No festival in 2006. Please check back in 2007!
Boston Summer Dance Festival 2004
A 3-Week Focus in Jazz, Tap and Musical Theatre Dance
July 5-16, 2004
Welcome
Welcome to the Boston Summer Dance Festival, one of North America’s preeminent
dance festivals. The festival has attracted a faculty of international
renown and its student population is equally as internationally and culturally
diverse.
Mission
The mission of the Boston Summer Dance Festival is to bring together
dance professionals who preserve the history and traditions of American jazz,
tap and musical theatre dance and who foster an appreciation of its heritage.
All of our teachers are carefully chosen to exemplify our mission.
Facilities
The festival takes place in The Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, one of
the oldest and most respected centers of dance education in the country. The
studio is housed in a converted turn-of-the-century building with two floors
of air-conditioned, state-of-the-art dance facilities. Located in the North
Station area in the heart of downtown Boston, it is easily accessible to
the “T,” Boston’s
public transportation system. Both the studio and student housing are a short
ride from Logan Airport and are also accessible from the airport by public
transportation.
Housing
Shared housing is provided at the Shawmut Inn,
directly across the street from the studio. Rooms are double-occupancy on a space-available
basis. Your weekly rate includes room, tax, maid service, television and daily continental
breakfast. Limited suites are available which can house three to four people.
All rooms and suites have efficiency kitchenettes that include microwave,
refrigerator, stove and coffeemaker. Every effort will be made to ensure that
your roommate requests are as close to your wishes as possible. Contact the
festival office at (617) 523-7732, Monday through Thursday between the hours
of 11:00 and 5:00 EST and we’ll be happy to assist you with your housing
needs. The Shawmut Inn is a five-minute walk from historic Fanueil Hall/Quincy
Market, the Italian North End and Beacon Hill.
History and Nightlife
Use your free time to explore this beautiful, historic and walkable city.
The Freedom Trail, for instance, is a walking tour that will take you to nearly
every historic site in town, including The Old North Church, Bunker Hill,
The U.S.S. Constitution, and historic Fanueil Hall/Quincy Market.
Boston has long been known as a theatre town, and the city has an outstanding
collection of museums and galleries. Additionally, Boston is known for
its jazz music, and clubs in the area abound and are easily accessible
by public transportation. The commuter rail, just across the street can quickly
take you to a number of famous New England beaches in a matter of minutes.
The ferry to Provincetown is an easy and enjoyable day-trip away.
More than just classes
Each week’s faculty is featured in our daily video series, presenting
works choreographed by them, television specials featuring them, excerpts of
movies and film involving them, and rare footage from musical theatre.
Our weekly lunchtime chats with the artists are offered to help ensure that
the oral history, indeed the legacy of jazz, tap and musical theatre is passed
on to future generations of performers, dancers and teachers. These lively,
inspiring programs offer an opportunity to get to know the instructors, to
ask questions, seek advice and to learn their history and background.
Repertory classes offer the student further opportunity to learn dances set
by master teachers and choreographers. These works are then presented each
Friday evening on the open-air North Stage of City Hall Plaza at Government
Center and draw large crowds of dance-lovers as well as hundreds of commuters
and passers-by.
Other informal symposiums are offered free of charge,
like College Counseling for Dancers, Injury Prevention, Muscle Release and Kinesiology.
What Students are Saying
“Thank you for the most wonderful dance-filled
summer of my life! I have memories to last a lifetime.”
“It was great!
So informative, holistic, professional, individual and fun; I felt like
the teachers were excited to be there and really love what they do.
There’s an atmosphere here that’s so positive and you just can’t find it elsewhere!”
“…the quality of the teachers—all masters—the friendly
supportive atmosphere, the convenience of being able to stay at the hotel across
the street.”
“Thank you so much for producing this fabulous summer dance
opportunity… As a dance teacher and choreographer I find that your program suits
my needs the best as far as a variety of dance styles and disciplines, and gathering together
some of the best dance teachers and legends.”
Join Us Today!
The Boston Summer Dance Festival prides itself on the caliber of its
faculty and its small student/teacher ratio. Small class sizes give instructors
the time to work with each student, to know your name, so that you’re
not just another face in a crowded convention setting. Because class sizes
are extremely limited they tend to fill quickly. So we urge you to make your
decision today to experience a historic city, to take part in a dance festival
beyond expectation, and to learn and pass on the history and legacy of the
dance vernaculars we all know and love—jazz, tap and musical theatre!
Auditions
Auditions are required for students 18 years and younger. Informal, on-going
auditions can be arranged here at our Boston studios, or you can submit
an audition by videotape. The audition piece should be a solo, cued-up on VHS,
no longer than three minutes, and showing technical proficiency in a
jazz adagio or up-tempo combination.
Faculty
Kristina Berger
Kristina Berger is from Washington, DC, where she performed original works
by Lester Horton for The Library of Congress Dance Concert Series. She was
a two-year scholarship student at The School at Jacob’s Pillow and studied
with James Truitte, Carmen DeLavallade, Milton Myers, Bella Lewitsky, and Ana-Marie Forsythe.
Kristina has danced with Joyce Trisler Danscompany, The Washington
Opera Ballet, and The Erick Hawkins Dance Company. She has toured nationally
and internationally as an assistant to Milton Myers, demonstrating Horton Technique
at The School at Jacob’s Pillow, The Juilliard School, The Ailey School,
Marymount Manhattan College, and at dance festivals in Athens, Vienna, and
Toronto. Kristina teaches Horton Technique at Marymount Manhattan College and
Ballet Arts at City Center in New York City.
Danny Buraczeski
Danny Buraczeski danced on Broadway in “Mame” with Angela Lansbury
and “The Act,” with Liza Minelli. In 1979, Mr. Buraczeski founded
America’s only classic jazz dance company, JAZZDANCE. The Village Voice
dubbed Danny the country’s most sophisticated jazz maker, whose work
explores the widest range of musical scores — from the gospel of Mahalia
Jackson to Benny Goodman’s swing. JAZZDANCE is based in Minneapolis,
but his company performs nationally. They present a season each year at the
Joyce Theatre in New York, and have played to critical acclaim in Boston both
in 1993 and in 1999. Mr. Buraczeski’s choreography is in the repertoire
of dance companies and college dance programs around the nation.
Kitty Daniels
Kitty Daniels is the Chair of the Dance Department at Cornish College of
the Arts in Seattle. She began her professional career as a ballet dancer,
performing with companies in the United States and Europe. She continued her
performing career in modern dance with the Bill Evans Dance Company, Concert
Dance Company of Boston and Beth Soll and Dancers, as well as numerous Seattle
independent choreographers. Nationally-known as a teacher of ballet, modern
dance and kinesiology, she has taught at the Bill Evans Summer Institutes of
ance, California State University Summer Arts Programs, University of Washington,
Boston University, Mount Holyoke College and has been guest company teacher
to the Mark Morris Dance Group. Her classes provide a non-intimidating approach
to anatomically-sound ballet technique. BSDF students have found her information
and her approach to ballet, with emphasis on musicality, to be of great value
in any dance vernacular. Once again, due to popular request, Kitty will be
teaching for two weeks in BSDF 2004.
Josh Hilberman
Josh Hilberman is a highly regarded performer who has appeared alongside
most every hoofer of note. He has been a featured soloist at both Tap City
2001 and 2002 (the New York City Tap Festival), the 2002 Fremantle Jazz Festival
in Australia, Finland’s Feet to the Beat, and he appears annually at
both The North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival and The Portsmouth Percussive
Dance Festival. Josh spent the 2000-2001 season as Choreographer-in-residence
at Canada’s Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, and his work can be seen on companies
in Germany, Holland, and Spain, and several national ensembles. Josh teaches
internationally and is currently a faculty member at the Boston Conservatory.
Deborah Leamy
Deborah hails from the City of Providence, RI where she began taking dance
lessons from former Radio City Music Hall Rockette Carolyn Dutra, at the tender
age of three. She performed with the Festival Ballet of Rhode Island for eight
years in such ballets as Romeo & Juliet, Cinderella, Valse Fantasie, and
every Christmas, the Nutcracker. While attending Emerson College in Boston
(from which she graduated with a B.S. degree in Speech Communication), she
found a new love in Musical Theatre and performed regionally in such shows
as Pippin, The Pajama Game, A Chorus Line and West Side Story. She went on
to perform nationally in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with
Donny Osmond and Phantom of the Opera. On Broadway she has performed in Fosse
(original cast), Sweet Smell of Success, and most recently originated the role
of Margaret in Never Gonna Dance. She has been seen on television on The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno, As The World Turns, and the 1999 & 2002 Tony Awards.
Deb recently performed just outside of Boston, at the North Shore Music Theatre,
as Lois Lane/Bianca in their production of Kiss Me Kate. Deb has taught master
classes throughout the US, hoping to share some of the knowledge and experience
she has gained with students of all ages.
Donald McKayle
Donald McKayle is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading choreographers,
having created more than 50 works for dance companies in the US and Europe.
He is equally at home choreographing for Broadway and film, television and the
concert stage. His concert works have been set on the Alvin Ailey Company, the
Martha Graham Company and the Limón Dance Company. He has been nominated
for five Tony Awards. He conceived and choreographed Broadway’s Sophisticated
Ladies, which won a Tony for Best Musical, and he won another Tony for Raisin.
Donald choreographed the films Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Great White Hope
and The Jazz Singer. His most notable concert work is Rainbow ’Round My
Shoulder, which continues to captivate audiences with its powerful choreography,
a portion of which he taught at BSDF 2000. This remarkable man is the winner
of the American Dance Guild’s Outstanding Achievement Award for “a
triumphant career of world-renowned choreography.” Donald is currently
on the dance faculty of the University of California at Irvine, and was
recently featured in Heartbeats of a Dance Maker, a PBS special on his life in dance.
Milton Myers
Milton Myer was a founding member, performer and assistant to the director
of the Joyce Trisler Danscompany. In 1986, he left the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre
to take over as Artistic Director of the Trisler company. As a master teacher
of the Lester Horton technique, Milton is in demand all over the world and
as a choreograper he has set works on such prestigious companies as the Alvin
Ailey Dance Theatre, Ballet Hispanico, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal,
and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Milton is on the Horton faculty of
the Ailey School and Steps on Broadway. He is also the director of the contemporary
dance program at Jacob’s Pillow.
Michael Owens
Michael Owens is one of the country’s most respected jazz teachers, recognized
as a demanding technician, a unique stylist, and an innovative choreographer.
Michael was the head of the jazz program at the David Howard Dance Center in
New York. Michael now lives in Los Angeles where he teaches at The Performing
Arts Center, Hama’s and Santa Monica College. His choreography has been
featured on film, in video and on the stage. His work as a teacher and choreographer
has taken him throughout the capitals of Europe and Asia. Michael has been
a guest at the Boston Summer Dance Festival every year since its inception,
and due to popular request, is choreographing for repertory.
Stephen Reed
Stephen Reed has appeared in six Broadway musicals including Once upon Mattress
with Sarah Jessica Parker, How to Succeed in Business with Matthew Broderick,
Crazy for You, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, 110 in the Shade, and Cats (as
Rum-Tug-Tugger). He has traveled America, Europe, and Japan in touring
productions such as Ragtime, Crazy For You, 42nd Street, A Chorus Line,
Evita, Annie Get Your Gun, and the recent Broadway revival of Kiss Me Kate.
Stephen has danced in rock videos with recording artists Prince, Gloria Estefan,
Peter Frampton, and Steve Winwood, and was dance supervisor for Liza Minnelli’s
most recenttour Minnelli On Minnelli. As a concert dancer Stephen has
performed with Gus Giordano’s Jazz Dance Chicago and the Milwaukee Ballet
and can also be seen tapping away on PBS in Great Performance Presents: Crazy
For You! In addition to performing, he has been resident choreographer
nd guest Director for Tri-Arts Theater in upstate New York, and directs and
choreographs for regional theater around the U.S. Most significantly, it is
Stephen’s direct work with Broadway choreographers such as Jerome Robbins, Susan
Stroman, Gillian Lyne, Wayne Cillento, and Kathleen Marshall that brings
a wealth of professional knowledge and dance history to his musical theater
teaching. Coupled with his current work in the industry as a director and choreographer,
his experience gives his students invaluable insight into the audition
process and working requirements of a professional dancer.
Deborah Roshe
A seasoned dancer and choreographer, Deborah Roshe has performed on Broadway
in Woman of the Year with Lauren Bacall and Camelot with Richard Burton, and
was in the national touring companies of Song and Dance, La Cage aux Folles
and West Side Story. She choreographed Sing a Christmas Song, an original musical
which premiered at George Street Playhouse, New Jersey; Young Tom Edison for
Theatreworks USA; the national tour of The Rocky Horror Show; Where in Time
is Carmen Sandiego for PBS; the Dana Carvey Show, for CBS; and the 25th Anniversary
Gala for Playwrights Horizons — a renowned off-Broadway theater in New
ork City. She was assistant choreographer for the New York workshop of Jekyll
and Hyde and the off-Broadway productions of Song of Singapore and Theda Bara
and the Frontier Rabbi.
Keith Sabado
Keith Sabado was a member of the Mark Morris Dance Group from 1984 to
1994. He received a 1988 Bessie award for his work with the company. In 1994
he was invited to join Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project
(1994-97, 2001), performing major roles in works of Morris, Merce Cunningham,
Hanya Holm and many emerging choreographers, as well as assuming the role
of rehearsal director. And in 2000 he was invited to dance with the Lucinda
Childs Dance Company for its 25th anniversary year. He has taught master classes
and workshops around the world and teaches regularly at festivals in Japan
and the United States. In addition to teaching open professional classes in
New York City, he is on the guest faculty of Sarah Lawrence College and New
York University.
Lynn Simonson
Lynn Simonson is considered to be a master teacher of jazz dance, and
is known not only for her concentration on technique and body alignment, but
for her musicality in working with true jazz music. Lynn developed the Simonson
Technique, which is now taught around the world and that supports her belief
that with proper care and correct training, a dancer can continue dancing
indefinitely. She was the director of the Jazz Project at Jacob’s Pillow
from 1983 through 1991 and developed the Teachers’ Workshop, which she
co-directed with Bessie Schoenberg. Lynn has produced Expanded Dance, her
own summer dance program and is a founder and co-director of DanceSpace Center
in New York City.
Dianne Walker
Dianne Walker is among the few internationally recognized women pioneers
in the resurgence of tap dance. She has been teaching and performing for over
20 years and in 1998 became the youngest and only woman to receive the “Living
Treasure in American Dance Award.” Dianne was a featured dancer in the
movie Tap, with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr., and was a featured dancer
in the original Paris production of Black and Blue. In the Broadway production,
she was the Assistant Choreographer/Dance Captain for more than two years and
had the prestigious honor of being the only female dancer in the famed “Hoofers
Line” with Jimmy Slyde and Bunny Griggs. She has been featured in many
documentaries including Black and Blue (Robert Altman) and PBS Great Performances—Tap
Dance In America with Gregory Hines. We’re pleased that Dianne returns
to the BSDF for her fifth straight year.
Sherry Zunker
Sherry Zunker served as Artistic Director of Chicago’s River North Dance
Company from 1990 until 2000. Critics have proclaimed her “a sophisticated
choreographer” with a “passion for dance” and a “clear
artistic vision.” She has choreographed for numerous musical productions,
commercials, videos, industrials and cruise lines. Sherry recently set
one of her works on the Joffrey Ballet. Her teaching credits include the Gus
Giordano Jazz Dance Center, Lou Conte Dance Center and the River North Dance
Studio. Sherry was principal dancer with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, a
soloist in the national touring company of Bob Fosse’s Dancin’,
and in the Goodman Theatre production of Pal Joey choreographed by Ann Reinking.
