Andrew Silks, originally from Los Alamos, is one of the guest faculty at DALA this summer. Courtesy photo
Ballerina Erica Felsch will teach at DALA this summer. Courtesy photoDALA News:
Dance Arts Los Alamos (DALA) will offer summer dance opportunities to dancers of all ages.
During a three-week intensive (June 8-27) intermediate and advanced dancers will have the opportunity to train with guest faculty from the San Francisco Ballet School, Smuin Ballet and Tulsa Ballet. Dancers will have classes in ballet technique, pointe, variations, conditioning, jazz, swing and ballet history.
Originally from Brazil, Pollyana Ribeiro began her dance training with Hotencia Mollo. She later trained at the Harid Conservatory and went on to win a gold medal in the Junior Division at the International Ballet Competition in Helsinki in July 1992. She began her professional career with the Boston Ballet where she attained the rank of principal dancer. Ribeiro taught at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School from 2005-2014. In 2014 she joined the faculty of the San Francisco Ballet School.
Robert Moore began his dance training in Indianapolis with the White River Ballet Company. He joined Boston Ballet II in 1996 and was promoted to the main company in 1998. He later joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre where his roles included Dwight Rhoden’s Ave Maria and Carmina Burana, The Great Gatsby, Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Paul Taylor’s Company B and Stanley in John Neumeier’s in A Streetcar Named Desire. He is currently dancing with Smuin Ballet in San Francisco.
A San Francisco Bay native, Erica Felsch attended North Carolina School of The Arts and was later offered a full scholarship to train at the San Francisco Ballet School. Felsch also danced with Garage Contemporary Ballet, Madison Ballet, Nova Ballet and Colorado ballet where she performed featured roles in Cinderella, Camargo, Who Cares and The Nutcracker. She joined Ballet Arizona in 2009. While there she performed featured roles in La Valse, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Symphony Classique, Mosaic, and Play. After three seasons with Ballet Arizona Felsch joined Smuin Ballet.
Pollyana Ribeiro of San Francisco Ballet School will teach at DALA this summer. Courtesy photoAndrew Silks received his early training at DALA and furthered his training at the Ellison Ballet Professional Training Program on full scholarship. In 2011 he was invited to perform in the Youth America Grand Prix US Gala Tour. Silks joined Tulsa Ballet II in 2011 and was promoted to Tulsa Ballet in 2012. He originated the role of Lord Montague in Edwaard Liang’s Romeo and Juliet and has performed featured roles in The Nutcracker, Don Quixote and Swan Lake. His contemporary repertory includes works by Balanchine, Caniparoli, Hougland, Hynd, Kudelka, Liang, Taylor, Bruce, Wheeldon, Cerrudo and Stevenson.
Ballet Boot Camp for Boys, which meets June 8-12, will be taught by Andrew Silks. This week-long workshop includes conditioning, ballet technique and choreography specifically geared to male ballet students.
Young dancers aged 3 through 8 will have two week-long workshops to choose from. The first, Ballet Birds, will meet in June at the TOTH/Los Alamos studio. This workshop compares and contrasts two ballets: The Firebird and Swan Lake. The second workshop, Sleeping Beauty, will be held July 20-24 at the White rock studio. Taught by DALA Early Childhood Coordinator Valerie Silks, these workshops will include ballet technique, choreography and ballet stories. A short performance for family members will be presented at the conclusion of each week.
Specific information about registration and pricing for the Summer Intensives, Ballet Boot Camp for Boys, and Early Childhood Workshops can be found on the DALA website www.danceartslosalamos.org or by calling the DALA office at 505.672.9462.
