apply to living an extraordinary life.