About: This contemporary technique class explores movement with a focus on fluidity, dynamic shifts, and expressive power. Dancers will warm up through grounded floor work, emphasizing breath and core stability, followed by sequences that build into expansive, full-bodied phrases across the floor. We’ll work on developing the clarity of intention through movement exploration. Emphasis will be placed on the unique artistry each dancer brings to the space, encouraging individual interpretation and risk-taking. Suitable for intermediate to advanced dancers, this class offers a space to connect deeply with personal artistry and engage fully with contemporary movement’s technical and creative demands.

Jayme Klinger Host - Jayme Klinger Host, professor of dance, is dean of the School of the Arts at The College of Charleston as of July 1, 2024.  Host most recently served as director of the School of Theatre and Dance, within the College of Fine Arts and Communication at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.  From 2017-2024 she also served as Producer and Artistic Director of the ECU/Loessin Playhouse.  Prior to that Host served as professor and head of the dance program at Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, PA and was founder and artistic director/owner of the Lewisburg Dance Conservatory, Lewisburg, PA.  From 1996-2002 she was faculty at the dance departments of Goucher College and Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Baltimore, MD. She has extensive experience directing complex departments and projects, and intentionally bringing people together across divides and generating a positive vision that is long term, expansive and solution driven. Her extensive administrative, artistic, and academic career is steeped in a tenacious advocacy for student success and support. She cultivates artistry, inclusive practices, and global citizenship.

Originally from Central Pennsylvania, she is a professor, dancer, choreographer, STEAM educator, and Arts Integration specialist with 28 years of experience of teaching dance in higher education. As a dancer, she performed with Tandy Beal Dance Company in Tokyo, with the Pennsylvania Dance Theatre in State College, PA, and as an independent artist. She has created over 50 original works throughout her career, including commissioned pieces across the USA at universities and with professional companies, such as Ririe-Woodbury Dance in Salt Lake City, Utah and the Momentum Dance company in Panama. She taught in residence at the Riverside International School in Prague, Czech Republic, master classes with Artists for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, and at the Young Theatre Festival in Bale, Croatia, and she co-coordinates "Eco-Librium", which is a Professional Development Conference in Tradate, Italy as a member of T.E.A.C.H. (Transcontinental Educators and Artists for the Collective Humanity) that brings together scientists, artists, educators, and activists to increase enviro-literacy and climate action.  

Host earned an M.F.A. with honors in modern dance from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, and a B.A. with distinction and honors in dance from Goucher College, Towson, MD. 

About: Romana Kryzanowska said that she could describe Pilates in three words, Stretch, Strength, and Control. These three words can describe dance technique as well. In this class we will go through a Pilates Mat workout while discussing how each exercise can benefit dancers in and out of technique class. While creating stretch, strength, and control, we all also discuss the benefits of the 6 Principles of Pilates and how they can help improve a dancers performance throughout their training.

Leslie Ann King - Leslie Ann was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. She began studying all styles of  dance at the age of 2. Leslie Ann graduated high school from Carver Center for the Arts and Technology where her primary focus was dance. Throughout high school she received scholarships to study dance at many places around the country including Virginia School of Ballet, Bates College, and Goucher College. Through her studies at Carver Center and Goucher College, Leslie Ann was first introduced to the Pilates Method.

Leslie Ann attended Goucher College and Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a concentration in Choreography and Education. She spent time in New York City complete her certification in The Language of Dance™ Level 1 with Tina Curran and Ann Hutchinson Guest. From there she continued to study dance in Los Angeles. While in LA, Leslie Ann traveled throughout the county with a local artist as a dancer and was featured in many shows on MTV, as well as in the film “Step Up” featuring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan.

In 2010 Leslie Ann moved back to Baltimore and this is when she decided to continue her Pilates education. She had the fortunate opportunity to work alongside Laura Ward-Moran as Assistant to the Director at Maryland School of Ballet and Modern Dance and Pilates on Main.

In 2011, Leslie Ann then began her Pilates Teacher Training with the United States Pilates Association ™, a licensee of the New York Pilates Studio ® Teacher Certification Program. She had the opportunity to work under the tutelage of Laura Ward-Moran and Brett Howard. Leslie Ann has continued to learn from teachers throughout the country and world. Just a few include Mari Winsor, David Freeman, Kathi Ross-Nash, Saul Choza, Benjamin Degenhardt, and Mejo Wiggins.

In 2024, Leslie Ann became a Teacher Trainer for Classical Pilates USA ™, previously known as United States Pilates Association and is thrilled to continue the legacy of Classical Pilates with future Pilates teachers.

About: This class is all about simple and clean ballet technique that speaks to any body type and focuses on finding proper placement. Each exercise works on engaging specific muscles to find your balance and alignment. When this happens, the opportunity presents itself to build on those exercises until a dancer has clean technique and a confident demeanor. No tricks. Just simple, clean technique.

Karen Eriksson-Lee, M.Ed - is the founding President of the Board for the 501c3 Nonprofit Living By His Grace Ministries, Artistic Director for the nonprofit’s performing group Dancing By His Grace, and a Student Support Coach in the Virginia Public School System.

Eriksson-Lee holds a Bachelor of Science for Dance with a Minor in Psychology from Shenandoah University, and a Master of Education from Shippensburg University.

She was formerly a Special Education Counselor for Seton Home Study, Founder and Artistic Director for the Northern Virginia Academy of Ballet, and former faculty member at the world-renowned Central PA Youth Ballet under the Artistic Direction of the late Marcia Dale Weary.

Eriksson-Lee is the Author of Walking Through Mud and It’s All Just a Mathematical Equation - Homiletic & Pastoral Review (hprweb.com). Eriksson-Lee modeled for the late world renowned sculptor Frederick Hart | American Master Sculptor in two of his pieces.

Eriksson-Lee is the proud mother of three adult children, and grandmother to two adorable little boys, with another grandson on the way. She lives in the Shenandoah Valley on her family farm where peace and nature reign.

About: This session introduces the fundamentals of dance science and how they can enhance both technique and injury prevention in dancers. You’ll learn about biomechanics, conditioning, and safe training practices that support long-term dancer health. Attendees will leave with practical tips to integrate these science-backed methods into their teaching, improving student performance and reducing injury risk.

Kendall Baab, MSc, BA - Kendall is a personal trainer for dancers and dance science educator located in Los Angeles, CA. She grew up as a competitive studio dancer and Texas high school drill team member before she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Science from California State University Long Beach where she trained in ballet and modern dance, and a Master of Science degree in Dance Science from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, UK where she completed dance science research involving perfectionism and self-efficacy in online dance classes and trained in contemporary dance.

Kendall is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a BASI Certified Pilates Instructor with a dance specialization. She is also a Certified Health Coach through Dr. Sears' Wellness Institute. Kendall works with dancers all over the United States on strength, conditioning, and flexibility to enhance performance and prevent injury.

Kendall created her business, BodyKinect, to allow for accessible dance science education and strength and conditioning for dancers and dance educators. With her continued involvement in the dance community today, it becomes more evident that this type of education is necessary for future and current dancers to sustain a career in dance and learn more about their bodies.

About: TBD

Da'Shown Rawl - Da’Shown Rawl studied Ballet and Modern at the Baltimore School of the Arts in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Rawl is also a graduate from the prestigious Dance Department of George Mason University (GMU). While at GMU, he got the opportunity to perform works by Alejandro Cerrudo, Andrea Miller, David Grenke, Doug Varone, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Morris, and Robert Battle.

Da’Shown Rawl also teaches at The Washington School of Ballet, VIVA School of Dance, and Baltimore School of Arts. He has been teaching and choreographing in the DMV and New York City area since the age of 16. In 2015, he founded RawArts Dance Company and has created works at the Baltimore School of the Arts, George Mason University, various companies in the DMV Area, and festivals in New York City. Some of his recent choreographic endeavors have included a dance for film, Just A Thought and Cold Fire: A Story of Emotions, his first full length work. Da’Shown’s passion for choreography was the catalyst for the establishment of the RawArts Dance Company.

About: Umfundalai is a contemporary African dance technique that comprises its movement vocabulary from dance traditions throughout the Diaspora. The literal word, Umfundalai, means “essential” in Kiswahili. Much like  Katherine Dunham, the late Kariamu Welsh, D. Arts, Umfundalai’s progenitor, has designed a stylized movement practice that seeks to articulate an essence of African – oriented movement or as she has described, “an approach to movement that is wholistic, body centric and organic.” 

Erica Rae Smith - Erica Rae Smith is the Founder and Artistic Director of Raediant Movement LLC. She is a Philadelphia native who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. She has studied and trained in many dance styles, including traditional South African, Jamaican Dancehall, Caribbean Folk, Ballet, Modern, and Jazz dance genres. Erica has worked as a professional dancer with companies such as Mahogany Dance Theater, Tania Isaac Dance, Valerie Branch Dance Ensemble, and Lesole’s Dance Project.

As a performer and choreographer, she has presented work in St. George’s, Grenada, and is a 2018 recipient of The John F. Kennedy Center‘s Local Dance Commissioning Project. Fueled with passion and curiosity around the uniting element of grounded polyrhythmic movements that flow from the body and its ability to enhance cultural pride, Erica began Raediant Movement in 2011, as a traveling dance workshop. Raediant Movement began with the intent to connect and advocate for the inclusion of Jamaican Dancehall and other dances of the African Diaspora in her local dance community by providing workshops, lectures, and classes in the Philadelphia Tri-State and DC Metro areas.

Since that time Raediant Movement, LLC has expanded its vision to highlight all dances of the African Diaspora through its performing company, GUEST-LED workshops, community classes and events. She is a lifelong student of dance and in 2022 she received the M’Singha Wuti - Licensed Teaching Certification for the Umfundalai contemporary African technique. As a teaching artist, she is entering her second year as a consultant, providing dance education classes and workshops to area schools for grades K-12.

About: This joyful movement class is crafted to share and inspire thoughtful approaches of teaching and exploring jazz dance while cultivating the joy of sharing and celebrating the movement with our community. Joe will take us through a structured jazz class from warm-up, to across the floor, and wrapping things up with a short feel-good jazz combo. Staying true to the influences of jazz dance, finding and sharing your groove is a consistent element in class. Throughout the session, Joe will explain and discuss what he focuses on as a dance educator to help elevate the experience. Attendance is encouraged for observers, too!

Joe Nickel - Joe Nickel has been professionally working in the entertainment & dance industry since 2005 as a dancer, educator, and choreographer. As a performer, Joe has worked with Paramount’s Kings Island, Nickelodeon, Busch Gardens, Norwegian Cruise Lines, CD Entertainment in Shanghai, Disney, ABC Family, and in the Netflix TV series “Archive 81”. 

As a choreographer, Joe has worked with companies such as Norwegian Cruise Lines,  American Eagle Outfitters, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Value City Furniture, and Seton Hill University. 

As a dance educator, Joe is fortunate every year to work with dancers of all ages at various studios and dance programs throughout the country. Currently, Joe is an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hill University and helped launch their Commercial Dance Experience summer intensive. Additionally, he co-hosts “Joe and Michelle’s Dance Podcast” with AMDA Faculty & former Radio City Rockette, Michelle Tolson, and is the Founder & Creative Director of Thrive Dance Experience. 

Joe enjoys mentoring young performers and encourages them to use their art form as a vehicle of expression, purpose, and impact. "We can do a lot on our own, but together we can thrive."