Fall ’25 Choreography Labs provide aspiring dance makers the opportunity to choreograph their own dances, and to perform their works for friends and family at The Center’s Dance After Dark choreographer showcases (to be held twice a session in our new studio space!). Depending on student interest, students may also perform at Northampton’s First Night performance.
Freewheel (1 hour, grades K-3): A creative movement class for children in grades K-3. In Freewheel, students’ interests drive inquiry; we will explore the endless possibilities of human movement, emphasizing discovery, experimentation, collaboration and play! Each class will pose a different question (often student-generated), yielding an improvisational “score” that supports our movement exploration. Dancers will be introduced to some choreography basics, and, as the session progresses, engage in collaborative dance-building.
Story Arc (75 minutes, grades 3-6) and Theme and Variation (90 minutes, grades 7-12) encourage students to stretch themselves — both creatively and physically — in a supportive, community-oriented atmosphere. Combining modern technique instruction and dance building, these classes invite students to apply their technical dance skills to a wide range of choreographic tasks, exploring movement dynamics, spatial design, and the boundless expressive potential of dance! A range of literary texts (short stories, picture books, poetry) will inform collaborative dance making; students will also take on the role of storytellers, and bring their tales to life through movement! By rooting students in the basics of Laban Movement Analysis, students will learn to constructively critique and refine their original ensemble works. Audrey Garfinkel, a UMass senior double majoring Dance and Education, and a Dance Education Laboratory graduate, will be teaching this class.
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