Dancers:
Sophia Frilot
Will Okajima
Miriya Lee
Aarilyn Lee
Robert Cornejo
Keely Meyers
Irene Kim
Valerie Chen
Addison Leitch
Kameron Couch
Mackenzie Couch
Katie Couch
Erin Park
Justin Padilla
Kailyn Yi
Mackenzie Auger
Emily Okamoto
Lilly Lorber
Adam Takahashi
Dawson Walker
Ella Horan
WESTSIDE Dance Project is a full training program and competition ensemble. WDP is a part of Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy. DKCBA is our home studio, directed by Dmitri Kulev and WESTSIDE is the elite contemporary company directed and taught by Jessie Riley.
Dancers can take part in two ways:
1. Dancers can be a part of "Full Academy" which will give them optimal ballet training, contemporary twice a week with Jessie Riley, and contemporary and improv with Megan Guise. 2. "Open Academy" which will give them 4 ballet classes a week, and 1 contemporary tough by Jessie. This is only an option for OCSA students.
WESTSIDE rehearsals are layered on top of this, with a three hour rehearsal every Tuesday, and five hour rehearsal on Sunday. After our winter concert, Sunday rehearsals end. A "religious exemption" can be requested for Sundays after a meeting with Jessie.
WESTSIDE tuition, private lessons, services, and events are billed through Jessie Riley, separate from DKCBA tuition. Tuition will be discussed once a dancer is being considered for WDP.
For more information on DKCBA training, tuition and schedule, please email dance@dkcba.com.
WESTSIDE Program Company attends four conventions a year, and performs at the WESTSIDE Winter Concert annually.
To be a part of the company dancers must be between 11-17 with prior training in ballet. Jessie prefers training dancers at DKCBA before they join WDP. Dancers must be able to commit to whichever schedule they choose, Full Academy or Open Academy. Dancers are required to take private lessons and perform solos. Dancers may not train at any other school. More info will be given if acceptance info the company.
Program dancers are trained under the Direction of Jessie Riley and Dmitri Kulev at Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy. Dancers perform in annual WDP concert as well as many convention competitions through the year. In addition to Jessie Riley's choreography, members also train with and perform works by outside choreographers such as Barak Marshall, Alex Ketley, Jermaine Spivey, Bryan Arias, Cory Snide, and many more.
"My desire is to train these young dancers into passionate artists with technique, creativty, focus, and an undying love for their craft. To be willing to take on any task head on with a confidence in themselves yet a humble perspective. More than anything I do I love to train, so I look for dancers who are willing to work from the ground up and be willing to take themselves out of their comfort zones."
Jessie Riley, Founder and Director