Contemporary Intensive
Each summer, Urbanity Dance welcomes intermediate-advanced dancers (ages 11-24) from around the nation to participate in a unique, hands-on Contemporary Dance Intensive.
Each summer, intermediate to advanced dancers ages 11-24 are selected for a unique contemporary dance intensive to work with nationally-acclaimed guest artists, Urbanity Dance Company members, and Urbanity’s most popular faculty. Students receive 7 hours of daily instruction from 10-5pm in ballet, modern, and contemporary technique, as well as supplementary courses in jazz, musical theater, improv, hip hop, and repertory. The 2024 program will run from August 5 through 16. Students may choose to attend one week, two weeks, or both
Each week will have a new and exciting focus:
WEEK 1: MUSIC VIDEO Learn a new work that will be professionally recorded, edited, and presented.
WEEK 2: CAREER DEVELOPMENT Gain insight and enhance your professional materials by participating in career panels and workshops, as well as a professional photoshoot with Ryan Smith Visuals.
Auditions
In-Studio Auditions
In-Studio auditions will incorporate aspects of ballet, modern, jazz and contemporary techniques. A warm-up will not be provided. Please wear something that shows lines and that you feel comfortable moving in and only barefoot or light socks for footwear.
Sunday, January 28 12-2pm at Urbanity Central
Sunday, February 11 12-2pm at Urbanity Central
Saturday, March 9 4-6pm at UDHQ
Video Auditions
Create a 1 minute video showcasing your style and technique, including turns, leaps, extension, flexibility, and musicality by April 19. Please include all of the following :
Name and age
A 1 minute video showcasing your style and clear technical aspects within contemporary or modern. Please wear clothes that allow instructors to see clean lines and facility.
Please submit the video audition link (YouTube or Vimeo) to summer@urbanitydance.org along with submitting payment & registration below.
Tuition
2 weeks: $1,200
1 week: $650
Payments can be made in full upon registration or in installments due May 1, June 1, and July 1.
Access for All
Urbanity is excited to continue to offer the Access for All Scholarship Fund by awarding 10 full scholarships this summer! All Summer Intensive participants are invited to apply after acceptance into the program. Scholarships will be awarded on financial need and merit. Funding is intended to help individuals most deeply impacted by the pandemic. In the spirit of Urbanity's mission, priority will be given to support artists of color and those who identify with historically underrepresented/underfunded groups in dance.
Sample Daily Schedule
10-11:30am EST: Ballet class
11:30-1pm EST: Warm up & Contemporary class with Urbanity’s Faculty
1-1:30pm EST: Lunch
1:30-3pm EST: Take class from Nationally-Recognized Guest Artists
3:15-5pm EST: Each week will have a new and exciting focus:
WEEK 1: MUSIC VIDEO Learn a new work that will be professionally recorded, edited, and presented.
WEEK 2: CAREER DEVELOPMENT Gain insight and enhance your professional materials by participating in career panels and workshops, as well as a professional photoshoot with Ryan Smith Visuals.
Faculty
Originally from South Shore, Mass, Hayley Andrews is a queer freelancing dance artist and choreographer. She graduated from Salve Regina University with a BA in English Communications and a minor in Dance in 2018. After graduation, Haley relocated to Boulder, CO in 2018 where she began to construct her project based contemporary dance company, Andrews Movement. Since then, she has showcased her choreography at BandChicago Dance Festival - Hubbard Street Dance (2019), Versatility Dance Fest - Colorado & California (2019), Mash Up Dance’s International Women’s Day Festival - California (2022), and Ballet Rhode Island - RI Women’s Choreography Project (2022 & 2023). She danced with T2 Dance based out of Boulder, CO for two seasons until moving back East in 2020. Haley is currently on faculty teaching contemporary dance at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI and instructs various adult contemporary classes around Rhode Island and the greater Boston area.
Haley is also dancing for choreographer Jessi Stegall in her work The Theremin Vignettes, being showcased at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston, Mass. this March 2024. She continues to build repertoire for Andrews Movement, and is actively showcasing work throughout the 2024 season. Haley Andrews is a passionate arts advocate who works to instill social and equitable change in the world, and her own community through her art. AndrewsMovement.com
Cayley Christoforou is a New England based artist who strives to blend her love of the arts with her skills in business. She has been adjunct faculty member and choreographer for the Salve Regina University and Providence College dance programs. Her choreography has been presented at the Young Choreographer’s Festival in NYC, Boston Contemporary Dance Festival (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019), Urbanity NEXT (2019), Urbanity FACTS (2019), Salem Arts Festival (2018), Southern Vermont Dance Festival (2015), and several dance competitions across NE. In November of 2016, Christoforou received the honor of being the assistant director of Salve's Extensions Dance Company Concert 2016. She was also featured in the Dance Studio Life Magazine 2017 Contemporary and Modern Issue.
Cayley received her masters degree in business administration, as well as an undergraduate degree in English communications and dance from Salve Regina University. During her undergraduate experience, Cayley was an integral part of the Salve dance program. She was a dancer and choreographer for Extensions Dance Company, the PR Coordinator of SRU Dance, and the first student to direct the Student Choreography Showcase. Upon graduation, Cayley received the Salve Regina University Dance Award 2015.
Haley Day grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. After training for several years as a competitive gymnast, Haley found ballet and began her exploration of the dance world. She graduated from the University of Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance in 2013 with a BFA in Dance Performance with a dual emphasis in ballet and modern techniques. During college, Haley had the pleasure of dancing as a guest artist in the corps of Kansas City Ballet’s Nutcracker; she was also a guest artist for Western Oklahoma Ballet Theater and a dancer in Owen/Cox Contemporary Dance Group in Kansas City. Since joining Urbanity’s professional company in 2013, Haley has had the pleasure of performing in works by Betsi Graves, Marcus Schulkind, Lorraine Chapman, Andy and Dionne Noble, Carl Flink, Mike Esperanza, Jackie Nowicki, Camille Brown, Doug Varrone, Jaclyn Walsh, and Shura Baryshnikov.
Haley has also enjoyed choreographing for Urbanity; her most recent project was “Soul House,” composed by Robert Honstein and played by Hub New Music, which premiered in December 2018 at the Peabody Essex Museum.
Avree Gundersen, originally from West Brookfield, Massachusetts, has graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelor’s in fine arts degree in Dance, a Minor in Integrative Holistic Health and Wellness, and a certification in Dance Studio Management. Under the WMU Department of Dance she studied ballet, jazz, and modern technique, was selected to be a part of the departments 2019/2020 touring ensemble Western Dance Project and has been invited back to direct a rehearsal in March of 2023. Her choreography has been selected to present in the Project Michigan Film Festival in Fall of 2020. She has had the opportunity to perform work by faculty member and guest artist, Seyong Kim and Dong-Won Lee, in both the Goyang International Dance Festival and Deagu International Dance Festival in South Korea during Fall of 2019. She was a part of the original cast of Yin Yue’s work set on both WMU students and Peridance Contemporary Dance Company together and performed a solo work of faculty member, Kelsey Paschich, in the Detroit Dance City Festival in Fall of 2022.
Additionally, she has performed works by Aszure Barton, Tsai-Hsi Hung, Jennifer Archibald, and Jackie Nowicki. She is certified in Acrobatic Arts, currently is a dance instructor, choreographer and competition director at Betty Gundersen Studio of Dance along with teaching at Walkers Gymnastics and Dance and open classes at Urbanity Dance.
Jackie Nowicki originates from Chicago, Illinois. She received her BFA in Dance from Western Michigan University, where she graduated summa cum laude and was named Presidential Scholar in April 2008, and she was chosen as the Department of Dance's Distinguished Alumni for the 2016 school year. She currently dances for Pilobolus Dance Theater in their PCS company performing for them all over the world, and is certified to teach for their Educational Outreach Program. Her professional credits also include working for Mike Esperanza's BARE Dance Company, Calen Kurka's :pushing progress, and Marlena Wolfe's The Wolfe Project. Jackie worked as a part-time faculty member at Western Michigan University's Department of Dance, and for the past ten years had taught all over the New York dance scene including being on faculty at Peridance Capezio Center, and guesting at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center. Her athletic, daring, and unique approach to movement has also landed her numerous master classes and conventions throughout the United States and even internationally in Rome, Italy. She is currently on faculty for Celebrity Dance Conventions, Turn it Up Dance Challenge, and Stage Door Workshops specializing in Contemporary and Improv classes.
Jackie is also the artistic director of her own contemporary dance company, NOW Dance Project. Her choreography has been commissioned by numerous colleges, dance companies, studios, and universities including The Ailey School, The HARTT School, Salve Regina University, Western Michigan University, Urbanity, the Peridance Certificate Program, and many more. Jackie’s work has received numerous acclamations and awards and was even selected to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for the American College Dance Association's 2016 National Festival. In addition to dancing, teaching, and choreographing, Jackie also judges for numerous dance competitions in the U.S. and Canada, and is a nationally certified personal trainer.