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Elevate

Youth Dance Festival

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The Festival

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CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE 2020 ELEVATE MASTER CLASS SCHEDULE!

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:

The experience of the Elevate Youth Dance Festival is threefold.

  1. Adjudication Concert: Students have the opportunity to perform in a solo/duet/trio/quartet or quintet choreographed by themselves or a professional mentor/instructor. All pieces will receive constructive feedback from dance professionals (adjudicators,) regarding their artistry, creativity, and technique. Families are invited to attend the adjudication concert to see their dancer perform free of charge.
  2. Master Classes: Participants have the opportunity to take master classes from dance professionals. These classes may illuminate something they hadn’t realized before about their own dancing or dance goals.
    • View a sample master class schedule, from the 2017 Festival, by clicking here.
  3. Gala Concert: The evening Gala concert features student choreography professional dance performances by Twin Cities dance companies. Previous Guest Companies have included Black Label Movement, Kaleena Miller Dance, STRONGMovement, Alternative Motion Project, and more.
    • Attendance to Gala concert is included in the registration for each festival participant.
    • Open to the public at $10/ticket.

THE ADJUDICATION: WHY PERFORM?

The adjudication accepts solos, duets, trios, quartets, and quintets for feedback and consideration for inclusion in the Gala Concert. This emphasis on small group work is a defining feature of the Elevate Youth Dance Festival for the following reasons:

  1. When dancers learn small group choreography it gives them a chance to showcase their individual talents outside of large group dances.
  2. Small group dances give dancers a sense of ownership. You will see some of your less assertive dancers rise when they have something special to work on.

Solo/ Small Group Choreography Category

The Festival invites professional dance instructors and choreographers to create a solo, duet, trio, quartet or quintet work on their students and submit it in the adjudication concert. These pieces will receive feedback after the festival in the form of an audio file. For both students and dance instructors, this category offers an opportunity to grow creatively and represent their studio. 

Young Choreographers Category

Our special category for student choreography is our trademark. This category gives young creators the chance to experiment with their own ideas and either choreograph a piece for themselves or set it on other dancers. Those in the Young Choreographer’s category will enjoy a special one on one live feedback session with one of the adjudicators. We encourage young choreographers to work with a coach from their studio prior to the adjudication. Coaches may attend the live feedback session as well.

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The Elevate Youth Dance Festival is an educational and non-competitive dance event for dancers ages 9-18. Dancers grow as artists by participating in master classes and adjudicated performance, share dancing experiences, and celebrate excellence in dance.

  • Sponsor the Festival!

Sponsoring Elevate Youth Dance Festival is a statement that your brand supports the skills in creative thinking and development of personal agency that dance education provides. Sponsorship packages include a variety of opportunities to connect our participants with your business. More

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5 years ago  ·  

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Introducing another one of our amazing master teachers, Ms. Carol. Let’s give her a warm welcome and get ready for Elevate TOMORROW!

Carol Schwarzkopf is a nationally recognized dance coach whose broad teaching background includes professional dance companies and schools, private studios, public and private K-12 education, as well as colleges and university students. She holds a degree from the acclaimed University of Utah where she earned a BFA in dance performance, graduating with honors. Her professional coaching, teaching, study, and performance endeavors have taken her all over the world. She has studied and performed throughout the US with companies such as San Francisco Ballet, Ballet of the Americas, Ballet West, Pioneer Theatre Company, Repertory Dance Theatre, Minnesota Dance Theatre, The Minnesota Opera, Isvorasul Romanian Dance Company, among others. She is a founding board member of Dance Educators Coalition, established to support dance artists teaching in the schools throughout Minnesota. Carol is also a Certified Health and Wellness Coach through the Mayo Clinic and is excited to inform her dance teaching with the latest research into training and coaching young dancers. This is Carol’s first full year at Creo and she’s eager to share best practices in dance education with staff and students.
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Introducing another master teacher: Heather Klopchin. Welcome Heather!

Heather Klopchin, originally from Goshen, NY, is passionate about performing, choreographing, researching, and teaching dance. She currently is a Principal Artist with Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater and has performed with the company in Germany, Mexico, and in locations across the United States. Heather has also performed with ARENA Dances, Zenon Dance Company, Stark Dance, Alternative Motion Project, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Linda Lehovec & Dancers, Joe Chvala Flying Foot Forum, Paula Mann’s Time Track Productions, and Dancing People Company. She is currently the Chair of the Dance Department at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN where she teaches Ballet Technique, Modern Dance Technique, and Dance History as well as creating dance work for the St. Olaf Dance Department’s student company. Heather holds a BS degree in Management and a Dance minor from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo and a MFA degree in Dance Choreography and Performance from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
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