Educational & Professional Programs

The ADF School chooses a critical lens that allows faculty and students to consider dance in relation to contemporary culture and timely issues. In 2020, the School focused on the physical imagination, asking, “How does dance allow you to explore and realize your wildest imaginings?” The 2020 Winter Intensive in NYC explored this question in early January, offering a variety of perspectives on the imaginative capacity of our dancing bodies. The Summer Dance Intensive, Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, and Dance Professional Workshops were all reimagined for online instruction. Each program was shortened and limited capacity to make for intimate training programs.

SUMMER DANCE INTENSIVE

The Summer Dance Intensive (SDI) program offered three weeks of online courses for students ages 18 and older. Courses envisioned new ways to respond to current times by reimagining how we move between making, dancing, researching, and performing in a virtual context. Courses included contemporary movement practices, creative practice, and a unique online repertory project, and were led by Leah Cox, Nia Love, Jenna Riegel, Ray Schwartz, and André Zachery. Drop-in classes were taught by Gerri Houlihan and Nia Love, and Open Forum discussions were facilitated by Leah Cox with Nia Love and André Zachery. The 2020 Online Summer Dance Intensive served a total of 96 students.

PRE-PROFESSIONAL DANCE INTENSIVE

The Pre-Professional Dance Intensive (PDI) program offered two weeks of online courses for students ages 13-17. This program provided rigorous training within a supportive community for intermediate and advanced dancers. Normally an audition-based program, the online format enabled students to enroll based on their own self assessment of their training and experience. The online program offered two courses in technique and composition that focused on building strength, stamina, and creativity, while also offering inspiring faculty and a community of passionate dancers from all over the world. Technique classes in different forms were led by Michelle Gibson and Matt Pardo, and composition classes were led by Momar Ndiaye. The online platform offered the unique opportunity for our students to continue their movement practice as a group, while also engaging in personal reflection and exploration of how they can reimagine and create within their own space. The 2020 Online Pre-Professional Dance Intensive served a total of 31 students.

DANCE PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOPS

The Dance Professional Workshops (DPW) offered two, week-long online workshops for dance educators and makers. The online workshops provided these professionals with the opportunity for experimental collaboration, rejuvenation, and the space to connect as a community. Workshops offered included DPW for Makers with Jesse Zaritt and DPW for Educators with Gerri Houlihan. Each workshop held daily classes and included time to move, discuss, and form community. The 2020 Online Dance Professional Workshops served a total of 53 participants.

WINTER INTENSIVE

Celebrating its 25th year, the 8-day ADF Winter Intensive in New York City was attended by 68 students. In addition to taking classes with distinguished faculty in contemporary movement forms, creative practices, and repertory,