Next week GroundWorks will again be participating in the CSU Summer Dance Workshop Series. Since being invited to become the Professional Dance Company in Residence at CSU in 2012, each summer this fulfilling program has enabled GroundWorks to connect with many other dancers – ranging from high school students to professionals to seniors, spanning the dance community in Northeast Ohio and beyond. We recently spoke to CSU Dance Program Director Lynn Deering to take a look back on our partnership and look to what this summer holds in store.
“When GroundWorks DanceTheater first joined our Summer Program, they were on-site for 1 week. Due to the successful relationship we’ve had, residencies with GroundWorks now range between 3-4 weeks throughout the year,” says Deering. “It’s wonderful to work with GroundWorks as they expose our faculty & students to partnerships with choreographers that we may not have secured on our own.”
This year’s residency – the school’s 33rd – will feature current GroundWorks Guest Artist Eric Handman, GroundWorks Artistic Associate, Amy Miller, as well as several others.
Deering says that the quality of the participating artists as well as the move to the new CSU Arts Campus has created new exciting opportunities for the program: “After moving to our new location in 2012, we have truly become a place for exposure to and participation in the arts. There is work being created in our studios that has implications far beyond our studios. We have the ability to bring in the community through experiences like Workshops and Master Classes right downtown – we are in the heart of it all!”
An underlying theme to the CSU dance program is the way that dance impacts other communities as well as traditional audiences. This year’s Summer Program features artists that work with populations such as seniors, down syndrome children/adults and victims of domestic violence. Deering believes that having experiences with dance is important for all individuals, reinforcing awareness of a broad range of applications that stem from the art form.
For a full listing of workshops, performances and more happening at CSU this summer, click the flyer below!