Modern Dance Masterclass/Audition for FINI Dance Summer Intensive in Italy

AN UNFORGETTABLE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY DANCE IN ITALY! 

Join us for masterclass/audition with an acclaimed dancer, teacher and director of FINI Dance Festival, Antonio Fini.

When: March 10, 2024

Where: Destiny Dance Institute

            417 Brooks St.

            Wake Forest, NC 27587

Time: 2:00PM - 3:300PM masterclass/3:30PM - 4:00PM audition

(Dancers auditioning for the summer program must attend the masterclass)

Cost: $20 per student

Advanced students ages 13 and up will have an opportunity to audition for the 4 week 2024 Summer Dance Intensive in Calabria, Italy! To learn about the program please click HERE.

ONE FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIP, ROOM AND BOARD INCLUDED, TO BE AWARDED! The scholarship is graciously funded by the Dancing Angels Foundation in collaboration with FINI Dance.

Antonio Fini is an Italian born modern dancer, choreographer, and director. Antonio has performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company and Graham II, Erick Hawkins Dance Company, Kosovo Ballet, Staten Island Ballet, Boca Ballet Theatre, Mare Nostrum Elements, and Michael Mao Dance, with whom he has performed as principal dancer since 2011. In 2011, he created Alto Jonio Dance Festival in Villapiana, Calabria to provide exceptional dancers in Italy the opportunity to perform with established companies in New York. In 2013, Antonio expanded his vision by founding the Italian International Dance Award, which recognizes phenomenal Italian and international dancers for their accomplishments. In 2014 Alto Jonio was transformed into Fini Dance Festival with the mission of establishing greater connections between dancers in New York and Italy. The festivals have been listed as one of the top summer dance festivals in the United States (Dance Informa) and Europe (Ballet 2000).

FREE Masterclass/Audition for the American Dance Festival Pre-Professional 2024 Dance Intensive

Join us for a FREE Masterclass/ADF Pre-Professional Dance Intensive Audition with American Dance Festival faculty member, Anna Barker!

When: February 11, 2024

Cost: FREE

Where: 417 Brooks Street

            Wake Forest, NC 27587

Time: 3:00PM-4:00PM (Masterclass for ages 13 and up)

          4:00PM-5:00PM (ADF Pre-Professional Intensive Audition for ages 13-17)

TWO $500 SCHOLARSHIPS will be awarded towards ADF 2 week Summer Pre-Professional Intensive tuition. The scholarships are graciously funded by the American Dance Festival and the Dancing Angels Foundation.

Students interested in auditioning for ADF 2 week Summer Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, must attend the masterclass and prepare a 1 minute solo. For more information about the program and additional requirements please click HERE.

Video by Alexa Vélez, courtesy of the American Dance Festival.

Anna Barker (she/her) was introduced to Pilates during college as a strengthening and supportive tool for her dance career, and it quickly became an integral part of her training as a movement practitioner. She received her BFA in Dance and BA in Psychology from Temple University in 2009. She completed her classical Pilates certification through The Pilates Center, and was trained at Body Precision (Mat, 2009) in Philadelphia and InsideOut Body Therapies (Apparatus, 2013) in Durham. She has taught throughout Philadelphia, New York City, and the Chapel Hill/Durham area for the past 13 years. Anna opened The Movement Studio, a Pilates-based movement studio, in June of 2022 on Radical Healing’s wellness campus in Durham, NC. In addition to her studio work, she has an in-home practice supporting clients in recovery from major injury, surgery, and birth. Anna is fascinated by the healing and reconstructive elements of Pilates and has used the system to combat her own dance-related injuries. Her movement practice consists of an ever-expanding synergy of classical Pilates exercises and other movement ideologies including dance, yoga, functional range conditioning, PT-based movement rehab, slings myofascial training, TRX suspension weight training, movement for clients with neurological conditions, and perinatal and postpartum work. Anna’s choreographic research draws from the shared human experience to create an exchange about our social and interpersonal existence within an evolving sociopolitical context. She founded her dance-theater company, real.live.people, in 2014 with collaborator Leah Wilks. Since its inception, the company has presented three evening-length works and one feature-length dance film. Her work has been presented in various festivals and venues across the US. She was the recipient of the NC Arts Council Fellowship (2019) and the Ella Pratt Emerging Artist Grant (2018). Anna currently creates dance work both in Durham and in NYC. @annasaurusrexx

Class description: This class will focus on sequencing movement organically through progressions in the body. We will explore this through improvisation and set phrase work, investigating our own movement patterns and learning how to safely distribute force when moving in and out of the floor. This class is a space to find our grounding and lay a foundation of stability so that we can experience freedom within our practice.

Meet Gerri Houlihan and Big Red Dance Project

Gerri Houlihan studied at the Juilliard School with Antony Tudor and members of the Graham and Limon dance companies. She performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company and the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. From 1991-1999 she directed Houlihan and Dancers, based in Miami, Florida and was on the faculty of the New World School of the Arts. She has been on the faculty of the ADF from 1981-1983 and from 1987 to the present. As an international representative for ADF, she has participated in 17 international linkage programs in such countries as Korea, China, Mongolia, Brazil, and Chile. She is a retired Professor Emerita from Florida State University and also the recipient of the ADF’s Balasaraswati, Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching. She was Co-Dean and then Dean of the ADF School from 2010-2015 and received her MFA from the Hollins/ADF MFA program. She currently teaches at the ADF studios in Durham and is the Artistic Director of the Big Red Dance Project- a group of dancers age 35-73 and up!

Big Red Dance project

We carry our history and our geography in our bodies. The Big Red Dance Project is an organization that encourages adults to create and perform their personal histories through dance. Grounded in the classical modern dance traditions of director Gerri Houlihan, the group seeks to develop community, expand the notions of who can dance in our current society, and enhance the vibrant arts scene in the Triangle area of North Carolina. With dancers from the ages of 35 to 73 and beyond, the group includes a physical therapist, a nurse, a visual artist and several current and retired dance educators.

Meet Diana Hoffmaster and D'Vorah Dance Arts

Diana Mighdoll Hoffmaster was born in West Palm Beach Florida and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of South Florida in Dance Performance and her Masters of Fine Arts from Florida Atlantic University in Arts Administration. She recently launched her own project based company D’Vorah Dance Arts, and was the co-founder of the The Dancers’ Space (TDS) in West Palm Beach Florida. She has served as the Grants Manager for the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, and the Director of Grants and Development Operations for the American Dance Festival. Diana has choreographed many works that have been presented as part of The Dancers’ Space at the Duncan Theatre and Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in South Florida and is a recent recipient of the Artist Support Grant from The United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County and  ADF’s Studio Subsidy Program. Diana studied under the direction of Lynn Wimmer, Jeannie Travers, Michael Foley, John Parks, Demetrius Klein, Gerri Houlihan, Danny Buraczeski, and many others. She has attended the Limón Summer Intensive with Risa Steinberg, the Malashock Dance School with John Malashock, and Prodanza Italia USA with Rose Trusendi in Castigliano, Italy. She also has had the great honor of performing Visions of Peace, by Jennie Travers in Paris France.

With a passion to create immersive dance experiences, Diana studied Lighting Design in graduate school and has designed lights for dance productions at the Centre for Dance and the Performing Arts in Oakland, FL, and for the Dances We Dance performances at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL.

Diana continues to teach masterclasses after having taught consistently at various dance schools for the last 25 years. She has had the pleasure of teaching at Klein Dance, Hillsborough Community College, Florida Atlantic University, Centre for Dance & the Performing Arts, and Destiny Dance Institute.

Meet Masha Dashkina Maddux

Mariya “Masha” Dashkina Maddux is a professional concert dance performer and a dance educator. A native of Kiev, Ukraine she was first introduced to dance through the classical Vaganova ballet technique. After moving to the United States she studied under the direction of Ruth Weisen at the Armour Dance Theater of Miami, FL and ultimately graduated summa cum laude with her BFA from New World School of the Arts under the directorship of Daniel Lewis. Ms. Dashkina Maddux joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2007 and rose to the rank of principal dancer, performing major roles in classical Graham repertoire along with works created by some of the most influential contemporary choreographers. She has been featured in Dance Magazine’s “Dancer’s Choice”, and also appeared in projects including Martha Graham Dance Technique DVD Beginning and Intermediate levels, directed by Miki Orihara and Susan Kikuchi, and in a feature film Fall to Rise, written and directed by Jayce Bartok. 

In addition to performing, Ms. Dashkina Maddux has collaborated with photographers to capture the art of dance. Her image was featured on the covers of the Dior Magazine Issue #26 and The Art of Movement, a highly acclaimed book conceived and created by the founders of NYC Dance Project, Ken Browar and Deborah Ory. 

Ms. Dashkina Maddux is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Wake Forest Dance Festival, a free and open to the public day of dance, based in Wake Forest, NC. She is one of the founding members of Movement Migration, a dance collective of seasoned artists based in Charlotte, NC founded and directed by Kim Jones and is an ambassador for the Dancing Angels Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to help passionate and committed young dancers fulfill their dreams. 

In the summer of 2018, she received the Alto Jonio Best Dancer Award in Calabria, Italy. 

She continues to perform, choreograph and most recently has been restaging works choreographed by Martha Graham on university dance programs across the county.

Meet Courtney OM and OM Grown Dancers

Courtney Owen-Muir (Courtney OM) hails from Toronto, Canada and is a full-time dance educator and choreographer. Her professional training includes Ryerson University (BFA Dance program) and the Conteur Academy, a contemporary conservatory under the direction of Eryn Waltman, where she graduated in 2013. She has additional training from The Alvin Ailey School, The American Dance Festival, L.A. Contemporary Dance Company and Steps on Broadway Exchange Program where she has trained with such notables as Andrew Winghart, Sidra Bell, Alexandra Wells, Gerri Houlihan, Abby Zbikowski, Shannon Gillen and Kate Hutter to name a few.

Courtney began producing work in the United States in 2014 at the annual SARUS festival in Wilmington, NC and has since spent the last 8 years teaching at local studios and setting work across the triangle and country.
Courtney established her contemporary dance company, OM grown dancers, in 2016 and with them- has produced 6 evening length premiers, held pop-up performances both around Durham NC and internationally. She and the company have hosted free community dance events, facilitated summer/winter intensives and collaborated with other local creatives on movement projects. The evolution of the OM grown dancers has played a vital role in her growth as a creative in North Carolina.

In 2016 Courtney opened and co-owned Threehouse Studios, a movement studio located in Durham, NC. In 2020, Courtney created a pre-professional, contemporary focused program called TRAIN: Dance at Threehouse. In 2023, she opened her very own dance training center, OM Grown Dance Studios, in Aberdeen, NC. Courtney is both a 200-hr RYT yoga teacher and a Progressive Ballet Technique instructor. 

Courtney is an established dance choreographer, who has been recognized for her work on the competitive level and professional company level. She is currently working on and certifying a Floor-work Teacher Training called Floor3.

Her growing mission is to provide dancers seeking additional training opportunities, a platform to further develop their artistic voice and nourish their evolution as a contemporary artist. Courtney has a passion for dance education and is proud of the symbiotic offerings she has created as an educator.

OM Grown Dancers

OM Grown Dancers is a contemporary dance company dedicated to enriching their communities with thought provoking and powerful movement experiences. Under the direction of Courtney OM, the company is known for its ability to evoke emotions through physical and synergistic harmony in formal stage performances, master classes and community projects. They are committed to providing professional experiences and memorable performances.

To learn about OM Grown Dancers please visit: https://www.omgrowndancers.com/

Meet Zoe Walders

Photo by Zachary Frazee

Zoe Walders is dancer and choreographer based in College Park, Maryland. Originally from Rochester, NY, she received her BA in Dance from SUNY Potsdam and is currently an MFA Dance candidate at the University of Maryland. Over the past few years, she has been a performing artist with Frazee Feet Dance, Create A Space NOW, Grassroots Dance, and PUSH Physical Theater. She was the recipient of the 2023 Dance Force New York State Choreographer’s Initiative grant and presented her research at the NYS Dance Force annual summit in Ithaca, NY. In 2022, Zoe co-presented her second evening length show, Jumpsuit Suite with Zachary Frazee as part of the 2022 Rochester Key Bank Fringe Festival. Other recent choreography and performance credits include returning to her alma mater, SUNY Potsdam, as a guest choreographer, presenting her new work Everything is Just a Little Bit Wrong, at Gibney Dance Center in New York City as part of the Doug Varone Devices Choreographic Intensive, Mariah Maloney’s The Forest is Behind You, her first evening-length show Wild Gestures in the 2021 Rochester KeyBank Fringe Festival, Frazee Feet Dance’s In Process of Being and SHIFT, the 2020 Rochester Vision of Sound Festival, and The Wake Forest Dance Festival. In addition to her movement and choreographic projects, Zoe is the Operations Associate for Urban Bush Women and is a freelance musician.

FREE Masterclass/Audition for the American Dance Festival Pre-Professional 2023 Dance Intensive

Join us for a FREE masterclass/ADF Pre-Professional Dance Intensive Audition with sought after artist and Director of Education of the American Dance Festival, Nile Russell!

When: February 12, 2023

Cost: FREE

Where: 417 Brooks Street

            Wake Forest, NC 27587

Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM (Masterclass for ages 13 and up)

          3:00PM-4:00PM (ADF Pre-Professional Intensive Audition for ages 13-17)

TWO $1,000 SCHOLARSHIPS will be awarded towards ADF 2 week Summer Pre-Professional Intensive tuition. The scholarships are graciously funded by the American Dance Festival and the Dancing Angels Foundation.

Students interested in auditioning for ADF 2 week Summer Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, must attend the masterclass and prepare a 1 minute solo. For more information about the program and additional requirements please click HERE.

NILE H. RUSSELL is originally from Baltimore, MD. He received a B.A. in Dance from Connecticut College, where he had the guidance of wonderful teachers including Dan Wagoner, Lan Lan Wang, Jeff Rebudal, Robyne Watkin, David Dorfman, Eddie Taketa, and Jeremy Nelson. He moved to New York in 2004, where he danced with Silver-Brown Dance, LeeSaar The Company, Luis Lara Malvacias, Stefanie Nelson Dance Group, Naganuma Dance, and co-founded CaN Dance. In 2009, Nile joined Pilobolus Dance Theater as a dancer and later became Dance Captain of the touring company. Nile moved to Denver, CO, in 2014 and has been a movement consultant for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and a choreographer for the Arvada Center and Neighborhood Music Theater as well as an educator at multiple schools and studios across the state, such as Denver School of the Arts, Parker Dance Academy, and Colorado Conservatory of Dance. While based in Denver, he has performed with Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre and collaborated on and directed commissions for Crystal Bridges American Art Museum, the Momentary, the Clayton Members Club & Hotel, and multiple music videos. He has also been the creative director on community projects for educational and nonprofit organizations, taught movement workshops for California State University, and continued his work with Pilobolus as a Teaching Artist. He is currently the Director of Education for the American Dance Festival and is based in Durham, NC.

Class Title: Modern Flow

Class Description: A combination of Graham, Limón, and Taylor techniques with a focus on creation and the individual voice. Playing with our sense of balance, weight shifts, and quick directional changes, we will carve our way through the space while exploring layers of theatrical performance and expression.

Tour in Motion film screening at Unwined on White

Photo of Billy J. Hawkains III

Wake Forest Dance Festival’s Tour in Motion has been an audience favorite since the inception of the event in 2017. The guided walking tour through the beautiful E. Carroll Joyner Park has showcased various artists who traveled from near and far to be a part of the Festival. The concept was captured on film during the pandemic and a series of site specific dance films, Tour in Motion: Virtual Edition, were created to highlight four NC based performers and choreographers to celebrate the beauty of the venue that inspired the event. Join us for an intimate screening, discussion with the artists, and wine, for a memorable evening not to be missed!

 

When: November 5, 2022

Where: Unwined on White

Address:153 S White Street

Wake Forest, NC 27587

Time: 7PM

Tour in Motion (Virtual Edition): Rekindle

Rekindle

Performed by: Jasmine Powell

Choreography by: Jasmine Powell

Music by: Grégoire Lourme

Photo by: Steven Whitsitt

Jasmine Powell is a dance artist and educator from Hillsborough, NC, who grew up in the Durham dance community. She holds a BA from Oberlin College and an MFA from Hollins University in collaboration with the American Dance Festival and Frankfurt University for Music and Performing Arts in Germany. Currently, on the performing arts faculty at Cary Academy, she joyfully brings cultural history into the dance curriculum and has also shared her work as adjunct professor at Elon University. Jasmine’s mission investigates the interrelation of dance genres as an inquiry into how opposites are embodied in each other. Her passion is well suited with having danced with the diasporic dance company, Philadanco, and with notable choreographers, Dianne McIntyre, Milton Myers, Ronald K. Brown, and Okwui Okpokwasili. Jasmine performs locally with KT Collective and engages in her own choreographic journey with her latest NC premiere Approximation of a Woman. Her choreography has traveled into performing arts theaters, site-specific work, NC dance festivals, local and international film festivals, and music videos such as "Problem- A Public Service Announcement" and "Mbolo." Jasmine smiles at the opportunity to share her work rooted in conceptual storytelling and is always relating to others through a creative expressionist lens. http://jasminepowell.co/

Tour in Motion (Virtual Edition): Sringara Lahari – Waves of Love & Beauty

Sringara Lahari – Waves of Love & Beauty

Performed by: Aparna Pisharody

Choreography by: Smt. Rama Vaidyanathan

Music by: Lingaraj Urs

Aparna Pisharody is an active and committed Bharatanatyam artist from Greensboro, North Carolina. Growing up in Mumbai (India), Aparna was introduced to Bharatanatyam at a very young age, and she developed a deep love and passion towards this 2000 years old Indian Classical Artform. She continues to nurture her passion for Bharatanatyam under Sathvikaa Shankar (A senior disciple of world-renowned artist Smt. Anita Guha). Understanding the compelling nature of Bharatanatyam and how it connects one to the divinity within themselves is an exhilarating and ongoing journey for her. To move the audience through the presentation of this ancient art form is an inspiration for her. Aparna has performed at various prestigious events within India and the US.

Aparna founded Svasti School of Dance in 2013 to impart devotion to Bharatanatyam in all students with the hope that they make it a meaningful part of their lives. She loves to teach because every class is a learning experience for her. She grows artistically and spiritually with every student, every day. Being able to encourage, challenge, and develop passion in the next generation is a sadhana (spiritual prayer) for her. She strives to teach Bharatanatyam through a traditional curriculum, and rigorous practice. Through it all she encourages creativity and humility. Svasti School of Dance performances are held all over the Triad area raising money for Temples, Flood Relief and various charitable organizations. The ultimate wish is that physical and spiritual discipline required on this artistic voyage will guide all to success in every pursuit of their life.

Tour in Motion (Virtual Edition): Nantahala (Land of the Noonday Sun)

Nantahala (Land of the Noonday Sun)

Performed by: Lindsay Winthrop

Choreography by: Lindsay Winthrop

Music by: Gavin Luke

Lindsay Winthrop is a local dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Raleigh, North Carolina. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she holds an MFA in choreography and a BFA in dance education from East Carolina University. Lindsay teaches movement at Raleigh Oak Charter School and is co-owner of Tobacco Road Dance Productions. She has presented dance works in local festivals, including Emergence, the North Carolina Dance Festival, the Wake Forest Dance Festival, and Sites in the City. Currently excited about experiential and experimental performances, she enjoys exploring sensory movement through the use of elements. In continual search of choreographic findings, she is invested in studying the transformation of space by utilizing sensory experiences, natural materials, and energies incited by human bodies. 

Tour in Motion (Virtual Edition): YADAH (to throw; to cast down)

YADAH (to throw; to cast down)

Performed by: Billy J. Hawkains III

Choreography by: Billy J. Hawkains lll

Music by: Billy J. Hawkains lll

Photo by: Peter J. Brown

Billy James Hawkains III, dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, and writer, is the first African American male to graduate with an MFA in dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in over fifteen years. Hailing from the streets of Detroit, Michigan, he was first introduced to dance at age fourteen from the pews of his hometown Baptist church and obtained a BFA in dance performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) shortly after. As a performing artist, Billy danced with Theatre of Movement, a multidisciplinary art organization led by the artistic vision of Duane Cyrus, and performed world-renowned works by Merce Cunningham, Doug Varone, Juel D. Lane, and many more. His unique movement style has no boundaries. It can be described as visceral, rhythmic, and athletic, integrating various dance languages from Ballet, Modern, Afro-contemporary, House, and Flow Acrobatics. As an independent artist, Billy continues to integrate dance and film for artistic creations and regularly teaches dance workshops throughout his local community in tandem with his research on the practice and philosophy of Soft/Flow Acrobatics. 

Modern Dance Masterclass/Audition for FINI Dance Summer Intensive in Italy

AN UNFORGETTABLE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY DANCE IN ITALY! 

Join us for masterclass/audition with an acclaimed dancer, teacher and director of FINI Dance Festival, Antonio Fini.

When: April 23, 2022

Where: Destiny Dance Institute

            417 Brooks St.

            Wake Forest, NC 27587

Time: 5:30PM - 7:00PM class/7:00PM - 7:30PM audition

(Dancers auditioning for the summer program must attend the masterclass)

Cost: $15 per student

Advanced students ages 13 and up will have an opportunity to audition for the 4 week 2022 Summer Dance Intensive in Calabria, Italy! To learn about the program please click HERE.

ONE FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIP, ROOM AND BOARD INCLUDED, TO BE AWARDED! The scholarship is graciously funded by the Dancing Angels Foundation in collaboration with FINI Dance.

Antonio Fini is an Italian born modern dancer, choreographer, and director. Antonio has performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company and Graham II, Erick Hawkins Dance Company, Kosovo Ballet, Staten Island Ballet, Boca Ballet Theatre, Mare Nostrum Elements, and Michael Mao Dance, with whom he has performed as principal dancer since 2011. In 2011, he created Alto Jonio Dance Festival in Villapiana, Calabria to provide exceptional dancers in Italy the opportunity to perform with established companies in New York. In 2013, Antonio expanded his vision by founding the Italian International Dance Award, which recognizes phenomenal Italian and international dancers for their accomplishments. In 2014 Alto Jonio was transformed into Fini Dance Festival with the mission of establishing greater connections between dancers in New York and Italy. The festivals have been listed as one of the top summer dance festivals in the United States (Dance Informa) and Europe (Ballet 2000).

FREE Masterclass/Audition for the American Dance Festival Pre-Professional 2022 Dance Intensive

Join us for a FREE masterclass/ADF Pre-Professional Dance Intensive Audition with sought after artist and faculty member of the American Dance Festival, Joy Davis!

When: March 13, 2022

Cost: FREE

Where: 417 Brooks Street

            Wake Forest, NC 27587

Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM (Masterclass for ages 13 and up)

          3:00PM-4:00PM (ADF Pre-Professional Intensive Audition for ages 13-17)

TWO $1,000 SCHOLARSHIPS will be awarded towards ADF 2 week Summer Pre-Professional Intensive tuition. The scholarships are graciously funded by the American Dance Festival and the Dancing Angels Foundation.

Students interested in auditioning for ADF 2 week Summer Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, must attend the masterclass and prepare a 1 minute solo. For more information about the program and additional requirements please click HERE.

Joy Davis is a dance artist & educator steeped in practices of Countertechnique®, improvisation, and performance. She began studying with Countertechnique® Founder Anouk van Dijk in 2005 at the American Dance Festival; was certified as a Teacher in 2012 and recently Senior Teacher in 2021. Founded in 2006, joyproject is a framework for creation, curation and production of collaborative performance & installation; most recently opening a micro-residency and performance space called The Deck in Charlotte, NC featuring Shaina Cantino as the first artist-in-residence in 2022. Joy is co-founder of The Davis Sisters with Alexander Davis, a collaborative experiment in which they dare to perform exacerbated versions of themselves in spaces such as The Yard, Boston Center for the Arts, Bates Dance Festival, Wesleyan Center for the Arts and Dance|Now Boston at The Dance Complex. Joy also creates/tours duets with husband Dr. Eric Mullis and dances with Charlotte-based Payne Dance. Joy received an MFA in Choreography and Performance from Smith College in 2015, and has since been visiting faculty at Smith College and Wesleyan University; as visiting Lecturer at Harvard University in Theater, Dance & Media. She is Associate Professor of Dance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Visiting Faculty at University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Joy lives in Charlotte with Eric and their Pomeranian, Baby Sir. joydavisproject.com

Another summer in Italy with FINI Dance

As the leaves start to turn and the temperature starts to slowly reveal the arrival of a beautiful fall season we are taking a moment to look back at the summer of 2021 which brought two amazing scholarship students to Villapiana, Italy to study dance during a 4 week FINI Dance summer intensive.

Year 2021 came with many challenges but, fortunately, that didn’t prevent us from holding a masterclass/scholarship audition with Antonio Fini during which two dancers, Ava Lanzass and Kari Sescoura, were selected to attend the summer intensive on scholarships provided by WFDF amazing Scholarship Partners. We are so fortunate and so very grateful to work closely with the Dancing Angels Foundation, FINI Dance and the Holding Family Dancers Funds to provide opportunities for dancers like Ava and Kari to travel abroad and get a phenomenal opportunity to experience a different culture and study dance with some of the most celebrated artists and dance educators in the world of dance, all in the unforgettable setting of beautiful Italy.

“Attending the Fini Dance Intensive in Italy this summer was the most amazing experience of my life. I was immersed and exposed to so many different styles of dance and was surrounded by people who are so dedicated and passionate about dance. The teachers were so knowledgeable and motivating, which allowed me to grow as a dancer and learn so much. However, this month abroad not only helped me grow as a dancer, I grew as a person by being introduced to the Italian culture and living in the beautiful town of Villapiana. This was the trip of a lifetime and an unforgettable experience.”

Ava Lanzas

“The month I spent in Villapiana was easily the best time of my life. I learned so many new things about Italian Culture. Along with different styles of dance, including Arial and Albanian dance. I saw so much improvement in my dancing though such a short amount of time, I built strength mentally and physically. We would dance 7-9 hours on weekdays, and on the weekends, if there was no showing, we would be able to enjoy the small town. Over the four weeks I was being pushed to my limit in the best way possible, I accomplished things I would have never dreamed of. I am so incredibly thankful to all of the organizations and people who made this possible for me.”

Kari Sescoura

Summer intensives like this often serve as stepping stones in the pursuit of dance as a career as they open up new doors, provide unexpected opportunities and allow such rising dancers to delve deeper into their dance training and WFDF is beyond thrilled to be a part of this discovery process. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for these passionate and driven young ladies.

Ava and Kari, we wish you both all the best as you continue to pursue your goals and dreams!

WFDF 2021 season update

Photo by Maksym Kolotun

Dear dance enthusiasts, patrons, supporters, and artists, we hope this message finds you well, healthy, and thriving. We wanted to touch base with all of you with an important update.

This was not an easy decision for us to make, however, after weighing our options and navigating many uncertainties surrounding the pandemic we have decided to cancel the 2021 outdoor season.

Nevertheless, 2021 has been a very prolific year and we have focused our energies on serving our immediate community as well as the community of dance artists from student to professional
level. And we can’t wait to share all the updates with you. So stay tuned for blog posts about what we have been up to lately!

As always, we thank you for all your support through these past difficult years. It means more to us than you can possibly know.

Until then, stay safe, be well, and keep dancing!!!

Modern Dance Masterclass/Audition for FINI Dance Summer Intensive in Italy

AN UNFORGETTABLE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY ABROAD! 

Join us for the masterclass/audition with an acclaimed dancer, teacher and director of FINI Dance Festival, Antonio Fini.

When: April 25, 2021

Where: Destiny Dance Institute

            417 Brooks St.

            Wake Forest, NC 27587

Time: 2:00PM - 3:30PM class/3:30PM - 4:00PM audition

(Dancers auditioning for the summer program must attend the masterclass)

Cost: $10 per student

The masterclass is open to the community. Advanced students ages 13 and up will have an opportunity to audition for the 4 week 2021 Summer Dance Intensive in Calabria, Italy! To learn about the program please click HERE.

ONE FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIP, ROOM AND BOARD INCLUDED, TO BE AWARDED! The scholarship is graciously funded by the Dancing Angels Foundation in collaboration with FINI Dance.

Antonio Fini is an Italian born modern dancer, choreographer, and director. Antonio has performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company and Graham II, Erick Hawkins Dance Company, Kosovo Ballet, Staten Island Ballet, Boca Ballet Theatre, Mare Nostrum Elements, and Michael Mao Dance, with whom he has performed as principal dancer since 2011. In 2011, he created Alto Jonio Dance Festival in Villapiana, Calabria to provide exceptional dancers in Italy the opportunity to perform with established companies in New York. In 2013, Antonio expanded his vision by founding the Italian International Dance Award, which recognizes phenomenal Italian and international dancers for their accomplishments. In 2014 Alto Jonio was transformed into Fini Dance Festival with the mission of establishing greater connections between dancers in New York and Italy. The festivals have been listed as one of the top summer dance festivals in the United States (Dance Informa) and Europe (Ballet 2000).

FREE virtual performance!

Missed the FREE virtual performance on March 15th at 7pm? Not to worry, click HERE to watch the show!

Virtual Neck of the Woods, presented by ARTS Wake Forest and the Renaissance Centre, featured a dance performance and a brief interview with the Wake Forest Dance Festival founder Masha Dashkina Maddux (also the featured dance artists) and the Festival co-founder Pamela Stevens. Masha and Pam spoke about the inspiration behind creating this event, which has featured dance artists from all walks of life, and the impact it has had on our community since the Festival’s inaugural season in 2017.

A very special thank you to ARTS Wake Forest and the Renaissance Center for having us join the Neck of the Woods performance series. These special online events feature local Wake Forest artists of various genres in mini performances. Tune in on Youtube at 7pm every Monday in March and enjoy!

Get to know our guest artist Gregory Dolbashian

We are thrilled about our first free virtual class offering coming up on October 24th at 2PM ET! Joining us to kick off this brand new WFDF offering is Gregory Dolbashian.

We got a wonderful opportunity to ask Greg some questions about being a performing artist, dancer and choreographer. Read on to learn more about this innovative and creative voice and leader in today’s world of dance. 

What aspects about the art of dance inspired you to follow the path of a performing artist? 

I’m really lucky to come from a family of artists. My mom is an opera singer and voice teacher and my father was a percussionist. So, growing up we were always encouraged toward creativity. Really lucky to have had that kind of support. I always got to grow up in New York City which was an amazing environment for culture and exposure. 

What are some of the challenges you have experienced being a dancer and choreographer and how did you overcome them? 

I think that one thing I have learned in all the time spent in pursuit of goals and ideas is that you have to maintain a good relationship with yourself. No matter what the obstacle or challenge is, no matter how many successes and failures, how you talk to yourself through it all, matters so much. 

Pandemic and the lockdown of this year have been extremely challenging for all, and arts is not an exception. Can you tell us a bit about your experience and how you remained positive and creative during this time? 

I’ll go back to family on this one. I’m lucky to have family and good people around me in my professional and personal circles. Trying to stay open and communicative with people, sharing ups and downs and uncertainties, trying to work through frustrations with people I trust. In a time of isolation, I’ve been lucky to not have to take it all on alone and I’ve tried to be super conscious of returning this support in my treatment of others too. I probably don’t always succeed but its definitely something that has helped keep me grounded during this time. 

Do you have any projects, works in progress that you would like our audience to know about and follow? 

We just released a very cool short film project with The Mobile Dance Film Festival. The film is titled Side by Side and it was created in tandem between The DASH Ensemble and DASH Academy artists. The film can be accessed through our website thedashensemble.org 

Last but not least, If you could meet any dancer or choreographer, dead or alive, who would it be and why? This is probably a little cliche but I would love to spend some time with Fred Astaire.