WDP Summer Intensive

Join WESTSIDE Dance Project's Artistic Director, JORDAN LANG as he brings an incredible line-up of artists to WESTSIDE for our annual Summer Intensive Workshop.  We'll explore contemporary movement, function and artistry in this dynamic 3-day experience.  The Workshop includes classes on Friday (6-8pm), Saturday (9:00-6:00pm) and Sunday (9:00-6:00pm).  

Faculty includes:  Jordan Lang, Tiare Keeno, Taylor Graham/Jerimy Rivera, Dava Huesca and Sarah Brinson . . . . more faculty to be added.  See below for schedule for this don't miss weekend.

Workshop open to Int/Adv dancers only.  Workshop fee is $475.  Secure your spot by registering here and sending class fee via Venmo to @WestSideDanceProject.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

Friday, August 16

6:00-8:00pm - Opening night taught by Jordan Lang, WESTSIDE Dance project Artistic Director

Saturday, August 17

9-11am 

11-11:15 break

11:15-1:15pm

Lunch 1:15-2:00

2:00-4:00pm

4-4:15 break

4:15-6:15pm

Sunday, August 18

9-11am 

11-11:15 break

11:15-1:15pm

Lunch 1:15-2:00

2:00-4:00pm

4-4:15 break

4:15-6:15pm

SUMMER INTENSIVE FACULTY:

JORDAN LANG:

Jordan  was born and raised in Long Island, New York where he began his dance  training at the age of 12 with David Sanders Dance Dynamics and later  Seiskaya Ballet Academy. Continuing to pursue his passion for the art  form, Jordan chose to attend Marymount Manhattan College’s BFA program  with a ballet concentration in 2015 after receiving a scholarship from  the New York City Dance Alliance College Scholarship Foundation. While  at Marymount, Jordan was a part of the Marymount Manhattan Dance Company  from 2015 to 2019 performing works from a variety of choreographers as  well as partaking in educational outreach programs for young children.

Throughout his college career Jordan danced as an assistant for NYCDA as  well as worked exclusively with his dear friend Martha Nichols on  countless projects. In the summer of 2019, Jordan joined Ballet BC under  the direction of Emily Molnar. In his time with Ballet BC, Jordan had  the honor of performing multiple works by Vancouver native Crystal Pite,  later artistic director of Ballet BC Medhi Walerski, Sharon Eyal, Johan  Inger, and Aszure Barton. While at Ballet BC Jordan was able to  continue his passion for working with children through outreach programs  while recognizing one of his greatest passions in collaborating with  choreographers in the creative process such as David Raymond, Tiffany  Tregarthen and Dorotea Saykaly. In 2021 Jordan began working with Yin Yue Dance Company as a guest artist on new creations as well as acting  as the  assistant choreographer for a new work with the Boston Ballet.  In 2022, Jordan went on to join Ballet Jazz Montréal as a guest artist  under the direction of Alexandra Damiani,  performing works by Adonis  Foniadakis, Juliano Nunes, Crystal Pite, Anne Plamondon, and Ihsan Rustem. In his time with the company, Jordan was given the opportunity  to choreograph on the dancers for multiple fundraising events, expanding  him into the role of choreographer. Within the last few years, Jordan  has had the good fortune to perform in theaters across the globe,  meeting and collaborating with artists from around the world as well as  acting as guest faculty for many contemporary intensives held across the  U.S. Jordan is so proud to call Westside Dance  Project his home and has welcomed the opportunity as Artistic Director to channel all that he’s gained through  his career and act as a conduit for the next generation of young artists  to experience the present influences of contemporary dance as well as  explore their own intelligent creative capacities.

TIARE KEENO:

Tiare received her BFA at the The Juilliard School in 2016 under the direction of  Lawrence Rhodes. While there, she worked with choreographers Camille A. Brown, Kyle  Abraham, Kate Weare, and Brian Brooks. She also performed the repertoire of Jíri Kylián, Twyla  Tharp as well as the lead roles in Martha Graham’s Dark Meadow and José Limón’s Missa  Brevis. Tiare has been a company member of Nevada Ballet Theatre and worked in collaboration  with Cirque du Soleil. She has attended Springboard Danse Montreal where she performed  works by Aszure Barton, Spenser Theberge, RUBBERBAND Dance Group and Kidd Pivot. She  has been a faculty member of FRESH Dance Intensive in Canada and is currently a member of  Share the Movement organization, which aims to increase diversity in the professional dance  community through educational and financial support for young BIPOC artists. In 2017, Tiare  moved to Macau, China where she performed in a cirque show with ScenoPlus Productions at  MGM. Upon her return to the US, she performed in Al Blackstone’s Freddie Falls in Love at the  Joyce Theatre in NYC. Tiare currently resides in Los Angeles where she is a company member  and the Dance Captain of repertory company, BODYTRAFFIC. With the company, she has  performed works by Micaela Taylor, Baye and Asa, Matthew Neenan, Ethan Colangelo, Richard  Siegal, and Hofesh Shechter, among others.

TAYLOR GRAHAM:

Originally from New York, Taylor is a queer dancer, choreographer, and movement director.  As of Fall 2022, she took on the role of Assistant Director at Brooklyn Ballet, as well as Company Teaching Artist. Taylor has trained under the direction of International company artists of Hanover Dans Theatre, Nederlands Dans Theatre, Batsheva, William Forsythe, Alonzo King Lines, Crystal Pite’s Kidd Pivot, Nicole Von Arx, and Kate Wallich/The YC.  She was Artist in Residence throughout Ireland 2019-2021 and has performed solo work in NYC and in Europe. Taylor performed with LA based dance company TL Collective throughout 2021.
  Recent achievements include being a part of creative and performative works with Felix Landerer in Berlin, being a featured dancer in HAAi’s ‘Baby, We’re Ascending’ music video and performing for PUMA in NYFW. Her solo dance film “Here & Gone” was selected by Kyle Abraham for 92Y Future Dance Festival, was selected for the Berlin Independent Film Festival, and won Best Screen Dance for the Hollywood Shorts Festival.  She continues to indulge in further creations of dance on film in collaboration with photographer & DP Jim Lafferty.  Taylor teaches and creates work alongside Rubberband Dance Group & Les Grand Ballet’s Jerimy Rivera. The pair work primarily in NYC and travel to Atlanta, Salt Lake City and LA to work with professional contemporary, street dance, and circus professional artists. Their combined teaching practice emphasizes functional partnering, floorwork and heightening body awareness through tactile physicality.

JERIMY RIVERA:

A native New Yorker, where his roots in various dance styles have made him quite a versatile performer. Jerimy began intense training as a gymnast at the age of 7 with goals of reaching the Olympics. At the age of 9, Jerimy auditioned and was accepted into The School of American Ballet to further his gymnastics skills, where he began his training with Olga Kostritzky and Jock Soto. Around the age of 13, performance opportunities with New York City Ballet in productions such as ‘The Nutcracker’ in the role of Nutcracker Prince, ‘Swan Lake’, and ‘Harlequinade’ eventually lured him to leave gymnastics to focus solely on dance. He continued to perform young dancer roles in The Royal Ballet’s production of ‘Cinderella’ and The Bolshoi Ballet’s ‘Pharaoh’s Daughter’. While training in ballet, Jerimy widened his training at The School at Steps on Broadway, studying musical theatre, jazz, hip-hop, and modern. As a teenager, Jerimy studied intensely for two years at the JKO School of American Ballet under the likes of Franco Devita and Raymond Lukens; he then continued on to train with Francois Perron, Nadege Hottier, and Marina Stavitskaya at Manhattan Youth Ballet as a member of the junior company. Jerimy additionally studied as a fellowship student at The Ailey School. In 2012, Jerimy toured Europe with the International Tour of West Side Story the musical. In 2013 he then joined Les Grands Ballet Canadiens where he dance for five seasons. Les Grands Ballet Canadiens granted Jerimy with many performance opportunities, to name a few, Mercutio in ‘Romeo and Julliet’ , Valerio ‘Leonce et Lena, Man of Desire ‘Death of The Maiden’. Jerimy most recently dance for Rubberband Dance Group, a contemporary dance company out of Montréal Canada and Parsons Dance, a modern dance company in NYC. Currently Jerimy is working with the Metropolitan Opera in the new production El Niño, traveling for teaching + choreographing opportunities with his partner, creating film projects and teaching gymnastics.

DAVA HUESCA:

Dava is a distinguished performing artist and freelance choreographer, hailing from New York City. She holds degrees from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, and she is an alumna of the prestigious Springboard Danse Montreal program.

Dava's performance career began as a company member with Dance Theater Company VIM VIGOR. She has since amassed an impressive list of performance credits, including notable productions such as *CATS: The Jellicle Ball* and collaborations with acclaimed companies and artists like Yin Yue Dance Company, Telfar TV, Jacolby Satterwhite, Johannes Wieland, Laja Martin, Maxine Doyle, Rena Butler, Marla Phelan, Stephanie Batten Bland, Sidra Bell, Christoph Winkler Company, and the Martha Graham Dance Company.

In her career as a freelance choreographer, Dava has earned commissions from prominent institutions such as Whim W’Him, Dance Lab New York, Yale University's Summer Drama Cabaret, and the Peridance Certificate Program Graduation Solo. She has also served as an rehearsal assistant to Laja Martin for Gibney Pro. In recognition of her talent and contributions to the field, Dava was honored as the first Springboard Danse Montreal nominated recipient of Jonah Bokaer's Arts Foundation AIR Founder's Residency in 2021. She was also selected as one of the inaugural choreographic artists for Gallim's Moving Women residency in 2020.

As an educator, Dava offers a unique and grounded contemporary floor work experience, emphasizing alignment, efficiency, and fluidity. Her teaching draws inspiration from acrobatics, Graham technique, modern dance, and partnering. She prioritizes effective body alignment to ensure safety during high-risk movement, helping dancers build strength, stability, and agility by making the floor a supportive and integral part of their practice.

SARAH BRINSON:

Sarah Marie Picard (formerly Brinson), known for her versatility and accomplishments as an artist, a performer and an entrepreneur. Sarah is a graduate of the prestigious New York University Tisch School of the Arts and brings over a decade of experience in the world of performance,  choreography, arts education, and entrepreneurial mentorship. Through her work at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, NYCDA, Arts Umbrella as well as her own educational products Sarah has inspired thousands of dance artists internationally. In 2012,  Picard co-founded the Acting For Dancers Method and The AFD Method through workshops, touring intensives, and individual coaching to  help dance artists enhance their performance quality, storytelling depth, and ability to connect to their audience. Under  Sarah’s tutelage and mentorship, students have gone on to attend prestigious educational institutions such as The Juilliard School, USC Kaufman, Arts Umbrella, The Rambert School UK, NYU Tisch and more. Additionally, they have gone on to work commercially  in numerous tv/film projects and with companies such as Netherlands Dans Theater, NYC Ballet, Ballet BC, Ballet Jazz Montreal, Complexions, and Gibney Dance to name a few.

Most  recently, Sarah founded SMP Dance Company in Santa Barbara, CA which currently offers epic two day intensives and workshops for dancers and performers who are looking to elevate their experience in dance. Promoting a fresh perspective in creative wellbeing,  insight into the entertainment world, and how to build a successful career in the arts. In addition, she has been in development for her one woman show “City of Lights” — an immersive theatrical experience showcasing her as the artist, the dancer, the actress,  and the singer. "City of Lights" previewed in Santa Barbara, CA this spring following her residency at Santa Barbara Dance Arts and will official open late fall 2024. @sarahmariepicard