Malashock Dance Blog

Recap: Master Class with Keith Johnson

malashockdance — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:27:53 +0000

35 dancers filled the Malashock Dance studio yesterday for the first class in our 4 Sundays in February Master Class Series! Keith Johnson of Keith Johnson/Dancers in Long Beach gave a two-hour master class, teaching his technique and repertory. Watch this video of excerpts from the class:

Students who enjoyed Keith’s master class should check out Katie Griffin’s weekly class at the Malashock Dance School, Wednesdays, 7-8:30 p.m. Katie has studied extensively with Keith at CSU Long Beach, where she received her BFA in Dance.

From the Master: Keith Johnson of Keith Johnson/Dancers

malashockdance — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:12:27 +0000

Today’s blog is written by Keith Johnson of Keith Johnson/Dancers, the first teacher in our 4 Sundays in February Master Class Series. Join him for class this Sunday, February 7, 11 am - 1 pm at the Malashock Dance School.

I have had a long, interesting career as a dancer/choreographer. I began training my body as a gymnast in my youth and began formal training in dance in my senior year of college. Because I had trained so intensely in gymnastics, my first few years of dance were all about letting go and shifting. I had understood physicality in only one way and I had to broaden my viewpoint of what physicality encompassed. Many times I was frustrated with my inability to ‘shift gears’ quickly to a new standard required by various teachers. What I found exciting and new was that each of these teachers had a strong point of view and a reason for making these choices involving their artistry. I was curious as to why each individual traveled down various pathways and enamored by their personal histories that help shape their art. In sports we were encouraged to leave our ‘personal stuff’ at the door and in dance I found it to be the opposite. I was encouraged to bring my life experiences to the studio. It was a new way to think about things and because of that I became more interested in the world.

I have had many great teachers in my career who have influenced me immensely. The teachers I respect most are the ones who taught me to push myself physically, emotionally, internally, and externally. They have given me life experiences that helped me become an artist. It was/is not always easy and many times I felt the sting of failure. I have learned to understand the ups and downs of this art form. I have celebrated life with people of varying backgrounds and ideologies. I have learned how to form opinions and allow others to have differing ones. I have learned that the body is resilient and tough but also has limitations. I have found grace in those limitations.

I am happy to be traveling this road. I am fulfilled meeting new dancers and helping them find their own voice. I am constantly seeking to find the unexplored in myself.

- Keith Johnson, Keith Johnson/Dancers

Join Keith in class on Sunday, February 7, 11 am - 1 pm
Malashock Dance School
2650 Truxtun Road, Studio 200, SD 92106
Class Fee: $20, Full Master Class Series: $60 (Get one class free!)
Sign up now!

A Huge Thanks to SCPA & Francisco Ruvalcaba!

malashockdance — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:24:48 +0000

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of presenting a lecture demonstration with the San Diego School for Creative and Performing Arts. Students from SCPA and COSA performed an excerpt of Missa Brevis , a piece choreographed by José Limon. Francisco Ruvalcaba, a San Diego native and principal dancer for the Limon Dance Company, has been working with the students and also presented a lecture for the audience.

Congratulations to everyone involved! The students have been working incredibly hard, and they looked amazing. We will be excited to welcome some of them back to our studio for our upcoming Master Class Series and our Summer Intensive!

We can’t share the entire performance, due to copyright issues, but we have been given permission to share the following clip from yesterday’s event. Enjoy!

Save the Date: Master Class with Jenny Backhaus of Backhausdance

malashockdance — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:16:50 +0000

Save the date for the third master class in the 4 Sundays in February Master Class Series ! In this exciting series of master classes, Malashock Dance proudly presents four Master Teachers/Choreographers from Los Angeles, Orange County, Long Beach, and San Diego. Each Sunday in February, experience the innovative techniques and powerful repertory of Method Contemporary Dance, Backhausdance, Keith Johnson/Dancers, and Malashock Dance.

Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010
11am - 1pm
Jenny Backhaus of Backhausdance (Orange County)

Location: Malashock Dance
Dance Place San Diego
2650 Truxtun Road, Studio 200
San Diego, CA 92106

Class Fee: $20; BUY 3 CLASSES, GET THE 4TH ONE FREE!
Sign up now!

Jennifer Backhaus’ master classes are representative of the movement style and vocabulary of her professional contemporary dance company, Backhausdance. Ms. Backhaus’ classes are crafted to give dancers the technical ability to find balance between control and release. The combination of ballet technique and modern dance principals, such as the use of weight and momentum, create exercises that are designed to challenge the dancer’s dynamic expression and increase their range of movement and quality. Ms. Backhaus places strong emphasis on the use of space and moving with fluidity and abandon. Her gymnastic background enables the seamless integration of floor work and weight-shifting between feet and hands, encouraging students to feel comfortable with inversions. Class combinations occasionally include selections from the Backhausdance repertory, partnering work and focus on the facilitation of the expression of the dancer’s unique points of view.

Lecture Demonstration: Jose Limon, The Artist as Outsider

malashockdance — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:40:25 +0000

Malashock Dance and the San Diego School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) present a Lecture Demonstration:

José Limón, The Artist as Outsider
Reflections of his Life and Work

Sunday, January 31, 2010 • 6 pm
Dance Place San Diego
2650 Truxtun Road, Studio 200
San Diego, CA 92106

Tickets: $10 ($5 students)

Featuring dance excerpts from Missa Brevis , choreographed by Jose Limon, performed by the dancers of SCPA and COSA. Lecture and Q&A by Francisco Ruvalcaba, principal dancer with Limon Dance Company.

Francisco Ruvalcaba
Principal Dancer, Limon Dance Company

The dancers of SCPA and COSA

Save the Date: Master Class with Bradley Michaud of Method Contemporary Dance

malashockdance — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:09:13 +0000

Save the date for the second master class in the 4 Sundays in February Master Class Series ! In this exciting series of master classes, Malashock Dance proudly presents four Master Teachers/Choreographers from Los Angeles, Orange County, Long Beach, and San Diego. Each Sunday in February, experience the innovative techniques and powerful repertory of Method Contemporary Dance, Backhausdance, Keith Johnson/Dancers, and Malashock Dance.

Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010
11am - 1pm
Bradley Michaud of Method Contemporary Dance (Los Angeles)

Location: Malashock Dance
Dance Place San Diego
2650 Truxtun Road, Studio 200
San Diego, CA 92106

Class Fee: $20; BUY 3 CLASSES, GET THE 4TH ONE FREE!
Sign up now!

METHOD synthesizes athleticism with subtly nuanced sensuality creating a unique language for motion and momentum. The class trains dancers to have liberated, fearless and articulate bodies, so they can engage extreme physicalities. METHOD makes liberal use of the floor as a launch pad for explorations of flight, a landing pad, and a duet partner; playing with gravity, both overcoming it and succumbing to it, as well as using the weight of the upper body and the propulsion of the legs to carve the space and exist in the off-center environment. Please bring kneepads to class as there is floor work.

Don’t Miss It: Master Class with Keith Johnson of Keith Johnson/Dancers

malashockdance — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:25:08 +0000

Don’t miss the first master class in the 4 Sundays in February Master Class Series! In this exciting series of master classes, Malashock Dance proudly presents four Master Teachers/Choreographers from Los Angeles, Orange County, Long Beach, and San Diego. Each Sunday in February, experience the innovative techniques and powerful repertory of Method Contemporary Dance, Backhausdance, Keith Johnson/Dancers, and Malashock Dance.

Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010
11am - 1pm
Keith Johnson of Keith Johnson/Dancers (Long Beach)

Location: Malashock Dance
Dance Place San Diego
2650 Truxtun Road, Studio 200
San Diego, CA 92106

Class Fee: $20; BUY 3 CLASSES, GET THE 4TH ONE FREE!
Sign up now!

This advanced level technique class will have an emphasis on the alignment of the skeletal structure and the freedom this allows for expansive and dynamic movement. Emphasis is placed on the movement and articulation of the torso and how material is threaded through the center of the body to the extremities. There is a lot of repetition of material and re-enforcement of conceptual ideas with a focus on breath, dynamics, and athleticism. The skeletal structure is not separated from the muscularity of the movement but both work together to generate the ability to ride momentum and falling as a means of traveling. Both center combinations and across the floor work will involve highly athletic material. Be prepared to move.

Pilates Flow at the Malashock Dance School

malashockdance — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:40:09 +0000

I met Marianne Olsson over a year ago, when a friend recommended her pilates class at our gym. My strongest memory of that first class with her was of her walking over to me several times, telling me that she knew I could stretch a little more, do a few more reps, do the more difficult variation she had taught. After class, when I went up to thank her, she asked if I was a dancer. My answer: Yes, sort of. (I now sit in the office next to the dance studio more often than I take class in there!)

I was impressed that Marianne could recognize dance training in one of her gym students, and even more impressed when she agreed to teach pilates at the Malashock Dance School . She decided to offer Pilates Flow, a pilates class for dancers and for us sort-of-dancers, want-to-be-dancers, and total-non-dancers. Pilates is a great way for anyone to get fit, and as a certified pilates instructor, Marianne is a great teacher to work with.

Join us on Thursday for the first class of the semester—I plan to be there, too!

PILATES FLOW
with Marianne Olsson
Thursday, 7-8:15 p.m.
Try the class once for $15 or purchase a class card now !

Malashock Dance School
Dance Place San Diego
2650 Truxtun Road, Studio 200
San Diego, CA 92106

Malashock Thinks You Can Dance… Ballroom Series!

malashockdance — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:11:22 +0000

For three years in a row, we have put on an incredibly fun fundraiser, Malashock Thinks You Can Dance! This year, we are welcoming one of the professional dancers from our fundraiser to teach the rest of us how to dance!

Irina Chalkevitch , ballroom champion and a great teacher with an electric personality, will be teaching a series of ballroom dance classes at the Malashock Dance School . This 6-class series will include Cha Cha Cha, Salsa, Foxtrot, Rumba, Swing, and Waltz . Couples and singles are welcome to learn these ballroom dances in a fun, relaxed, social environment.

You can watch Irina performing at Malashock Thinks You Can Dance! with her partner, John Selby:

Malashock Thinks You Can Dance … Ballroom Series
Fridays, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
January 15 - February 19, 2010

Malashock Dance School
Dance Place San Diego
2650 Truxtun Rd, Studio 200
San Diego, CA 92106

Series rate: $150 for singles / $250 per couple
Sign up with a friend and save!

Jaami Waali, Hip Hop Teacher at the Malashock Dance School

malashockdance — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:18:07 +0000

Today’s blog comes from Jaami Waali, who teaches Hip Hop at the Malashock Dance School every Monday, 5-6 p.m., for ages 13 & up. Jaami is also founder and co-director of Kruciaal Element, which offers a drop-in, all levels Hip Hop class at the Malashock Dance School every Tuesday, 6-7 p.m.

The more I teach, the more I realize it is less about the subject matter and more about the people involved and how I can inspire them to learn more about themselves. The subject matter becomes more of a way for me to connect with people. I wonder if most people wouldn’t be as open to change or another person’s opinion if it wasn’t aligned with something they were already interested in.

Dance is also something that is so personal because it involves our own bodies, people watching our bodies move through space, and how we connect (in sometimes a very vulnerable way) to music. These elements, and more, are different for every single person and, ultimately, define us. I love teaching dance because I can help people define themselves more and more, and in the process, I do so as well.

Jaami’s students performing in the Malashock Dance School Winter Showcase 2009: