Dancers: Marblehead School of Ballet to Hold Renowned Summer Dance Intensive & Jacob's Pillow Excursion

The Marblehead School of Ballet (MSB) launches its renowned Summer Dance Intensive and annual excursion to Jacob’s Pillow in July. MSB is accepting applications now for its Summer Intensive Dance 2015 programs for dancers ages 11 and over from July 20 to August 8 and children ages 8 to 12 from July 6 to 10. The Summer Intensive Dance 2015 programs will be held at 115 Pleasant Street in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

These programs offer a unique opportunity for dancers of all levels of experience to cultivate their technical skills. They enrich their understanding and appreciation of the art form with personalized training in small classes taught by top professionals in the field.

“Dance enriches all of life, teaching discipline, grace, self-control, musicality, and other qualities that carry over into all professions. Our primary emphasis is correct alignment, musicality, and a graded approach to material allowing dancers the opportunity to extend their skills in a balanced way without injury,” said Director Paula K. Shiff, recipient of Salem State University’s 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts, who trained at the Boston Ballet School and performed with the Boston Ballet Company.

“The sheer pleasure of dance and music is always central to the classroom experience!” emphasized Shiff.

Summer Dance Intensive 2015

During full days of training, students ages 11 and up participate in customized ballet, pointe, jazz, stretch and strength, variations, floor-barre and modern technique classes. The program also presents classes in the related disciplines of acting, music theory, nutrition, anatomy, injury prevention, and dance history, among others. Classes are held Monday through Friday from 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Back by popular demand, the third week of repertory will focus on technique, choreography, and rehearsals, culminating in a special public performance on Saturday, August 8. Students will also be invited to participate in enriching trips to the artistic, cultural, and culinary treasures of Boston’s North Shore.

The Young Dancers’ Intensive for ages 8 to 12 runs from Monday through Friday, 9:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. With a specialized curriculum offering personalized training for youngsters of all levels of experience, participants receive individual attention customized to their personal development. Classes are offered in ballet technique, stretch and strength, improvisation, rhythm, storytelling through movement and others.

Students will be evaluated and assigned to a Level 1 or II class based on skill. Evaluations are required for new students before the start of the program for placement in the appropriate class.

A limited number of merit-based scholarships are available. The program is sponsored in part by The Ruth N. Shiff Memorial Fund.

Jacob’s Pillow Excursion

Students enrolled in the MSB Summer Intensive and the general public are also invited to participate in MSB’s annual excursion to Jacob’s Pillow in Lenox, Massachusetts on Sunday, July 19 to see the San Francisco-based Alonzo King LINES Ballet known for its classic elegance and bold, new ideas. The program features King’s newest ballets, including the East coast premiere of the collaboration with environmental soundscape artist Dr. Bernie Krause, author of The Great Animal Orchestra, and composer Richard Blackford. The trip includes a guided tour and the performance.

Tickets are $73.50 and advanced registration is required. Seats are limited and tickets have sold-out on previous excursions.

Learn more about the Summer Dance Intensive 2015 and the Jacob’s Pillow annual excursion on the MSB’s website. For further information, call the school at 781-631-6262 or send an e-mail to msb@havetodance.com.

Dancers Drawn From Around the World

The MSB’s programs attract dancers globally. Graduates have pursued careers in a range of fields from dance to medicine with ballet and modern dance companies, musical theatre, corporations, hospitals, schools, universities, and others as dancers, teachers, choreographers, directors, arts administrators and doctors, and more.

Students have attended prestigious schools such as the Walnut Hill School for the Arts and post-secondary institutions, including the Boston Conservatory of Music, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard, Barnard, Smith College, Mount Holyoke, University of Utah, New York University, Northwestern University, University of Massachusetts, Drexel University, University of North Carolina School for the Arts, and more. MSB alumni have pursued careers with premiere dance companies, such as Eliot Field, Alvin Ailey, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Ballet de Lorraine, Pacific Northwest, Milwaukee Ballet, and in the United States, Canada, France, Israel and others.