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​​​cutting-edge collaboration with pilobolus and jacob jonas the company

​​COURSE DATES: JULY 6 TO JULY 19, 2021

​APPLICATIONS ARE STILL BEING ACCEPTED!



Discover a world of possibilities as you create athletic, genre-busting digital dance that speaks to the current moment with two cutting edge dance companies.

  • Study with Pilobolus, one of the world’s most exciting dance companies, creating genre-defying performance for more than 50 years. And Jacob Jonas The Company, a Los Angeles-based creative company that intersects dance across mediums to make original works and initiate nontraditional collaborations. 
  • Expand your strength, sensitivity and imagination with signature improvisation and composition training.
  • Explore movement that combines elements of tricking, acrobatics, and contemporary dance.
  • Develop skills to give and receive critical creative feedback to take your work to the next level.
  • Create digital dance content with collaborative coaching from Pilobolus and Jacob Jonas The Company!

Check out the video HERE to see the fun and artistry of Pilobolus

Check out the video HERE to see the evocative dance of Jacob Jonas The Company!

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COURSE NUMBER/CREDITS

Undergraduate: DANCE 420, 3 units
Graduate/post-baccalaureate: DANCE 620, 3 units

MATERIALS FEE

None

WHO SHOULD APPLY

Dancers, choreographers, physical actors and athletes. Applicants must have a minimum of one year maintaining a strong athletic practice.

Recommended previous courses/experiences: contemporary dance, dance improvisation, non-traditional dance partnering, contact improvisation, movement for actors, partner acrobatics.

HOW TO APPLY​

  1. Submit a photo and short essay describing your previous relevant experience and interest in the course. If possible, include a link to a short video that displays your dance and/or movement practice. (Can be a performance, compilation/reel or creative video made for this application.)
  2. Submit/upload the​ materials listed in step one when you apply online by June 7, 2021​.

COURSE COORDINATOR

Professor Ezra LeBank


Guest Artists​

Pilobolus – pilobolus.org​

Pilobolus is a rebellious dance company. Since 1971, it has tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and power of connected bodies. It continues to bring this tradition to global audiences through post-disciplinary collaborations with some of the greatest influencers, thinkers and creators in the world. Pilobolus has created and toured more than 120 pieces of repertory to more than 65 countries. The company currently performs for more than 300,000 people across the U.S. and around the world each year. In the last year, Pilobolus was featured on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” NBC’s “TODAY Show,” MTV’s “Video Music Awards,” “The Harry Connick Jr. Show,” ABC’s “The Chew” and the CW Network’s “Penn & Teller: Fool Us.” Pilobolus has been recognized with many prestigious honors, including a TED Fellowship, a 2012 Grammy Award nomination and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cultural Programming.​ @pilobolus

PILOBOLUS GUEST ARTISTS:

Jordan Kriston was born in Hammond, Indiana and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Her fascination with movement began with her love of team sports, the outdoors, swimming and exploring. As a teen she fell in love with dance after discovering it integrated her passions for both physicality and the arts. Jordan holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Arizona State University as well as a 200 Her Yoga Teacher Certification from Costa Rica School of Yoga. She toured the world as a professional dancer for eight years with Pilobolus Dance Theater of Washington, Connecticut, working as a collaborator to help create over a dozen original works and an evening-length show. She has taught and performed in almost all 50 U.S. States and over 15 countries. She lives in Portland, Oregon and dances with Ela Fala Dance Collective as well as Push/FOLD Dance Company. She continues to work with Pilobolus Dance Theater as a performer and Teaching Artist throughout the year. She started her own movement company in Portland where she works with groups and individuals to incorporate dance, yoga and other ways of using the body to assist in self-awareness, healing and creative expression.

Nile H. Russell is originally from Baltimore. He received a BA in Dance from Connecticut College, where he was fortunate to have the guidance of wonderful dancers and professors such as Dan Wagoner, Lan Lan Wang, Jeff M. Rebudal, Robyne Watkin, David Dorfman, Eddie Taketa, and Jeremy Nelson. In 2002, Nile traveled to Mysore, India to study temple and architecture studies and Bharatanatyam dance at the University of Mysore. He moved to New York in 2004, where he danced with Silver-Brown Dance, LeeSaar The Company, Luis Lara Malvacias, Stefanie Nelson Dance Group, Naganuma Dance, and co-founded CaN Dance. In 2009, Nile joined Pilobolus Dance Theater and later became Dance Captain. Through Pilobolus, he has performed and taught in over 20 countries, 49 states and on four continents, and has experienced a wide and wonderful range of people and cultures. Nile currently lives in Denver, Colorado and works as an Artistic Consultant, teaches workshops at multiple schools and studios, and continues his work with Pilobolus as a Teaching Artist. He also has performed with Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre and is a founding member of Flow Kakou, a nonprofit in Hawaii, which does community outreach and cultural exchange through movement. His work has been presented nation and worldwide. He hopes to add to the amazing dance and arts culture of Colorado, and to foster community through creativity.​ @nile.h.russell​

Jacob Jonas The Company

Jacob Jonas The Company (JJTC) is a Los Angeles based creative company that intersects dance across mediums to make original works and initiates nontraditional collaborations. JJTC consists of choreographers, makers, creative thinkers, cultural researchers, educators, futurists, activists, and administrators. our work engages diverse and untapped populations, increasing the visibility of dance as an art form in los angeles and globally through live performance and media landscapes. jjtc collaborates worldwide with practitioners, institutions, scientists, and technologists to support ambition and invention across artistic fields. JJTC represents and manages artists to help push forward their talents for a wide range of projects. The company hosts community events, educational classes and workshops in order to further deepen our relationships and intellectual exchanges with people around the world. @jacobjonasthec​ompany ​

JACOB JONAS THE COMPANY GUEST ARTISTS:

Mike Tyus is a dancer, choreographer, and founding member of Jacob Jonas The Company. He has been performing and creating dance for the stage, print, and screen for over 15 years. Tyus has created  branded campaigns for  Vaara, Anthropologie, and Veuve Clicquot. He has worked with Cirque Du Soleil in “IRIS” at the Kodak Theater in LA and “KOOZA” as “The Trickster” - “a devilish ringleader.” Tyus Joined Pilobolus Dance Theater in 2013 performing works by Sidi Larbi Cherkoui, Penn & Teller, and Isreali choreographers Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollack, while also creating company repertory that is still performed today. He recently worked with Apple and The Broad Museum to create short dance films during a time when live performances were not possible. He is also an Associate Producer of Films.Dance. Tyus’ work has been featured on MTV with Sia, The Academy Awards, Ellen Degeneres, Conan O’Brien, Rachel Ray, Jay Leno, and Star Search. His print work has been featured in Vogue Italia, W Magazine, and LALA Magazine. Community and Creation are at the core of Tyus’ mission and continue to drive his efforts in crafting work that feeds the human spirit and reflects the times in which we live. @miketyus​

Joy Isabella Brown is a self-taught acrobat who works to bring the underground sport “Tricking” to the forefront of movement culture. She is a Performing Artist with Jacob Jonas The Company, joining in 2017. Filling in the gaps between dance, gymnastics, and martial arts, her style focuses the merging of acrobatics within contemporary dance. Joy’s background as a dancer, acrobat, and content creator with Jacob Jonas the Company has given her a unique perspective on how to capture movement on film. Her work has been featured by Love Watts, Nowness, Stance Elements, The Broad Museum, BET, Dance Spirit Magazine, and Visual Atelier.  @joyisabellabrown