Under the (hot) Tuscan Sun: an Accademia dell’Arte Newsletter
by admin • July 9, 2019 • Newsletter, Summer Intensives • 0 Comments
Under the (hot) Tuscan Sun: an Accademia dell’Arte Newsletter
Summer is an exciting time here at the Accademia dell’Arte. The Villa is full of young artists soaking up every ounce of knowledge from their peers and the summer faculty. Summer Intensives are an opportunity for students in Dance and Physical Theatre to explore and experiment with self-generated work, be exposed to international artists and have opportunities to challenge their personal perspectives on performance and the world. Students in both intensives are fortunate to work with masters in various fields of theatre and dance on collaborative ensemble creations.
In addition, the ADA has been privileged to have our summer intern, Rachel Wansker, facilitate two inter-program workshops in the fields of Theatre for Social Change and Cultural Sensitivity and EFL in which students and faculty learn through practical work together. Rachel is well-versed in these fields having worked in Atlanta, Haiti and, most recently, Israel. You can read more about her perspective in the ADALife Blog.
During the second week of the intensives, we hosted 3 theatre and dance faculty from the US as part of our annual Summer Faculty Symposium. This one-week event is both a professional development opportunity and a chance for the attendees to experience the ADA first hand while classes are in full swing.
Two performances took place on campus in partnership with the Collaborative Arts Lab. Students were able to watch Clown instructor, Federica Mafucci, and two ADA MFA Alumni, Nicole Nigro and Heidee Alsdorf, perform their own original work.
These workshops and performances have been a particular highlight and have joined the two intensives in the spirit of discovery, reflection and curiosity. We are busy planning for Summer 2020 and 2021, so please come to learn, share and create with us next year!
Impressions of the Summer Intensives
In the first half of the Summer Intensives, dance students participated in C.O.R.E (Creating Opportunities of Research and Exploration), taught by Helena Fernandino and Wagner Moreira. Physical theatre students participated in either Clown: Comic Body Identity, taught by Andre Casaca and Federica Mafucci, or Hidden Dimensions: the Musicality of Physical Performance, taught by Sam McGehee and Saso Vollmaier.
At the halfway point of the Summer Intensives we sat down with Physical Theatre students Sheridan Thomas (Senior Lecturer of Theatre at Tufts University) from Clown and Emily Neifert (University of California, Irvine) from Hidden Dimensions, and dance student Zev Bennett (University of California, Berkeley). Read below to hear how the students experienced the first intensives of the summer.
In your own words what was the focus of your first intensive?
ZEV: The main focus of CORE is to research our own bodies and figure out how a body naturally moves and how that can be used to dance and find the forms that we see in dance, without making those forms the primary objective of what we’re doing with our movement. A lot of it was re-discovering how humans naturally move by researching how babies and toddlers move. They take their center, their pelvis, and their core with them to move around and in doing so everything is so much easier. So how do you use that, say you’re doing a ballet turn or something, how do you use those concepts of moving as easily as possible and naturally as possible to find those dance forms, and also to generate work. We did a lot of that. How does the way our body naturally move create dance and create communication.
SHERIDAN: In Clown the focus was to play with and for the audience. To connect to the audience and fellow clowns. To play.
EMILY: To me Hidden Dimensions was like exploring the in-between of ways of expressing yourself that aren’t immediately apparent. So we have all the ways that we already know how to move and use our voice, and Hidden Dimensions was something in the middle of those in a space where at least I haven’t explored before. It was finding the things that are thrown away quickly I think or not as appreciated or not as immediately apparent ways of working or expressing, and finding beauty in them and finding form in them. That was really valuable for me because I know I judge a sound that I make or a thing that my body does, and this class has helped me realize I can go further into that and it can become something that another artist might strive for. The thing that I don’t like about myself is beautiful and a tool to use. They never told us what was happening which I think was so smart, they weren’t descriptive at all they were like, “here’s what we’re going to do”, but there’s no result or goal to achieve. I’ve had a lot of classes where that is said, but then it becomes clear quickly that there is an intended result and you just don’t go anywhere and it’s a fake exploration. With this I never felt judged or pushed in one direction, it was so open to possibility. That was the biggest take away is that there are more possibilities.
Sheridan, as a professor who teaches clown, among other acting courses, what was your experience stepping into the role of a student for this intensive?
SHERIDAN: It’s sometimes difficult because I know too much or I believe I know too much but really that’s not necessarily the case. Things are in the way and have to be brushed aside. Being an older person there’s a sense of seniority that I should know more maybe, so failure gets a little scarier. As a teacher it’s important to become a student again. Students should try teaching just as actor’s should direct and directors should act. Like I say the best part for me is that as a teacher becoming a student I realise again what I’m asking people to do. To get up and perform in front of anybody, any group of people is an act of courage and if you become desensitised to that as a teacher it’s dangerous for you or it can be dangerous. It’s a partnership, and teachers need to remember both sides.
Can you pick one moment, exercise, or discovery in class that was an “aha” moment for you?
ZEV: Yeah, there’s a couple. I think it was not so much in the objective that I just stated, but we did a lot of partnering explorations. We did this thing in trios of people and one would lie down on the ground and the other two would give the person information about the body that the person wouldn’t necessarily be able to generate themselves because they’re so ingrained in their own movement patterns, so using the palms of their hands the partners were giving them physical impulses and moving their joints and touching their skin to find out what does that bring in your body. For me it brought out a lot of movement and a lot of understanding. The most important thing was that it brought out this feeling of “I am so seen and touched by these other people” like literally physically touched, and then I was like “I accept my body”. There was this quantum leap of holy crap I can love myself the way I move personally and other people like that as well and will continue to touch and interact with my body and there’s nothing to be ashamed of, not that there was anything explicit to be ashamed of before, but it was just this allowing that I could have for myself but through other people. In that moment I was like “woah”. It felt like I was holding my breath and then breathing and thinking “I can have so much more freedom to move now.”
SHERIDAN: Yeah. It was as my performing self. The amount of risk that he [Andre] asks for was very difficult for me. I was convinced even in the final showing that we could go up in smoke because sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t, and I didn’t have any control over that, and that was very alarming because I like to have control. so the idea that I can fly without as much control and locking things down as I thought, was fascinating. ….the use of risk will be something that I add to my teaching. Asking them to risk and then also explaining that the teaching of the course has it’s own risk and that keeps things fresh. Otherwise people think you have to know what you’re doing all the time and that’s impossible in the creative process, and teaching at its best is a creative process, it’s also the messiest.
EMILY: Let me think because a lot happened. There was one moment with Saso where we were working with our voice and we were finding an animal, and that was a very profound experience for me because something came out of my voice that I’ve never heard before and I didn’t know that I could do. It made me very emotional and very shocked to hear this sound that was me. There was also a lot of beauty in the three chairs work we did, we spent three or four days just doing that in the afternoon. They would put out three chairs and we would just start with passing and looking and sitting and going from there for hours. I don’t really know what to verbally make of that but it was amazing to create something with an ensemble. I guess one of the other things I realized was that through this work you can completely collaborate without becoming the same as everyone you’re with. You can respond to an impulse with your response. It doesn’t have to be an imitation or necessarily a rejection, but it can be you. It doesn’t have to be pushed into some mold or some response that makes sense. This has helped me with collaboration a lot. I just want to say I really admire both Sam and Saso as teachers. I think they understand how to work as teachers and collaborators in a really inspiring way. I’m taking away a lot from just watching the two of them collaborate. It was always so attentive and respectful and present in the room, and I’m going to carry that with me for the rest of my life into whatever I do.
Working Demonstrations … and then Back to Work!
At the end of the first two weeks of the program, each intensive presented a final working demonstration for the whole ADA community. This was a great opportunity for students in each course to see what their peers had been working on. We asked with Physical Theatre students Bianca Jennings (University of California, San Diego) and Tommy Hansana (Point Park University), and Dance student Ronesha Butler (University of Arkansas) what they thought about the demonstrations. Then continue reading to hear what the second half of the Summer Intensives have in store!
Of the two intensives you didn’t participate in, what is something that struck you from the final demonstrations you saw?
TOMMY: I think CORE was probably one of the most interesting pieces I’ve ever seen because they’re dancers and I expected to see like a general dance performance. But it was less performance and was more of an experience. Especially with going around the Accademia and changing locations. It was cool how well everyone utilized sign language and movement and the facilities and spaces, they were very creative.
BIANCA: I thought it was so interesting in Hidden Dimensions how they used their voice and body in accordance with the sounds they heard. I thought it was interesting and it’s an element that isn’t really focused on very much or thought about in my experience. It’s something in dance that’s so emphasized in terms of the use of music. In dance they have to listen to the music depending on the style and follow according to that. I liked how in hidden dimensions and in the dance intensive, CORE, that was something happening in both of them. Even though they’re separate classes that’s something that I saw in both of them that they were trying to move with or go against the music and sounds. That was something interesting that I saw about both of them.
RONESHA: My favorite moment was from the Hidden Dimensions class where they were singing, the singing got to me, the vocalization was so smooth and so clear that I felt a sense of calmness and at one point I just wanted to listen to it more. A part from the singing I did love the walking back and forth and sitting down in chairs, because in my mind it made me think about a dance piece, as a dancer. I was like oh we do this in modern dance, so I felt like I could relate to it as a dancer. I wanted to join in. It would have been nice if they could have had, you know, audience members come and just walk and just sit. I don’t know what the task was for when people sat in chairs and another person would come and sit in it next to them and then they would fight over a chair. I don’t know how that all was correlated, but in my mind it made sense as to what they were doing, and then the singing just added a cherry on top.
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Moving into the second half of the Summer Intensives the dance students are participating in Co-Teaching, led by Dragana Alfirevic, Dejan Srhoj, and Gregor Kamnikar of NOMAD Dance Academy, while Physical Theatre students are participating in either Commedia dell’Arte, taught by Chiara D’Anna, or Body Memory, taught by Denes Dobrei and Heni Varga. Below, Tommy, Bianca, and Ronesha share their first impressions of the second set of intensives.
In your own words what is the focus of your second intensive so far?
TOMMY: In Body Memory I see a general focus. For the most part I’ve been kept on my toes a lot both figuratively and literally because of my injury, but it’s interesting to see how Denes and Heni go about discussing the psychological with the physical. Basically we did this one exercise where we had to isolate our muscles, but just that one area, and they would just touch that area on our body and there was a sensation and even when the exercise was done we felt the sensations stay because we were putting our focus really specifically in that one area. Then they talked about how everything that we touch or have a sensation from is all associated with a memory that we have in the past. When I started talking about my ankle injury it made me think back to when I was a child and jumped out of a tree and sprained my ankle for the first time. It’s interesting that the course is so physical but they’re very keen on us starting from the internal like psychology and memory and then working our way out to the physical.
BIANCA: In Commedia dell’Arte I think it’s just the importance of you believing yourself so the audience believes. I think that’s something that’s coming forth the most to me, and it’s so similar to clowning, which I took for the first half, that if you don’t believe, the audience can’t believe, so you have to believe in what you’re doing, what you’re saying, and how you’re approaching the audience. They’re different, clowning and commedia, but they’re also similar in that aspect of belief. I like how both styles emphasize that so much. I think it’s something that actors should focus on asking, in a situation how would I believe?
RONESHA: The main focus of Co-Teaching for me would be hmmm…. Well there’s a lot of internal researching as well as researching with our colleagues. In the class so far we usually start with something small in the morning and then throughout the day it builds onto something bigger and it goes into choreography. We’ve been doing some solo work but merging it with a task and making it into group work and it’s amazing because I didn’t know how to think like that. For example, today we worked on our solos we created last week and then we did flocking, which is when a group of animals do things all together like birds. We had two groups and my group started out with doing our solos and eventually merged into just flocking and then it was this whole choreographic scene that was beautiful. The way we got there was nice because it’s like they build a foundation and then you have building blocks, and then an outcome. To go along with that we also learn to see from different perspectives as individual artists, and we can put it all together while also keeping our individual artistry. At the end of last week we got a big piece of paper and we just wrote down everything we learned and connected it with images and words and I just thought that really helpful to retain the information we were given at a fast. A word that I remember from the paper was “microspaces.”
Think Fast: Complete the Sentence!
Here at the ADA we work to establish an environment that not only supports collaboration and creation inside the studio, but also encourages a collaborative spirit of community outside the studio. During the Summer Intensives the students and faculty live, eat, and work together at Villa Godiola.
Check out what students have to say about their overall experience of the 2019 Summer Intensives, from traveling internationally to advice for next summer’s students.
My journey to Arezzo was:
…colorful. – Jackson Purdy, Temple University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…eventful. Gillian and I didn’t know about how the trains here worked and instead of just asking for help we took a taxi from Rome. Then we stayed in an Airbnb that night and then decided to walk all the way up the hill to the school with all our luggage. Looking back it would have been good to ask for some help haha. – Claudia Soga, Rutgers University (Dance Intensive)
…a partnership. I met Delia in Rome and we stayed there and then traveled here. She introduced me to how to use the train system and validate your train ticket or else you get charged 50 euro. It was an introduction so it was nice to have a friend. – Landon Guinn, Arizona State University (Dance Intensive)
…harrowing, but rewarding. – Jordana Kagan, Fordham University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…fated. – Sarah Figoten, Teacher at Milken Community Schools (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…full of ups and downs. – Helen Lister, Cornish College of the Arts (Physical Theatre Intensive)
A realization I’ve had since arriving here is:
…there is beauty in simplicity. – Jackson Purdy, Temple University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…artistically, I have a fuller body awareness and I think it has to do with the environment that we’re in within nature. – Claudia Soga, Rutgers University (Dance Intensive)
…there’s more than America. Each place has pros and cons, America vs. Europe. Rachel talked about this in her workshop as an example, individuality vs. community. When we went to Luca this weekend and I noticed the difference between the park benches facing each other instead of facing the walk way, little things like that. – Landon Guinn, Arizona State University (Dance Intensive)
…though the world seems very vast and I feel small in it, dedicated artists and creative collaborative minds exist everywhere. – Jordana Kagan, Fordham University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…I love to create. – Sarah Figoten, Teacher at Milken Community Schools (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…Alone time is essential. – Helen Lister, Cornish College of the Arts (Physical Theatre Intensive)
The first intensive was:
…Clown was breaking walls I didn’t know I had up. – Jackson Purdy, Temple University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…CORE was literal in the sense of using your core to be the root of movement and how your extremities extend from your center and also how you can pull in and expand using your center or your core. It was interesting because Helena and Wagner both taught the same course but their week’s were very different. I felt like Helena’s was more external and Wagner’s was a lot more internal. – Claudia Soga, Rutgers University (Dance Intensive)
…CORE. It was the same but different as what I’ve done before. A lot of the stuff they talked about was Laban/Bartenieff fundamentals, but the words that they were able to use were different and so it opened up a new perspective and helped me go deeper into what the movement was. It was a lot of moving opposed to this week which is more like sensing. – Landon Guinn, Arizona State University (Dance Intensive)
…Clown was… exhilarating is the first word that comes to mind. Challenging in a way that I didn’t realize I was being challenged because we were laughing so much. – Jordana Kagan, Fordham University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…Hidden Dimensions was wild and liberating. – Sarah Figoten, Teacher at Milken Community Schools (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…Clown was more than I ever imagined that it could be. – Helen Lister, Cornish College of the Arts (Physical Theatre Intensive)
The second intensive is:
…Commedia so far is invigorating and inspiring. – Jackson Purdy, Temple University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…CoTeaching so far is challenging because it’s a completely different approach to how I’m used to working. It breaks that barrier between student teacher a lot, where Helena and Wagner was also starting to break that, this takes it to a completely different level and I think it’s because the three teachers are a part of the class and while they’re co teaching with each other our focus is always on alert because you don’t know who’s doing the next task. They have similar techniques and tactics of how to do things, but how they address them is different. I think pushing myself to not always go to the extreme of movement and energy because that’s not always the right way, that’s what I’m learning and I’m learning to accept that and live in those quieter moments in class. – Claudia Soga, Rutgers University (Dance Intensive)
…Co-Teaching is taught by three different people and so it’s interesting go back and forth between them. They all have similar ideas, it’s all about sensing and feeling and how to be functional not aesthetically pleasing. How the body does move in contrast to how it wants to move because a want is an aesthetic. – Landon Guinn, Arizona State University (Dance Intensive)
…Body Memory so far is personal. Every day new things come up that I had absolutely no idea I would think about. For no rhyme or reason. Body Memory is allowing me to fully realize myself and my relationship with others and my relationship with nature. – Jordana Kagan, Fordham University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
...Commedia dell’Arte so far is so much more challenging than I expected. It makes you face yourself in ways I was not prepared for. – Sarah Figoten, Teacher at Milken Community Schools (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…Commedia is the perfect combination of play and technique. – Helen Lister, Cornish College of the Arts (Physical Theatre Intensive)
Compared to my hometown Arezzo is:
…alive. – Jackson Purdy, Temple University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…hot. It’s interesting because I come from a small town, Milltown NJ, it’s really small it’s like 1.2 square miles. It’s really small, but Arezzo is small, and I like that the school is an escape from the city. You have to walk at least 20 minutes into the city, but once you’re there you’re in it, but it’s also not overwhelming like New York City. Arezzo city at night is like TJ Maxx in the morning when no one’s in the store and you can leisurely walk around. – Claudia Soga, Rutgers University (Dance Intensive)
…I’ve never considered myself having a hometown because we moved around a lot, but most recently I live in Tempi Arizona, and it’s more spacious and hot there, but it’s dry, so the weather here is nicer but heavier, and people-wise everyone talks to each other here, going back to the idea of community and everyone knows each other. I love it. – Landon Guinn, Arizona State University (Dance Intensive)
…healing. I live in New York City right now and I haven’t been out of the city for a very long time and I knew I how much I missed nature but I didn’t know how much my body needed to be here. The air is different and I feel healthier and like I have more potential. It’s a quality that I’ve discovered that I know though I won’t always be in nature when I’m working, I can take that feeling with me. – Jordana Kagan, Fordham University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…beautiful, old, and intimate. – Sarah Figoten, Teacher at Milken Community Schools (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…way more beautiful. – Helen Lister, Cornish College of the Arts (Physical Theatre Intensive)
My favorite moment of the program so far is:
…finding my body can do things that I didn’t think it could do. – Jackson Purdy, Temple University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…honestly it was watching Jackson in the clown show. I’ve never seen clown before so I was so amused, his performance was so amazing, I keep thinking about it. It was how he sang and how he composed himself. It was a different way to look at certain things. It was comedy but you felt the emotions. It played with your mind because you wanna laugh but then you’re like, do I want to laugh or do I want to cry? – Claudia Soga, Rutgers University (Dance Intensive)
…I really enjoyed the process of putting together the performance with Helena and Wagner. On the Thursday we were thinking, we don’t know the order of anything and we have no idea what’s happening. Then we went out to do it on friday and everybody loved it. It was a nice feeling. We dove deep into the concepts with Helena and then Wagner just added to it. Putting together a whole production was really fulfilling. My favorite moment outside of class, was when Delia and I went for a walk to town and went off into the woods and it was so pretty. – Landon Guinn, Arizona State University (Dance Intensive)
…during the first week a group of people from all the different intensives and dancers all went up on the roof and watched the sunset, like the second night, and I knew I had made lifelong friends, and had met people that cared as much as I do for this craft and for each other, and then being proven right in these few weeks was even more wonderful. – Jordana Kagan, Fordham University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…I’d say so far the working demonstration moment that I performed with Danielle, Sam and Saso was really cool. Up until an hour before we did it I was feeling a lot of resistance and confusion, so it was a very liberating experience to get to ride that wave of creation in front of a live audience. – Sarah Figoten, Teacher at Milken Community Schools (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…last night we had our afternoon session at nighttime and we went out and did trust exercises in the fields under the stars, and at the end the entire group lifted each one of us up while lying on our backs so we could see the night sky and it was surreal. – Helen Lister, Cornish College of the Arts (Physical Theatre Intensive)
My instructors are:
…incredible, inspiring and at times beautiful. -Jackson Purdy, Temple University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…they’re very supportive and understanding. They always apologize for their english, which makes me feel like saying “you’re doing so well.” They’re very patient. They know quickly everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and they will push you knowing what you need. – Claudia Soga, Rutgers University (Dance Intensive)
…inspirational. In America I feel like the instructors have their dance job and then their teaching job, and here it’s like this is who they are. Just knowing that it’s possible and to actually have people in front of you that are successful in the dance world is really inspiring. – Landon Guinn, Arizona State University (Dance Intensive)
…incredibly knowledgeable and have opened my mind to new ideas and have allowed me to work in a way that I’ve never worked before. All my instructors have molded their style of teaching to the group for a really personal and effective way of learning. – Jordana Kagan, Fordham University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…so skilled, so courageous, so inspiring. – Sarah Figoten, Teacher at Milken Community Schools (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…so amazing in every way. They are caring and talented and brilliant. – Helen Lister, Cornish College of the Arts (Physical Theatre Intensive)
My yelp review of the ADA would say:
…a very solid 9 out of 10, there are a few bugs, but it is worth it. – Jackson Purdy, Temple University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…if you’re looking for a place to fully dive into an artistic community this would be the place to go, and you can also walk into town and get some gelato but then come right back and still be fully invested in it. – Claudia Soga, Rutgers University (Dance Intensive)
…wonderful teachers and staff and faculty, no need to bring a towel, you’ll just always be wet with sweat. Come with an open mind. Overall a great experience and I love it. – Landon Guinn, Arizona State University (Dance Intensive)
…come here! This was something that I just decided I was going to do, and then I handed in my application, got my acceptance and then months went by and I didn’t think about it so much. Then it was a week or two before the program and I remembered, oh I’m going to Italy. I’d say take a risk and it will exceed all of your expectations, whatever you come here to do you will grow. – Jordana Kagan, Fordham University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…go, get on a plane, do it, come here. You’ll have an amazing experience. – Sarah Figoten, Teacher at Milken Community Schools (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…4.5 stars out of 5. Beautiful accommodations, lovely committed hosts, the work you will do here will change your life, the wifi is spotty and there is no A/C hence the loss of 0.5 stars. – Helen Lister, Cornish College of the Arts (Physical Theatre Intensive)
The work and experience I’ve had here will influence me by:
…allowing me to conserve more energy and perform in a way that’s more healthy for me. – Jackson Purdy, Temple University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…back at home a lot of work I’ve been starting to see is immersive dance so it combines physical theatre and dance, and it’s something I’ve been drawn to ever since I’ve seen shows like Sleep No More and Third Rail. After seeing that, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. The dance teachers here have a much more physical theatre approach, so I was excited to dive into that, but also with my education program at school I really liked how these teachers taught class it never felt like I’m the teacher you’re the student, it was more of a playground the entire time. – Claudia Soga, Rutgers University (Dance Intensive)
…coming here I wanted to make connections because I want to dance in Europe because America doesn’t support the arts so well. Now I know there are people who have done it before and can do it and it’s possible, I can now be connecting all the dots and see where it goes. – Landon Guinn, Arizona State University (Dance Intensive)
…following me in any direction I go in theatre and in life. What I’ve learned about collaboration here is extremely valuable in any life situation. – Jordana Kagan, Fordham University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…it’s something that I’m going to take away for myself and also something that I’m going to be able to pass a long to my students so that’s a really special experience. – Sarah Figoten, Teacher at Milken Community Schools (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…before I came here I was starting to question my lifelong passion for theatre and coming here reignited that joy and helped me re-discover my beginner’s mind and it will let me go back to school with a new found drive to finish. – Helen Lister, Cornish College of the Arts (Physical Theatre Intensive)
Students should come to the 2020 Summer Intensives because:
…it provides training for multiple facets of life that you most likely will not get back in the states. – Jackson Purdy, Temple University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…I think it’s a growing experience for yourself. You are removed from a lot of stuff but it makes it easy to be part of a community and be who you want to be as an artist, but it takes you to a different level. – Claudia Soga, Rutgers University (Dance Intensive)
…they’ll get some great teaching, time to travel, not an abundance, but you don’t need to travel that much, great learning opportunities, great connecting with other students, and the experience of being in a different country, which is really eye opening. – Landon Guinn, Arizona State University (Dance Intensive)
…it truly has been the best experience I’ve ever had. You get to do what you love, meet incredible people that you will care enough to plan to see again and work with again and you will grow as an artist in ways that you didn’t think you could expand. – Jordana Kagan, Fordham University (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…I can’t imagine another program like this one. It’s so special to be in this space, working on creating at such a high level non stop for a month. It’s really hard and so rewarding. -Sarah Figoten, Teacher at Milken Community Schools (Physical Theatre Intensive)
…this program will change your life. The teachers here are so willing to meet you where you are instead of sticking to a predetermined syllabus to make sure every student gets all that they can out of the intensives they teach things that you may already think you knew but you’ll see it in a whole new light and being in nature with these amazing people from different backgrounds will change the way you think about theatre…give you 20/20 vision…20/20 like the year 2020:) – Helen Lister, Cornish College of the Arts (Physical Theatre Intensive)
