Berkshire Dance Theatre to Perform Summer Dance Convention
ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Dance Theatre, a nonprofit dance school, is planning its first summer dance convention and invites all area dancers, ages nine and up, to be part of an opportunity to work with guest artists. The convention will be held Monday, Aug. 16 through Friday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Berkshire Dance Theatre’s studio, located at 21 Maple St.The week concludes with a free performance for the community. Berkshire Dance Theatre will host Stephanie Imbornone, Jeffrey Louizia, and Stefanie Weber, who will teach classes in a variety of dance styles, including contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop and tap.
A Quincy native, Imobornone currently performs with Brockus Project Company in Los Angeles. She holds a BA in Dance from Dean College. Her performance experience includes music videos and promos, as well as work with Bryce Dance Company, The Gray Area Dance Project, and Arc en Ciel Dance Troupe, a Haitian Folkloric dance company. She has taught at REACH (Boston University’s summer outreach dance program), Dance New England, and MNR Dance Factory in Los Angeles. She and partner Louizia run their own company, jsXtension and teach as the duo, jsFusement.
Louizia hails from Boston and currently performs with Daurden Dance Theatre in California. He has studied a wide variety of dance disciplines, including ballet, tap, modern jazz, modern, hip-hop, krump and traditional Haitian folk dance, and with dance masters including Dianne Walker, Mark Morris, Bill T. Jones, Nailah Bellinger, and Wyatt Jackson. In addition to choreographing and performing with Imbornone in jsXtension and jsFusement, Louizia performed with companies including Sokolow Dance Foundation, Bassline, and Jambe. He danced in the Black Eyed Peas’ video, “Rock Your Body,” and the WB Mason commercial for the Boston Red Sox.
Weber is a member of the Boston-based Commonwealth Tap Collective, and a member and co-director of the performance ensemble, The Silver Swimmers (USA). Her work with local organizations includes Jacob ’s Pillow Dance Festival, Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Opera Company, Simon’s Rock, Williams College, Berkshire Community College, Lenox Community Center, Hudsons’ Operation Unite, and East Harlem Union Settlement Association, as an educator, performer, choreographer and visionary. She has been on the faculty of Community Access to the Arts, Dancecapade School of Dance, and Kinesphere Movement Studio and is a frequent collaborator with local and international artists, musicians, and community development enthusiasts. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a certified Gyrotonics instructor, and former AmeriCorps member.
Berkshire Dance Theatre offers classes year-round for dancers of all ages at its studios in Adams and Williamstown, as well as Bennington, Vt. Those interested in registering for the dance convention should contact Berkshire Dance Theatre at 413- 743-4645 or 802-447-8855.
The BDT convention is supported in part by a grant from the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
