Summer Dance Workshop No audition required. 1- week or 2- week dance sessions available!

All students are required to be fully vaccinated (meaning a person has received their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines) in order to participate in our program.

We welcome students into this program who are at a beginner, intermediate, or advanced level of dance. Unfortunately, if this is your first-time dancing, we recommend another program more suitable for your needs. 

Although no audition is required, students must be familiar with basic dance terms and techniques. Summer Dance Workshop (also known as SDW) is designed to serve as a bridge to prepare dancers for our more rigorous International Summer Dance program.

To participate in the Summer Dance Workshop, students must be 10 to 18 years of age.  The program is capped at 60 dancers. 

Students will have the ability to choose a class level for EACH class prior to the start of the workshop. Be sure to choose a level for each individual technique class (ballet, jazz, and modern), as some may have different abilities in different genres of dance.

The first two days of the workshop will be considered “trial” classes. If after the first 2 days you feel as though you would be better suited for the level opposite of the one you originally chose for a specific class, you may email Program Director, Michaela Kuehni (kuehnimichaela@yahoo.com) to request a switch. We want to make sure that you benefit as much as possible from this workshop and want to do all that we can in order for that to happen.

To help both the instructors and the students with the flow of curriculums, if you do request to switch, you must then stay in the category you switched to for the duration of the workshop. Specialty classes will be taken all together, so picking a level will not be necessary. 

Beginner/Intermediate:
Dancers in this category are ones who receive less than 5 hours of technical training a week. These dancers are also ones who have been dancing for 4 years or less. This category is recommended for ages 10-13, but anyone who is above that age group and fits the credentials stated above may also join the beginner/intermediate category.

Advanced:
Dancers in this category are ones that receive 6 or more hours of technical training a week. These dancers are also ones who have been dancing for a minimum of 5 years. This category is recommended for ages 14-18, but anyone who is below that age group that fits the credentials stated above, and feels as though their work ethic, technical prowess, ability, and retention are strong enough to join the advanced category may do so.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED: 
Leotard and tights for each class (solid colors encouraged, form-fitting to see alignment and technique)
Ballet: Ballet shoes recommended
Modern: No shoes needed
Jazz: Any jazz shoes
Hip Hop: Street tennis shoes or barefoot

Our Summer Dance Workshop is designed as a two-week program, however, students unable to commit to two weeks can attend during the first week. You'll select your preferred choice during registration. 

Monday - Friday | No Weekend Classes

Week #1: July 18 - July 22

Week #2: July 25 - July 29

Weekly Class Outlook:

 
*Specialty classes could cover the following topics: strength, yoga, mental health, choreography and Q&A's. Specific topics will be released closer to the start of the program. 

Program Director: Michaela Kuehni

Michaela Kuehni is a native of small-town Minooka, Illinois. While in Illinois, she taught and trained at many local dance studios. After graduating high school, she moved to Pittsburgh to pursue her dream at Point Park University, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Modern dance. While at Point Park, she was honored to perform in works by Doug Bentz, Garfield Lemonius, Jason McDole, Nacho Duato, and Kiesha Lalama; while getting to work with incredible teachers such as Mark Burrell, Oliver Tobin, and Caitlin Scranton. She taught Pre-Professional Classes while at Point Park, and she has worked as an instructor for Point Park’s International Summer Dance Intensive, as well as Point Park’s Summer Dance Workshop. She founded Point Park University’s Tap Club, and she is also honored to be an instructor at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy of Musical Theater. This is Michaela’s 4th time attending Point Park’s Summer Dance Workshop as an Instructor, and her 1st time as the Program’s Director. 

Learn more about our instructors HERE.

Ballet Instructors

Beginner/Intermediate:
Both Weeks: Jen Romano

Advanced:
Both Weeks: Rocker Verastique 

Modern Instructors

Beginner/Intermediate:
Week 1: Sarah Zielinski
Week 2: LaTrea Rembert

Advanced:
Week 1: Michaela Kuehni
Week 2: Sarah Zielinski

Jazz Instructors

Beginner/Intermediate:
Week #1: Jill Randolph-Lazzini
Week #2: Michaela Kuehni

Advanced: 
Week #1: Kylee Stell
Week #2: Jill Randolph-Lazzini

Specialty Classes

Music Therory / Music for Dancers: PJ Roduta
Hip Hop: LaTrea Rembert
Alumni Talk Back: Bailee Brinkman, Michaela Kuehni, Brittany Nettles, Kylee Stell
Somatic Strategies: Kristie Lindblom
Mental Health Talk-Back: Kathleen McGuire-Gaines

Payment Information:

All payments are due before the start of the program. 

Registration and payments will be handled through our easy, user-friendly online registration platform, CampDoc. Visa, Mastercard, Discover and Electronic Checks are accepted. Payment plans are available. Students receive a t-shirt with seasonal swag and an ID holder with their registration!

Emma Stefanik - Ambridge, PA

"I enjoy coming back to this Dance Workshop each year because it's a great environment to learn and dance in. Also the teachers are super nice and they are also very helpful!"