Performing Arts Camps: May I Have This Dance?

Montana Ballet Company

Improve your ballet skills while learning a timeless tale this summer through Montana Ballet Company’s Sleeping Beauty Summer Camp. The camp offers four different sessions in the months of June and July. Each session is Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Montana Ballet Company dance studio. The weeks of June 14 and July 12 will be held for kids ages four to six, and the weeks of June 21 and July 19 will be held for kids ages six to eight. In each session, attendees will dive into the Sleeping Beauty Ballet, adopted from the original 1697 fairy tale and considered one of the most famous ballets of all time. Attendees will do this through daily ballet class, dance-related arts and crafts, choreography, and more! Instructor Elizabeth DeFanti states the camp “gives dancers a fi rst-hand glimpse into what a major ballet is like.” Registration is open now at https://montanaballet.org.

Dancing Under the Big Sky

Dancing Under the Big Sky is another summer program hosted by Montana Ballet Company July 26 - Aug. 7. The two-week dance intensive program provides an educational curriculum that nurtures the whole dancer: mind, body and spirit. This camp is offered for those ages eight and up. Ballet aspects covered in this camp include technique, pointe and pre-pointe, variations, Pilates, nutrition, musicality, and much more! Students will also be treated to two guest faculty who will be leading the camp, Rachel Van Buskirk and Christian Clark. Both instructors have taught for the Atlanta Ballet, the longest continually performing ballet company in the United States. Van Buskirk has danced with Atlanta Ballet for 13 years and is the co-founder of Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre. She has been nominated for Dance Magazines “25 to Watch,” and has countless experience educating young ballet students. Clark is another co-founder of the Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre and has been dancing for the past 15 years, largely with Atlanta Ballet. Clark has performed lead roles in some of the most renowned ballets, including Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, and Dracula. He also starred in the 2013 fi lm adaptation of the Moulin Rouge ballet by Jorden Morris and Grammy and Emmy-winning directors Pierre and Franois Lamoureux. pleted prior to acceptance to the program. This can be done in-person or by sending an audition video to Montana Ballet Company. Montana Ballet Company will also be holding open classes from June 14 - July 23 for continuing students and new students alike. Different age groups are scheduled for different dates and times. Class information and registration can be found on the MBC website.

All who are serious about ballet are encouraged to reach out, and can fi nd more information by contacting the companies offi ce at 406-5828702, or by emailing info@montanaballet.org. More information on the program can also be found at https://montanaballet.org.