There has been so much joy in our studios this summer! The picture above is from an Appalachian Flat Footing Workshop with Miriam Piilonen during our Pulse Intensive.
We’re excited to share that staff members Veronica Bone and Gillian Ebersole have updated job descriptions and positions.
Starting this Weekend: Dunham Technique Workshop Series
with Saroya Corbett
Open level, for ages 13-adult
In this series, Saroya Corbett, Arthur Levitt Jr. ’52 Artist-in-Residence Fellow at Williams College, will share her expertise in Dunham Technique, an Afro-Modern dance technique.
This program offers students who are new or returning to Pulse the opportunity to resume training with a week of afternoon ballet and modern classes before the Fall session begins.
Spirits of Chesterwood is an intergenerational dance project created by seven local choreographers in the Berkshire Pulse community. This roving, site-specific performance will be presented as a part of Chesterwood’s Arts Alive! series on Thursday, July 27, once at 4pm and again at 6pm, to allow an intimate group of audience members to follow the performers along the route.
In this series, Saroya Corbett, Arthur Levitt Jr. ’52 Artist-in-Residence Fellow at Williams College, will share her expertise in Dunham Technique, an Afro-Modern dance technique.
Our Dance Discovery Intensive brought together dancers ages 8 to 12 for two weeks of exploration! In particular, they loved their African Dance class with Nkoula Badila and Angel Lau (pictured here).
Upcoming Summer Intensives
It’s not too late to register for our upcoming summer intensives!
Our summer session is in full swing! We’re so excited for our Dance Discovery program to begin next week. Plus, our Community Classes with new and continuing class and workshop options for all ages and levels of experience.
Next Tuesday, June 27, join the Feel Into Your Wholeness Workshop Series with Madeline Despres-Chen, Registered Somatic Movement Therapist & Educator. Madeline will guide you through a gentle somatic yoga experience to connect with your heart and lungs, followed by a therapeutic expressive arts process. The workshop will conclude with a facilitation of guided movement to support your fluid nature and deepen your mind-body-spirit connection.
Starting next Monday, June 26, join Nkoula Badila and Angel Lau for back-to-back community classes.
World Percussion Open Level and Intergenerational, for ages 8-adult 📅 Mondays, June 26-July 17 🕓 4-4:45pm
The world of percussion is so vast and exciting! In this course, you will learn the basics of how to play any percussion instrument, learning different rhythms from all over the globe with a focus on Afro-Cuban and Brazilian percussion.
Open Level, for ages 14-adult 📅 Mondays, June 26-July 17 🕓 5-6pm
This class will focus on a combination of Central West African + Contemporary dances, getting in touch with your own rhythm and flexibility, and finding a strong foundation in the relationship between the drum and the dance.
Spirits of Chesterwood is an intergenerational dance project created by 6 local choreographers in the Pulse community. This will be performed as a part of Chesterwoods’ Arts Alive series on Thursday, July 27, with shows at 4pm and 6pm.
📅 Friday, June 23 🕢 7:30pm 📍 The Foundry, 2 Harris St, West Stockbridge
Pulse Teaching Artists Gillian Ebersole, Shannon Nulf, and Benjamin Court perform this Friday at The Foundry in West Stockbridge! Set to a soundscape of ambient blues music, their show why are you all still here explores the connection between knick knacks and nostalgia through movement and poetry, inspired by the items that stick with us, persisting even after every iteration of spring cleaning.
We are so grateful to our generous sponsors for making this year’s performance celebration possible:
Alander Construction Berkshire Mountain Bakery Indian Mountain School Jacob’s Pillow Nature Works Organic Land Care Inc Gail Belmuth Joan & Peter Coombs Alan & Benès Glackman Claudia & Joe Gold Bruce Humes/Tall Tree Productions Diane Pearlman & Jeff Diamond
Join us this Saturday at the upcoming Housatonic Party in the Park! Come learn more about Pulse’s summer programming and join an African Dance and Drumming class.
Using basic percussion instruments like shaky eggs, djembes, and the ukulele, this class will engage young children in music! Activities include: using rhythm to say your name in syllables; using the sounds of the instruments to cook a recipe; and acting out animals using sound and motions.
Plus, the class incorporates books like “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “How Things Work in Busytown,” teaching young musicians to augment the stories and scenes using the sound from their instruments and the motion of their bodies.
Set to pop tunes of queer greats, this workshop gives beginning and experienced dancers a chance to take up space, play with weight and momentum, and reframe their experience with ballet as one of joy.
This class centers queer folks but all are welcome! Dress in whatever way supports your identity and range of motion; rainbows encouraged. 🌈
*All proceeds from this class will be donated to the Elizabeth Freeman Center, an organization that offers hope, help, and healing to all experiencing or affected by domestic and sexual violence through free, accessible, and confidential services in Berkshire County.
Introducing our Teaching Artists: Isaiah (Critical) Artis, Ben Court, Dashawn Davis, Miriam Piilonen, Andres Ramirez, and Peter (P-Boogie) Reynolds Jr. Read their bios here.
📅 Monday to Friday, July 31 – August 4 🕘 9am – 3pm
All levels, two groups: ages 12-14 and 15 to adult
Join these teaching artists to learn foundational movements and techniques of hip hop and street style dance, alongside discussions about the cultural meaning and significance of these dance forms.
The program will create an encouraging space to try out what you learn and most importantly show off your unique style and personality while freestyling in daily cyphers.
The Spring Celebration will showcase the work of our Youth Performing Arts Program students, as well as alumni, community members, and teachers. 100% of the proceeds from these performances will benefit our Tuition Assistance program.
More information on this performance, as well as sponsorship opportunities and ticket sales, coming soon!
Join Saroya Corbett, Bolin Fellow of Dance, for a second workshop in Dunham Technique, an Afro-Modern dance technique. As a certified instructor, Chair of History and Theory for the Institute for Dunham Technique Certification, and a life-long practitioner of Dunham Technique, Saroya will discuss the dance technique as a holistic practice and the work of Katherine Dunham, the technique’s creator. After the discussion, participants will experience a Dunham Technique movement class which will combine the theories and philosophies of the technique into physical practice.
The Montreal School of Biodanza is returning to Pulse in March!
📅 Friday, March 31 🕖 7-10 pm
Biodanza is an invitation to cultivate the “Art of Vivencia” – the ability to be completely present to life in the moment. Biodanza encourages us to explore the gestures and embodied vocabulary of Vivencia, letting us rekindle our connection to self, others, and the world.
All are welcome; Biodanza is a dance practice for everyone.
For students with at least two years of prior dance training. Two groups: beginner and int/adv
This two-week program allows dancers to develop excellence in technique, as well as versatility and collaboration in the creative process. Daily classes will include ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, swing, salsa, and flamenco. Dancers will explore dance-making through partnering and improvisation. Plus, field trips to local partnering organizations!
Summer Intensive season is finally in full swing! Here’s just a taste of what our jam-packed July schedule looks like:
We are just wrapping up a fun, engaging, and challenging week of our Dance Discovery session.
Our Hip Hop Intensive begins next week, which we couldn’t be more excited about. (Want to join? Scroll down for more info.)
Our Contemporary Intensive starts on July 18th. Due to popular demand, we’ve decided to open up our Contemporary Intensive—as well as our August Ballet Intensive—to adults who are willing to commit to the entire program. If you’re interested, please feel welcome!
Want to participate in any of our intensives? Click below to learn more and register!
Adult dancers (18+) can nowjoin individual morning or afternoon classes from the summer Ballet, Contemporary, and Hip Hop/Street Styles Intensives!
This is a great option for adult dancers who can’t commit to a full day program, but crave a semi-intensive dance experience. Participants are required to commit to the daily class for the entire duration of the week or 2-week intensive.
Authentic Movement is a meditative, intuitive, improvisational movement practice involving a mover and a witness. It is a practice of listening, attunement; slowing and opening to a deeper sensing of body and psyche. It was developed by dancer and psychotherapist Mary Starks Whitehouse, who, following her work with Carl Jung, became curious about moving without intention, or the practice of “waiting to be moved.”
This simple meditation will provide the container for this workshop for both experienced movers and those who are new to this practice.
In this week-long program, students will learn foundational movements and techniques of hip-hop and street style, alongside the cultural meaning and significance of these moves.
The program will create an encouraging space to try out what you learn (and, most importantly, show off your unique style and personality) while freestyling in daily cyphers. Styles will include beginner’s breaking, party grooves, and footwork.
NOTE: The Celebration Jam and All-Styles Battle has been moved to Friday July 15th at 1pm.
This class is designed for people who have never taken a partnering ballroom class before. The class will introduce the participants to ballroom partnering and basic East Coast Swing steps. Students should sign up with a partner (or contact us if a partner is needed).
Summer 2022 is really starting to shape up! We’re so pleased to share that our end-of-year performance will take place on Saturday, May 28th and Sunday, May 29th. These performances will be held at the Daniel Arts Center again—for the first time since 2019!
And while you have your calendar open…
Our summer intensive dates are officially up! Take an early peek at our Rhythm Alive, Dance Discovery, Hip Hop/Street Style, Contemporary, and Ballet intensives—more details and registration info to come.
During the break, all Youth Performing Arts Program classes are on break for the week of February 19-25, resuming on the 26th. Select community classes are ongoing—a full schedule for community classes during the break can be viewed here. Questions? Contact us here, or simply reply to this email.
