Exploring Dance and Movement

Ellen Rosa-Taylor & Hai Cohen
June 18-22

This workshop is geared towards dance teachers, former dancers, current dancers and those who love to move but have not had any formal dance experience. Each day will cover a range of dance and conditioning techniques such as ballet, pilates, modern dance, improvisation, choreography/composition, teaching of dance technique and dance conditioning. The mornings will be dedicated to developing and refining the instrument of dance, the body, through dance technique classes. In the afternoon students will have the option to explore the creative dance process using improvisation to generate movement ideas and then learning the craft of composition to put those ideas into a piece of dance art, or they can choose the option to discuss various teaching of dance theories and techniques.

Skill Level: All levels welcomed. A love of dance is most important.
Tuition: $735
Lab fee: $20, includes the book, A Choreographer’s Handbook and handouts; you may be asked to bring additional items.
Enrollment limited to 20 students

Ellen Rosa-Taylor is chair of the Dance Department at Idyllwild Arts Academy. She received her BS in Ballet from Indiana University, Bloomington, her MFA in Dance from Florida State University where she was the recipient of the Deans Teaching Fellowship and a University Fellowship. Ellen has performed as a ballerina with the Los Angeles Opera, New York City and San Diego Opera and as principal dancer with City Ballet of Los Angeles, Media City Ballet, and Chattanooga Ballet. She was featured as the Bluebird in Disney’s Snow White. As a choreographer, Ellen has had her works presented across the USA. LA Times has called her style… “a unique jazz ballet style.” As a dance educator, she is an ABT Affiliate Teacher and has received the distinction of ABT NTC Fellow; she has received Yoga Teacher Training with Gerhard Gessnar, and is working to develop a curriculum to provide yoga for dancers to help them gain strength and joint stability.

Hai Cohen is a native of Beer-Sheva, Israel. His professional training began at Bat-Dor dance school where he was a recipient of the American-Israeli Cultural Scholarship. Hai continued his dance training with Bat-Sheva Dance Company. He was a member of the Kamea Contemporary Dance Company and the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. He has had the opportunity to teach Kibbutz repertory in various places around the world. From 2010-2013 Hai performed as a member of the LA-based contemporary dance company, BODYTRAFFIC. He is currently on the dance faculty at the Idyllwild Arts Academy and his choreography has placed his students in first place at (YAGP) for numerous years.