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Summer Dance Intensive 2023

Dancer performing

July 17–August 12, 2023

Summer Dance Intensive (SDI) is an intensive summer training program for serious students aged 8-22. Our very own Hartt Community Division faculty are joined by renowned guest teachers to provide a well-rounded curriculum that challenges dancers to push past their limits and grow in their craft.

The Intensive offers training in the following genres:

  • Ballet
  • Character
  • Conditioning
  • Contemporary
  • Dance History
  • Jazz
  • Men's Classes
  • Modern
  • Pointe
  • Repertoire
  • Variations 

Auditions

Auditions are offered in person or via online/DVD. Please review the instructions below.

Please note: Current HCD Dance students enrolled in the Ballet Program are not required to audition. They will receive their summer placement in the spring evaluations.

Dates
January 28, 2023 and February 25, 2023

Location
The Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center
35 Westbourne Parkway, Hartford, CT 06112

Schedule
Audition Class 1 (ages 8-10): 12:30-1:45 p.m.
Audition Class 2 (ages 11-13): 2:00-3:00 p.m., 3:00-3:30 p.m. (pointe, if applicable)
Audition Class 3 (ages 14-22): 3:45-5:15 p.m., 5:15-5:45 p.m. (pointe)

To Register

  1. Complete the Audition Form.
  2. Email completed form and audition photos to dancedesk@hartford.edu.
  3. Pay the $25.00 audition fee online, in person at the time of audition, or via mail. Checks should be made payable to the University of Hartford and mailed to:
Handel Performing Arts Center
Community Division Dance Department
Room S110
ATTN: Cameron Whitney
35 Westbourne Parkway
Hartford, CT 06112

To Register

  1. Complete the Audition Form.
  2. Email completed form, audition photos, and link to your video audition to dancedesk@hartford.edu OR mail them to the address below.
  3. Pay the $25.00 audition fee online or via mail. Checks should be made payable to the University of Hartford and mailed to:
Handel Performing Arts Center
Community Division Dance Department
Room S110
ATTN: Cameron Whitney
35 Westbourne Parkway
Hartford, CT 06112

Video Requirements

  • Video submission should be approximately 15-20 minutes in length.
  • Videos do not need to be professionally films, but should show the student’s full body clearly.
  • Videos can be filmed in a dance studio or home spaces. 
  • At the beginning of the video, you should introduce yourself and state your age, the number of year(s) of ballet/dance study, the number of years of pointe work (if applicable), the name(s) of your current school and teacher(s), and any previous summer intensive programs, festivals, and/or international ballet competitions in which you have participated. 

Dance Requirements

Barre Work (one side only)

  • Plie
  • Battement tendu
  • Rond de jambe à terre 
  • Battement fondu
  • Grand battement jeté

Center Work (one side only)

  • Adagio
  • Pirouettes
  • Petit Allegro
  • Grand Allegro

Pointe Work (based on students level)

  • Relevé
  • Enchappé
  • Pirouttes

Boys and Men

  • Two turning combinations
  • Petit allegro with beats
  • Tours en l'air, single or double

Younger students may omit the above and submit a video consisting of five minutes of barre work and five minutes of center work appropriate for their level of training. 

*We understand that some students who do not have access to a studio or suitable space may not be able to include all requested exercises. 

Schedule

Students are encouraged to participate in all four weeks of the intensive, however they can choose however many weeks work best for them.  

Morning Program:
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Afternoon Program:
Monday-Friday, 12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Location

The Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center

Hartt Community Division’s Summer Dance Intensive will be held at:

The Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center
35 Westbourne Parkway, Hartford, CT 06112

Showcase

There will be a showcase following Week 4 of the intensive: Saturday, August 12.

Students must be registered for Week 4 in order to participate in the showcase, however they are not guaranteed to participate if only registered for Week 4.

Tuition

Register by June 1 to receive 20% off!

Morning Program: 
$350.00 per week

Afternoon Program: 
$600.00 per week

If you are in need of financial assistance to participate in the Summer Dance Intensive, please complete a Need-Based Scholarship Application form.

Program Director

Sarkis Kaltakhtchian
Artistic and Education Director
HCD Dance
Dance

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Hartt Faculty

Fernando Alers
Faculty: Concert and Music Video Choreography
HCD Dance

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Pamela Glauber
Faculty: Division II
HCD Dance

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Janelle Holmes
Faculty: Dance Conditioning, Adult Ballet from the Beginning
HCD Dance

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Felicia Isotti
Faculty: Division III Level 4
HCD Dance

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Matisse Madden
Faculty: Division III
HCD Dance

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Dale A. Merrill
Dean and Faculty: Division III
Dean's Office for Hartt

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Rene Olivier
Faculty: Division II and III
HCD Dance
Dance

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Cameron Whitney
Office Coordinator, Faculty: Pre-K, Division I, II
HCD Dance

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