School Buzz: Über-Awesome Utah

Über-Awesome Utah

This past December, 10 young ballerinas’ dreams came true when they were cast as Clara in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Three of the chosen ones hail from Utah—two from the same dance studio! Alexia Meyer, who danced in the Nashville production, and Megan Skalla, who danced in the Chicago and St. Louis productions, are both from The Dance Club in Orem, UT. Courtney Forbes, from Wasatch Dance Center in Heber City, danced Clara in the 18-city tour. Utah’s got talent, no Clara-fication necessary.

American College Dance Festival 2009

Do you want to get dancin’ with your college peers? The American College Dance Festival is an annual conference for college and university dance departments geared toward sharing creativity. The three- to four-day conference consists of workshops, master classes and panels. Students are also provided with the outstanding opportunity to present their own work before a professional adjudication panel or in an open forum. Currently, the ACDFA hosts conferences in 10 different regions of the U.S.: Central, East Central, Mid-Atlantic, New England, North Central, Northeast, Northwest, South Central, Southeast and Southwest. For more: acdfa.org —Kathleen Glynn

MYB’s New Home

This past winter, Manhattan Youth Ballet, a part of Studio Maestro, moved into a new home—the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center. MMAC is a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility consisting of five studios, each complete with sprung marley flooring, temperature-controlled environments, acoustically balanced walls and cathedral ceilings. The MYB christened its location change with a performance in MMAC’s intimate, 170-seat theater, which is equipped for a variety of lighting and audio needs. The space, which also holds open classes, like jazz funk, Broadway jazz and Pilates, looks something like what we imagine as dancer heaven!

A Year for Celebration

This year, The Cassandra School is celebrating its 30th birthday! Over the years, Cassandra Shore has traveled the world to provide students with the best understanding of the authentic technique and cultural influence of Middle Eastern dance. Her company, the Jawaahir Dance Company, which incorporates a mix of contemporary and Middle Eastern–style dance, will also celebrate its 20th birthday this year! Want to know more about the school? Go to jawaahir.org for info. —Abby Gold