Dance with us for three days of technique and creative classes for Karar Dance Company’s inaugural Summer Workshop!

Classes offered are modern, ballet, improvisation, choreography, floorwork, yoga, and repertoire. Faculty includes Kara Robertson, Amy Perkinson, company project dancers, as well as guest artists Ryan Davis, Adriane Fang, Rachel Knight, and Sabrina Holland.

Participants will perform company repertoire learned during the workshop for the closing informal showing alongside the choreographic works of the mentees selected for the Homegrown Choreographers Young Dancer Mentorship and Karar Dance Company.

Open to advanced dancers age 14 & up including collegiate and professional dancers. Out of town/state attendees are responsible for securing their own lodging and transportation.

$155.00 Early Bird Rate Deadline: March 15-May 15

$195.00 Regular Deadline: May 16 - June 30

Register at karardancecompany.org/register.

SCHEDULE

Thursday, July 14

9 AM - 9:30 AM Registration & Open Studio Warm Up

9:30 AM - 9:40 AM Introductions

9:45 AM - 11 AM Ballet with Sabrina Holland (guest)

• Sabrina is excited to share a ballet class that is designed for intermediate/ advanced level students. Class will focus on technique that improves your dancing and movement qualities that makes it even more enjoyable.

11:10 AM - 12:25 PM Modern with Kara Robertson

• Kara’s modern technique class guides you through full-bodied movement expression deepening your relationship with your physical language.

12:25 PM - 1 PM Lunch & Rehearsal (Mentorship Program)

1 PM - 2:15 PM Floorwork with Ryan Davis (guest)

• Starting slowly but increasing physically, the dancer will begin finding their connection to the floor and will go through techniques to properly and safely move in and out of the floor.

2:25 PM - 3:25 PM Improvisation with Amy Perkinson

• The Improv Class will guide dancers through a variety of creative processes to explore new movement exploration. With the use of multiple lenses, the dancers will be introduced to new ways to create and generate creative movement through analysis, stimulus, and practice.

3:35 PM - 5 PM Repertoire with the Company

Friday, July 15

9 AM - 9:15 AM Open Studio Warm Up

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM Power Vinyasa (yoga) with Rachel Knight (guest)

• This class will encourage practitioners to experience their own personal edge, allowing them to be physically and mentally to attune to the present. A vinyasa practice that matches breath with movement, the Power Vinyasa practice encourages longer holds to slowly open the body posture by posture, resulting in a release for both body and mind.

10:25 AM - 11:45 AM Modern with Amy Perkinson

• With a clear structure of exercises, this class will prepare the students with a traditional modern technique warm up. As the class progresses, dancers can expect a strong focus on full body movement that emphasizes the connectivity between each movement including floor work, quick foot work, and expansive traveling. With a strong focus on fluidity and quick changing spatial patterns, the dancers will be encouraged to discover new depths to their modern movement.

12 PM - 1:10 PM Floowork with Ryan Davis (guest)

1:10 PM - 1:40 PM Lunch & Rehearsal (Company)

1:40 PM - 2:40 PM Choreography with Kara Robertson

• Choreography will explore the varying “tools” to create movement, phrasing, and dance works you will add to your “choreographic toolbox”.

2:50 PM - 5 PM Repertoire with the Company

Saturday, July 16

9 AM - 9:15 AM Open Studio Warm Up

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM Improvisation with Amy Perkinson

10:25 AM - 12 PM Modern with Adriane Fang (guest)

• Class will be focused on exploring a sensitive and personal approach to dancing while maintaining technical proficiency.  Expression of intent and choice will be encouraged while moving progressively from simple to more complex movement patterns.  An immediate and active presence leading to generous fulfillment of dynamic dancing will be emphasized.

12 PM - 12:45 PM Lunch

12:45 PM - 2:15 PM Repertoire with the Company

2:25 PM - 3:25 PM Review & Show Run/Rehearsal with the Company

3:30 PM - 4 PM Doors Open

4 PM - 5 PM Informal Showing

FACULTY

Kara Robertson, Artistic Director

Kara Robertson is the Artistic Director of Richmond, Virginia’s Karar Dance Company.  She launched Karar’s Homegrown Choreographers program as well as the Interview Series, partially supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts.  Her work has been presented in Richmond, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.  Kara is an alum of the Mudhouse Residency in Agios Ioannis, Crete and Doug Varone and Dancers’ DEVICES Choreographic Mentorship and Intensive.  Kara graduated from VCU Dance in 2016, earning the VCU Dance Bobby Chandler Award in Honor of Chris Burnside and Outstanding Choreographer Award.

Amy Perkinson, Company Dancer

Amy Perkinson received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and Choreography and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/International Business from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also spent time at the University of Virginia- Institute of Shipboard Education Study Abroad, as well as the Consorzio Universitario Mediterraneo Orientale A R.L in Siracusa, Italy. She had the privilege of continuing her education by attending the American Dance Festival Winter Intensive, Doug Varone and Dancers Winter Intensive, Joe Goode: Movement for Humans Workshop, and was a member of the Inaugural ODC Next Moves Summer Intensive in San Francisco, California. She performed at New York City’s Lincoln Center in Mark Dendy’s world premiere of “Ritual Cyclical.” Amy is currently a member of Harper Continuum Dance Theatre, where she recently performed with the company and the University of Las Vegas Nevada (UNLV) at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York City.  She is the proud Co-Owner of Pure Barre Williamsburg and co-founder of Tennessee Arts Collective.  Amy currently resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Amy joined the company in October 2016 and has since performed Kaizen and Amid for performances at The Grace Street Theater and the 2018 Richmond Dance Festival as well as Circadian in 2019 for the Dogtown Presenter’s Series.

Hailey Clevenger, Project Dancer

Hailey Clevenger, a Richmond native, graduated from James Madison University where she received her BA in Dance as well as her licensure in K-12 Dance Education. There, she had the privilege of working with artists such as Abraham In Motion, Gregory Dolbashian, Ryan Corriston, Ruben Graciani, Emily Cargill, as well as numerous student choreographers. At JMU she was a member of the Virginia Repertory Dance Company, JMU’s pre-professional selective company and attended the American College Dance Association. Her senior year she was one of the Student Co-Directors for the Associate Dance Ensemble, a company of first-year dance majors and was recognized as a Teacher of Promise where she had the opportunity to learn from the top educators across Virginia. Clevenger co-created 2329 Collective, a project based entity that received an undergraduate research grant from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. After graduating, she served as the Education and Community Engagement Intern for the Colorado Ballet where she worked directly with their team. Hailey now teaches dance at the Center for the Arts in Henrico County Public Schools, teaches at 804 Dance Place, is a company member with Dogwood Dance Project, and is excited to dance with Karar Dance Company!

Caitlin Espinueva, Project Dancer

Caitlin Espinueva graduated from the University of Kentucky, receiving her BA in Dance in December 2021. There, Caitlin studied under and performed works by Susie Thiel, Theresa Bautista, Stephanie Harris, Anthony Alterio, Christopher Morgan, and Sanjay Saverimuttu, as well as choreographed her own works. Caitlin trained at the Louisville Ballet School upon graduating high school and has attended the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts and Regional Dance America’s National Choreography Intensive. She has travelled to perform in Anthony Alterio’s Road of Excess: Full Blown in Lexington, KY; New York City; Lorton, VA; and Detroit, MI. In 2021, Caitlin received an Honorable Mention for the William Tolbert Whittenberg Scholarship for Performing Arts Excellence. Caitlin is excited to work with Karar Dance Company for the Spring and Summer of 2022!

Lexi Firestone, Project Dancer

Lexi Firestone is originally from Bel Air, Maryland, where she began her dance training at The Maryland School of Ballet and Modern Dance at the age of 6. Growing up she studied ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, and contemporary. In May 2019, Lexi graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from George Mason University. In her time at Mason, she had the privilege to work with Roger Jeffrey, perform at the Kennedy Center in the American College Dance Association’s National Dance Festival, studied abroad in Cuba and had her choreography presented at Harris Theater (GMU) and the Jack Guidone Theater (Washington D.C). Lexi has also furthered her training by attending intensives with Parsons Dance and Limon Dance in New York as well as SALT in Utah.  After graduation, Lexi performed in Kinetic Canvas: Vincent Van Gogh and Jackson Pollock at Harford Community College and as Lucy Dancer in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Imagination Stage. She has danced with Bowen McCauley Dance Company and Gin Dance Company. Lexi currently resides in Richmond and is excited to dance with Karar Dance Company!

Ryan Davis, Guest Artist (Floorwork)

Ryan Davis, originally form Norfolk, VA., began dancing recreationally at the age of 14 and found his passion for it while a dance student at the Governor’s School for the Arts. After graduating, Ryan attended Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently a dancer, choreographer, musician, composer, and educator based in the Richmond area.

Adriane Fang, Guest Artist (Saturday Modern Technique)

Adriane Fang was a member of the internationally renowned dance company, Doug Varone and Dancers, from 1996-2006 and has worked with several other choreographers including Elizabeth Shea, Colleen Thomas, Bill Young, Wally Cardona, Christopher K. Morgan and Nancy Bannon. 

She has been a guest teacher at Taller Nacional de Danza – San José, Costa Rica and the Damansara Performing Arts Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and has taught and staged the works of Doug Varone for various universities and companies, including North Carolina School of the Arts, BalletMet Columbus, Juilliard School of the Arts, and the University of Minnesota. She was on faculty at George Mason University from 2006-2009 and at the Doug Varone and Dancers Summer Workshops from 2000-07 and 2015-16.

She has choreographed dances for groups such as Compañia Ceibadanza in Ecuador, Shendandoah University, James Madison University, and was awarded a 2014 Local Dance Commissioning Project Award from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to present her full-length work, Grains. 

Currently on faculty at the University of Maryland, Adriane is the recipient of a 2007 New York Dance and Performance Award (“Bessie”) for her performance with Doug Varone and Dancers.

Rachel Knight, Guest Artist (Yoga)

A dancer in her adolescence, yoga was a natural way for Rachel to maintain her flexibility and strength, connect to her body, and manage stress as an adult. Much like when she was dancing, her yoga practice gave her the space to be in the present moment and become more grounded with herself. Her passion for power yoga specifically is rooted in how it marries tension and ease, allowing us to come to our edge and meet it with simplicity. As a teacher, Rachel is passionate about offering tools to support the physical body and mental well being of each student so that they leave class feeling stronger, supported, and more at ease with themselves. She empowers her students to tap into their inner strength and find grace for themselves, and to connect more fully with themselves.
Rachel completed her 200-hour teacher training at Humble Haven Yoga in 2017. She received her 85-hour Prenatal Yoga Teacher certification with Humble Haven (2018), her Yoga for Resiliency & Trauma training with Sacred Roots Wellness (2019), and most recently completed a Postnatal Yoga training with Awakened Spirit (2022).

Sabrina Holland, Guest Artist (Ballet)

Sabrina Holland is originally from upstate NY where she began her ballet training at an early age. She furthered her education and trained at Canada’s National Ballet School for four years which included an exchange program to the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany. After graduation, she spent 1 year in The Washington Ballet performing with the company as a trainee. Sabrina has spent 10 years with Richmond Ballet dancing roles such as, Juliet in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Aurora in ‘The Sleeping Beauty’, Cinderella in ‘Cinderella’ as well as the Principal roles in George Balanchine’s ‘Theme and Variations, Tarantella and Allegro Brilliant. She has also worked with many contemporary choreographers and has been a part of the creation process of new ballets every season.