Salem Native With Boston Early Music Festival to Present Master Class in Spanish Sevillanas

Carlos Fittante, a native of Salem, Massachusetts and a performer and co-choreographer with the Boston Early Music Festival, will teach a special Spanish Sevillanas master dance class at the Marblehead School of Ballet (MSB). Fittante, an acclaimed performer and choreographer, will teach the class at the school, located at 115 Pleasant Street in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on Monday, July 24 from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m.

A specialist in Baroque, Balinese, and Spanish escuela bolera dance styles, Fittante is artistic director of the New York City based BALAM Dance Theatre, a contemporary company blending diverse time periods and world dance forms. Critics have praised his choreographies and performances worldwide with the Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Opera Series, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, the International Arts Festival in Denpasar, Bali, and other venues. A graduate of the School of American Ballet, he holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts.

Sevillanas from Spain

Sevillanas, named after the city of its origin, Seville, is a popular folk dance from Andalusia in southern Spain. Several forms of Sevillanas exist, with its defining characteristics including castanets and stylistic influences from Flamenco. In this class, students will learn the first dance of four from Sevillanas Corraleras, a version performed in the urban discos, bars, and cafes of Spain. Castanets will be introduced, and no previous dance experience is required to enjoy this sophisticated dance form.

"Master classes open dancers to different people, who have had varied experiences in training and professional careers. The value of classical technical training is the same. You hear differently in a master class since a new voice is offered, even if the teacher says the same thing. The light bulb goes off, and that is an incredible feeling. This reignites your passion for dance," said Rosemary Grant, a student at the Marblehead School of Ballet and a member of the North Shore Civic Ballet's board of directors.

Modern and Jazz

MSB will also offer modern and jazz dance master classes. Performer Tanner Huseman will teach the modern dance class at MSB on Wednesday, July 26 from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Currently with the award-winning dance-film company Wilder Project, he will join The Limon Dance Company for the 2017-2018 season. Huseman holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance from The Boston Conservatory and has participated in training programs at Jacob's Pillow, Springboard Dans Montreal, The Joffrey Ballet School, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Marblehead School of Ballet, and others. His repertoire includes works by renowned artists such as Crystal Pite and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, among others.

Jessica Davison, a member of the Radio City Rockettes in New York City, will teach the jazz master class at MSB on Saturday, August 5 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Davison just completed a fifth season performing in the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular and last year, she was in the cast of the New York Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes choreographed by Mia Michaels. Originally from Bedford, New Hampshire, she studied jazz, tap, theatre, and voice at the Bedford Youth Performing Company and undertook ballet at Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre. She attended summer intensives at the Rock School of Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and San Francisco Youth Ballet.

Register

Dancers may register for a single class for $35. A special rate is offered for all three master classes for $90. For further information or to register for the master classes, call 781-631-6262 or send an e-mail.

Photo:

Carlos Fittante performed a Spanish dance in the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera's production of Carmen led by Artistic Director Lucine Amara, a Metropolitan Opera legend. Photo Credit: Barrie Proctor Bonacci