June 11 & 12

Via Zoom, but registration is required

https://form.jotform.com/211176546523151

Friday June 11

3pm Jen-Jen Lin, Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville – Chinese Folk Dance

Description: Ms. Lin is going to introduce a popular folk dance that established by street performers in An Hui province area.  The title of the dance is Flower Drum Dance.  Flower Drum is a double-skinned small Chinese drum.  The dancers use 2 sticks to strike the drum and voice out their stories.Ms. Lin will focus on the basic steps and drum sticks handling at this session.  The music accompanying this dance is a very popular folk song as well.  It is called Feng Yang Flower Drum 鳳陽花鼓.

Artist Bio: Lin holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. As a young adult, Lin served as artistic director for the Lan-Yang Chinese Folklore Performing Dance Company, the company toured internationally. In the U.S., she danced with the Chicago-based modern dance company, Jan Erkert & Dancers, taught dance at the University of Chicago, IL, College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and Vanderbilt University Dance Program, Nashville, TN. Lin is the founder and director of CAAN. Lin was awarded “Living Cultural Treasure Award” by Scarritt-Bennett Center, Nashville, in 2000, the Carell Fine Arts Artist in Residence in 2013 at the Harpeth Hall School, and “Culture Shaper” at “Amplify Nashville” in 2018 that recognized immigrants who made influential and significant contributions to Nashville city.

4pm Global Education Center and Alejandro – South American Dance

Description: The session will be an intro to Latin Dance.

Artist Bio: Alejandro Rivera is Dance Director and Studio Manager of the Global Education Center. Alejandro joined the Global Education Center staff after a few years as a contracted artist. He is artistic director of Global’s Helios World Dance Ensemble. He continues to be a popular choreographer, teacher and performer throughout the Nashville area and has his own dance program specializing in choreography for Quinceañeras. He has a BA in Industrial Management/Human Resources, with a Minor in Education. He is from Hatillo, Puerto Rico, where he trained in Musical Theater, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, Latin, Ballroom and Ballet, from four Academies: Compañía Baile Moderno in San Germán, PR by Janice Santana, and Elmer Pérez; Western Ballet Theater in Mayagüez, PR by Nana and Mumy Badrena; Ballet Jazz de Mayagüez in Mayagüez, PR by Doris Ocasio; and School for the Performing Arts in San Juan, PR by Waldo González. Mr. Rivera was the director and founder of the first College Dance Team to receive full university tuition scholarship out of all 11 state universities in Puerto Rico. He was chosen out of 50 teachers at W.A.L.K.S. (private magnet school in Mayagüez, PR) to provide dance workshops in private and public schools as well as organizations and other groups of kids and adults in Danbury, Connecticut. Alejandro opened his own performing arts studio, named Imagination Performing Arts Studio in Mayagüez, PR, where students had the opportunity to create their own musicals and the teachers were their guides to explore their talents throughout the class. Mr. Rivera left his career as a Healthcare Training Manager to join Global Education Center full time so he can continue to make a difference in the lives of every person he encounters through the power of dance.

Saturday, June 12

10am Nadia Elarabi, Executive Director of the Alfan Alkhas Association (VSA Egypt) – Egyptian folk dance.

Description: Females need a long scarf and males need a long stick for this session. Participants will learn traditional Egyptian dances.

Artist Bio: Nadia Elarabi received her PhD in philosophy of education with an emphasis on mental health at Ain Shams University in 2008. She specialized in the counseling psychology field of using arts & crafts.  Also she is a vocational rehabilitation consultant in many developing projects. She contributed in Community Based Rehabilitation programs (CBR ) in many poor areas in Egypt to teach arts & crafts for families to support their kids to be productive persons into society through skills enhancement and equal access to opportunities in life.

She contributed in writing the book “Silent No More, Special Needs People in Egypt” published by AUC press in Cairo. Also she wrote many articles about career development in the arts for people with disabilities in Egypt. She is considered among the first persons to organize public art exhibition for the people with disabilities in Egypt.  In addition she got the experience of collaborative search in Africa through (AHEC) African Higher Education Collaborative Search.

11am Christina Tsardoulias Malagaris, Director of Samos School of Dance in Samos Greece – Greek Folk Dance

Description: Session is an introduction to the folk dances of the Northeastern Aegean region of Greece. There will be a brief overview of the history, music and costumes of the island of Samos. Participants will perform some of its characteristic traditional dances.

Artist Bio: Christina Tsardoulias was born in San Francisco, California.  Christina received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Oregon and her Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of California, Irvine.  As a student at the San Francisco Ballet School, she performed with both the San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.  In addition, she taught, danced, and toured with Oregon Ethnic Dance Theatre for four years.  She has presented her work and research at conferences such as the Congress on Research in Dance, Dance History Scholars, Dance Studies Association, Isadora Duncan International Symposium, and Conference of the Democritus University of Thrace. She also serves as a dance competition judge at the Annual Greek Folk Dance and Choral Festival in the United States.  In 2003, Christina founded Samos School of Dance, in Samos, Greece, which she continues to direct until present day. The school has established a reputation for quality dance education guiding its students to continue dance studies throughout Greece and abroad. Together with Samos School of Dance, Mrs. Tsardoulias hosts international guest artists and collaborates with cultural organizations, broadening artistic horizons.

Noon Break

1pm Demita Delano – Yoga

Description: This is an energizing class for all levels. Flow yoga introduces a series of sequences while synchronizing breath and movement working up to a peak posture. A balanced practice is promoted with an emphasis on mediation in a relaxed environment. 

Artist Bio: Demita Delano is a 500 RYT vinyasa style yoga instructor and Body Flow Les Mills tribe member with experience leading Hot 26, Trap Yoga, and Barre. Originally from West Tennessee she relocated to the Nashville area where she has worked in the fitness profession for over five years. She has taught on many levels from universities, to gyms, in grades schools, and on park lawns. Her philosophy is to allow the practice to meet you where you are. Her concentration is on breath control and body awareness while moving through asanas to create a holistic practice. Her mission is to promote health a wellness with emphasis on a balanced practice in a fun and relaxed environment.

2pm Nashville Ballet/Victoria Clerico – Ballet technique

Description: Adaptive Dance: New Perspectives is a universally-accessible dance program created by Occupational Therapist Hannah Mariani, OTD, OTR/L, and Linnea Swarting, former Nashville Ballet company member with adaptive dance education training. This program provides an opportunity for children of all abilities to experience the joy of dance, while developing body awareness, coordination and balance in a traditional studio environment. This is an opportunity for parents to watch their child’s face light up as they grow more confident through learning about and participating in dance. The class curriculum is created intentionally by a certified Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist and professionally-trained dancers to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. This class will also highlight the elements of Ballet technique working through fundamental ballet positions and ballet vocabulary. 

Artist Bio: Victoria Clerico is part of the faculty of the School of Nashville Ballet. She is a former NB2 Dancer and an occupational therapy assistant. Victoria danced with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada, Teatrul de Balet Sibiu in Romania, and with Nashville Ballet as a member of NB2. She received her Associate of Applied Science degree from Nashville State Community College and is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. Victoria was certified to teach Adaptive Dance through Boston Ballet’s Adaptive Dance Teacher Training Program and is so excited to be part of providing inclusive dance opportunities. 

3pm Nashville Ballet/ Victoria Clerico – Jazz technique

Description: Adaptive Dance: New Perspectives is a universally-accessible dance program created by Occupational Therapist Hannah Mariani, OTD, OTR/L, and Linnea Swarting, former Nashville Ballet company member with adaptive dance education training. This program provides an opportunity for children of all abilities to experience the joy of dance, while developing body awareness, coordination and balance in a traditional studio environment. This is an opportunity for parents to watch their child’s face light up as they grow more confident through learning about and participating in dance. The class curriculum is created intentionally by a certified Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist and professionally-trained dancers to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. This class will also highlight the elements of Jazz technique working with dancers to find rhythm and coordination, paired with fun exciting music and high-energy movements.

Artist Bio: Victoria Clerico is part of the faculty of the School of Nashville Ballet. She is a former NB2 Dancer and an occupational therapy assistant. Victoria danced with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada, Teatrul de Balet Sibiu in Romania, and with Nashville Ballet as a member of NB2. She received her Associate of Applied Science degree from Nashville State Community College and is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. Victoria was certified to teach Adaptive Dance through Boston Ballet’s Adaptive Dance Teacher Training Program and is so excited to be part of providing inclusive dance opportunities. 

4pm Margaret Brooker, Director of Dance at Middle Tennessee State University – Your Future in Dance

Description: A discussion of next steps in your dance career and dance opportunities.

Artist Bio: Meg Brooker, Assistant Professor of Dance at Middle Tennessee State University, is a founder and steering committee member of the Isadora Duncan International Symposium and a former member of Lori Belilove & Company, Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation. As a Duncan dancer, Meg has performed in national and international venues including The National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Art Monastery (Italy), Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art (St. Petersburg), American Center of Moscow, PROJEKT Fabrika (Moscow), the Tchaikovsky Museum (Votkinsk), and the ancient Greek ruins at Chersonesos (Crimea), among others. Meg has appeared as a guest artist with companies including Duncan Dance Chicago, the Duncan Dance Collective, and Julia Pond Dance.

7pm Dance Showcase

Showcase featuring inclusive dance programs from across Tennessee to include: Blacklight Productions (Brentwood), Borderless Dance Community (a statewide digital dance program of Borderless Arts Tennessee), Company d  (Memphis), Move Inclusive (Nashville) and Sunshine Ambassadors (Knoxville).  Special guests for the show will be Full Radius out of Atalanta, GA.

This program is supported by funding from: