Click here for the MCA Summer Intensive 2008 Catalog and registration form (.pdf)
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For information on MCA's other summer programming, please refer to the Summer Programs page.

Location of program: Saint Mary's University, Winona, MN

Dates: July 7 - 25, 2008

Courses offered: Ballet, Pointe, Variations, Repertory, Pas de Deux, Jazz, Rhythm Tap, Modern, Hip Hop, Contact/Improvisation, Pilates, Dance Conditioning, Water Aerobics, Health and Nutrition, Make-up and Costuming, Dance History

For: Intermediate and Advanced students ages 11 - 25

Tuition: $775

Tuition plus room/board: $1600

Scholarships: Full and partial talent-based scholarships available.

Performance Opportunity: Final Showcase Performance open to family, friends, and the public on Friday, July 25, 7 pm, in the Valéncia Arts Center Academy Theatre.


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James Sewell Ballet at the Hennepin Center for the Arts, Studio 2A
528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Saturday, March 29, 2008, 12 - 2 pm
For more information call 507.453.5501 or 612.375.1922
jsballet.org

The School of Rockford Dance Company at the Riverfront Museum Park
711 North Main Street, Rockford, IL 61103
Saturday, April 12, 2008, 12 - 2 pm
For more information call 507.453.5501 or 815.963.3341
rockforddancecompany.com

Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts at the Valéncia Arts Center, Studio 1
1164 West 10th Street, Winona, MN 55987
Saturday, April 26, 2008, 10 am - 12 pm
For more information call 507.453.5501
smumn.edu/mca

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Audition Information:
The auditions will include a full ballet class. Students with pointe experience should bring pointe shoes to the audition class. Following the ballet class students may choose to show a prepared jazz, modern, tap, or character dance center combination of at least 64 counts or 16 bars.

An audition is required for acceptance into the Intensive. Video auditions will be allowed if applicants are unable to attend an audition class (please see video audition guidelines below). Questions regarding auditions and talent-based scholarships may be directed to Christine Martin, Managing Director, at 507.453.5501, or email dance@smumn.edu.

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Video Audition Guidelines:
For students who are unable to attend one of the above audition classes, video auditions may be accepted. Videos must be received by the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts no later than April 15, 2008. Please include the following on your audition video:

A ballet barre including the following on alternate sides: plié, tendu, dégagé, rond de jambe and fondu, frappé, developpé or adagio, and grand battement

A ballet center including the following on both sides: adagio, pirouette combination with en dehors and en dedans turns, petite allegro, and grand allegro

A jazz, modern, tap, or character dance center combination of at least 64 counts or 16 bars.

Please mail audition tapes to:
Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts
ATTN: Christine Martin
1164 West 10th Street
Winona, MN 55987

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Jae Hoon Lim: Originally from South Korea, Jae Hoon attended Korea University as a physical education major before moving to the United States in 1995. He danced with San Diego Dance Theatre in 1997 prior to joining Koresh Dance Company in 1998. Upon leaving Koresh in 2001, he danced with Shapiro and Smith Dance, Sarasota Ballet of Florida, and River North Chicago Dance Company. Jae Hoon's education includes a B.F.A. in Ballet Performance from the University of the Arts while also training at the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet and Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet under the direction of John White and Margarita de Saa. He has taught modern, jazz and ballet at schools such as the Sarasota Ballet Academy and Northwestern University in Illinois, and was on the faculty at the Hubbard Street Dance Center in Chicago. Jae Hoon has returned to Koresh Dance Company for its 2007-2008 season and also teaches jazz at the Koresh School of Dance. The Conservatory welcomes Mr. Lim as a Summer Intensive guest artist.







Stephanie Milling: Stephanie Milling recently completed her Ph.D. in Dance at Texas Woman’s University where she also pursued an M.A. in Women's Studies, which she will finish in the summer of 2008. Stephanie also holds an M.A. in Dance Education from New York University and a B.A. in French from Texas Christian University. While completing her graduate work at TWU, Stephanie designed and taught face-to-face and online courses in the Department of Dance and Women’s Studies Program. Throughout her career, Stephanie has taught in a wide variety of artistic and educational environments. She has worked as a teaching artist and full-time dance educator with the New York City Board of Education, as a part-time lecturer at Texas Christian University, and as an adjunct at the University of North Texas. In addition, she has also been a company teacher for Dallas Black Dance Theatre I and II, and a guest artist for the Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts, and at the Making Waves Dance Festival. In 2004, Stephanie was awarded for her excellence in teaching by TWU's Department of Dance, and in 2007 she was one of eight graduate students in the U.S. to receive the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Stephanie’s current title during the academic year is Assistant Professor of Dance Education in the Theatre and Dance Department at Winthrop University. As a performer, choreographer, and scholar, Stephanie enjoys combining her interests in feminist oral histories, social justice issues, dance making, and writing as a means to explore the possibilities between different ways of knowing, perceiving, and articulating identity-based realities. Her creative and scholarly work has been presented at the Joyce Soho, the D.U.M.B.O. Dance Festival in Brooklyn, NY, the Barefoot Brigade in Dallas, TX, the Annual Conference for the National Dance Education Organization, and in the Journal of Dance Education. Stephanie began her formal dance training in high school at the Walnut Hill School for the Performing and Visual Arts where she graduated with honors in dance. In conjunction with the Walnut Hill School, she studied at the Boston Ballet School, and her summers were spent studying at the Houston Ballet Academy and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. She has performed as a company member and guest artist with ballet and modern dance companies such as the Dayton Ballet, Berkshire Ballet, Tressor Dance Company, Contemporary Dance Fort Worth, the Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, and the Von Howard Project as well as others. She has also performed and assumed the role of dance captain for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in Los Angeles and Myrtle Beach. In Texas, Stephanie served on the major grant panel for the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, and she currently sits on the Advisory Board for the South Carolina Dance Education Organization. The Conservatory welcomes back Ms. Milling as a Summer Intensive guest artist.


Tammy Schmidt: Schmidt holds a B.F.A. in ballet from Texas Christian University and an M.F.A in dance from the University of Oklahoma. She is currently teaching at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts, Viterbo University, Winona State University, and the La Crosse Dance Centre. Schmidt served previously as Director of Dance for the Conservatory for seven years, where she restaged and choreographed several full-length ballets including Cinderella, Paquita, The Nutcracker, and Excerpts from Swan Lake. She has previously taught at the University of Oklahoma, Saint Mary's University, North Houston Ballet, Backstage Dance Theatre, and a performing arts middle school in Austin, Texas. Her performing career includes work with Ballet Dallas, Houston Ballet, Ballet Austin, Milwaukee Ballet, and Oklahoma Festival Ballet. The Conservatory welcomes back Ms. Schmidt as a Summer Intensive guest artist.




Allen Fields: A native of Pinehurst, North Carolina, Fields began dancing at the age of 13, beginning serious Classical ballet training with Joseph Levenoff at the University of North Carolina. He attended high school at the North Carolina School for the Arts and later studied at the School of American Ballet, both under scholarship. While at SAB, Fields pursued additional studies in modern dance and American jazz from such greats as Lar Lubovitch, Gwen Verdon, and Bob Fosse. Throughout his career, Fields has built a wide repertoire, including performing in more than ten Balanchine works. He has also danced many soloist and principal roles in such ballets as Romeo and Juliet, Coppelia, Swan Lake, A Midsummer Night's Dream, La Fille mal Gardée, Carmen, and The Nutcracker. Fields has been a company member or guest artist with the Atlanta Ballet, Cleveland San Jose Ballet, Ballet du Nord in France, Eglevsky Ballet in New York, Ohio Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Company, and the Minnesota Ballet. Fields has also performed in musical theatre with the Toledo Opera, the Cleveland Opera, the Glimmerglass Opera, the Savannah Opera, and the Houston Opera. His film credits include work in A League of Their Own. In 1992, when Fields took the position of Artistic Director of the Minnesota Ballet, then known as the Duluth Ballet, he was immediately credited with breathing new life into the company. Critics have recognized Fields' talents as a choreographer and director. The News Tribune declared of his 1997 Nutcracker production, "The audience-friendly story and the audience-inspiring choreography make the much-seen ballet a must see for the holidays." Strongly committed to dance education, Fields is credited with developing the Minnesota Ballet's school into the finest ballet academy north of the Twin Cities. Along with Bonnie Mathis, Artistic Director of Ballet Arts Minnesota, he established Project Soar, a gathering of the state's ballet teachers to share ideas and improve dance instruction. While on sabbatical from Minnesota Ballet, Fields served as Artist In Residence at MCA for the 2006-2007 academic year and joined us as a guest artist for the 2007 Summer Intensive. Currently, he guest teaches throughout the nation. The Conservatory welcomes back Mr. Fields as a Summer Intensive guest artist.


Tony Smith: Smith began his dancing career as a street dancer in Los Angeles. He was discovered for his break dancing skills in the movie Breakin' II - Electric Boogaloo at the age of thirteen. He started his formal dance training in Kansas City. Smith was quite fortunate, as his first ballet mistress was Renaté Edwards, former corps dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet. Smith continued his dance training with Renaté until he moved to Houston in 1987. While attending college in Utah, Smith was introduced to jazz dancing by Broadway great, Garth Peay (Peter Pan and Hello Dolly). Garth paved the way for Smith's professional career by exposing him to audition opportunities in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Since then Smith has danced for Walt Disney, Opryland, Six Flags, and has been a featured dancer on MTV and Black Entertainment Television (BET). He has performed in numerous corporate industrial shows including companies such as L'Oreal, Toni & Guy, and Donna Karen. As a choreographer he has worked with Barry Manilow, Sandi Patti, The Temptations, and country singer Clay Walker, to name a few. As an entertainment producer his recent works have included working with American Idol finalist Will Makar and up and coming recording artist Jeni-Lynn. Smith is the Executive Producer of Round Rock Entertainment. MCA welcomes back Mr. Smith for his fifth year as a Summer Intensive guest artist.

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*Ballet
Females: pink tights, pink ballet slippers/pointe shoes, black leotard, hair pulled tightly off the face and neck in a bun. A black skirt may be worn for pointe and/or variations classes.
Males: white t-shirt, black sweat pants, leggings, or tights, black or white ballet slippers (dance belt required for teen and adult male dancers).

*Modern
Females: Any colored leotard, dance pants, bare feet, hair pulled off the face and neck.
Males: Any colored t-shirt, dance pants, bare feet.

*Tap
Females: Any colored t-shirt or leotard, dance pants, oxford/flat or jazz taps (not character or high heel taps), hair pulled off the face and neck.
Males: Any colored t-shirt, dance pants, oxford/flat or jazz taps.

*Jazz
Females: Any colored leotard, black tights or dance pants, jazz shoes or jazz sneakers, hair pulled off the face and neck.
Males: Any colored t-shirt, dance pants, jazz shoes or jazz sneakers.

*Pilates or Conditioning Classes
Females: Any colored t-shirt or leotard, dance pants, bare feet.
Males: Any colored t-shirt, dance pants, bare feet.

*Hip Hop
Females: Any colored t-shirt or leotard, dance pants, tennis shoes or jazz sneakers, hair pulled off the face and neck.
Males: Any colored t-shirt, dance pants, tennis shoes or jazz sneakers.

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