We're rolling out another limited run of drop-in dances classes at Le Mondo! On Mondays during the month of October, you'll have the chance to work with local professionals on dance and movement. We have some unique classes this month not typically available in the Baltimore area. We hope you can join us!
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 7PM
Double Skin Double Mind
Instructor: Kelly Hirina
Double Skin/Double Mind (DS/DM) is a dance method developed by Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten to discover the sensitivity of the body through four basic principles: Breathing, Jumping, Expanding and Reducing.
This awareness of the possibilities that the body can generate is necessary when creating new choreographic material. The DS/DM method is offered as a masterclass, a training or a workshop to both amateurs and professionals.
Experiencing the DS/DM method can lead to a new physical and mental awareness in which intention and form coincide.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 7PM
Countertechnique
Instructor: Kelly Hirina
Countertechnique, created by Anouk van Dijk, provides tools for body and mind to deal with the demanding dance practice of the 21st century. It is a movement system to help the dancer think about the dancing body, focusing on the process of incorporating information into action. Within a clear structure of exercises, the Countertechnique class thoroughly prepares the body for rehearsal and performance, enabling dancers to move bigger, more fluidly and more spatially, while becoming stronger and more flexible.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 7PM
Hip-Hop
Instructor: Noelle Tolbert
Students will engage in heavy rhythms, full body warmup, strength training, and performative street style choreography. This class is designed to accentuate your natural essence of how you embody movement, learning fundamentals of footwork, isolations, and using your groundedness puts your body in a space to find freedom.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 7PM
Contemporary
Instructor: Kristi Schaffer
This class will pull from classical modern dance techniques, while exploring a variety of movement qualities and dynamics designed to challenge the individual performer. Dancers will be encouraged to thoughtfully consider the material and how it relates to their own bodies, abilities and performance styles. This is a good opportunity for dancers who want to stay sharp and quick when picking up and performing choreography, and who enjoy the juxtaposition of mixing traditional movement vocabulary with contemporary exploration.
ABOUT YOUR TEACHERS
KELLY HIRINA
Kelly Hirina, originally from Michigan, moved to the Netherlands as a Fulbright scholar and continued to live and work there as a professional dancer for twenty years. While there, Hirina worked with many different choreographers such as; Emio Greco & Pieter C. Scholten (EG|PC), Krisztina de Chatel, Suzy Blok, Nicole Beutler, Liat Waysbort and Dylan Newcomb in companies such as ICKamsterdam and Dansgroep Amsterdam. Hirina also worked in mime/theater onstage with Jakop Ahlbom and Compagnietheater (Theu Boermans) and in films with directors such as Arno Dierickx and Noud Heerkens. Alongside her dance career she studied acting at the Atlantic Theatre School in New York City. Hirina is a certified teacher of both Countertechnique, created by Anouk van Dijk and Double Skin/Double Mind, created by Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten. She has been teaching these methods at the Lucia Marthas Institute for Performing Arts (Amsterdam) and in her role as the artistic coordinator of ICKamsterdam’s academy. These methods offer healthy approaches to the dancing body while stimulating their personal creativity. Hirina also incorporates methods from ICKamsterdam, the Sensorium Toolkit and Pre-choreographics, in choreographic development. She acquired her M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Michigan with research based upon the link between mind and body in dance training, rehearsal and performance. Her specific interest is in pedagogical methods that enhance intrinsic motivation, appreciation for learning (a process-oriented approach) and goal setting.
NOELLE TOLBERT
Noelle Tolbert is a Baltimore-based performance artist and engineer of movement that is inspired by feminine power, ancestral guidance, and intuition. Her practice has been developed through a ongoing deep connection to her community and the diverse audiences she engages with through choreography, performance art, teaching, and interdisciplinary collaborations.
As a teaching artist, Tolbert has been responsible for building the youth dance program at Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park which serviced over 300 students and providing mentorship to PVA students through professional development training and choreography at Brooklyn Park Middle School. Most recently, Tolbert has joined The Moving Company as a hip-hop choreographer and Le Mondo as a resident dance artist, creating programming and performance opportunities for local artists in the Baltimore region. Noelle continues to seek opportunities that are both intellectually and artistically challenging as she works to connect with Baltimore to bring dance and the arts to areas that need healing.
KRISTI SCHAFFNER
Kristi Schaffner is a Baltimore based performer and educator who splits her time between dancing, choreographing, acting and teaching. Currently, she is an adjunct professor with the Community College of Baltimore County and serves as the Associate Director of the CCBC Dance Company. She creates work biannually for the CCBC Dance Company and her work has been selected twice by adjudicators for the American College Dance Association’s Gala Performance.
Recent projects include: Unplugged: Dance Baltimore, Hackstone (commercial/ film), Monster World: Baltimore Rock Opera Society, Puffs, Spotlighters Theatre, and she is finishing her seventh season as a performing artist with Urban Pirates. Kristi has a passion for teaching and has been a dance and theater educator for 18 years. She holds a BFA in Dance Education from Kent State and an MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Oklahoma.