The Lula Washington Dance Theater (LWDT) just issued two important press releases announcing the Lula Washington Dance Theatre-School Apprentice/Professional Development Training Program for young adults ages 16-25 and the 5 week Summer In-Person Workshop, June 28 through July 31, 2021, featuring the inaugural Carmen de Lavallade Dance Legacy Workshop series and the Ken Morris Scholarship for Boys and Young Men. There will be no class, July 3-5, in observance of Independence Day.
The Carmen de Lavallade Dance legacy Workshop series is sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter for Intermediate and Advanced students and The Ken Morris Scholarship for Boys & Young Men has support from In the Meantime Men ’s Group, Inc .
Carmen de Lavallade began her dance career in her hometown of Los Angeles performing with the Lester Horton Dance Theater. Her unequaled career covers dance, television, film and Broadway. She was a principal dancer with the Metropolitan Opera and a guest artist with ABT. Her choreography has been commissioned by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Philadanco, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, productions of Porgy and Bess, and Die Meistersinger at the Metropolitan Opera. To read more about Carmen de Lavallade, click HERE.
Ken Morris, a native of Los Angeles, is an accomplished Choreographer, Instructor and Mentor. He has danced with the companies of Lula Washington Dance Theater, JazzAntiqua, Brockus Dance. His work has been presented on several of the Los Angeles Dance Festivals. Morris has served on the Board of Brockus Project Dance since 2015.
Auditions for these young adults ages 16-25 are required for scholarships, work study and/or placement into Intermediate and Advanced classes. The audition class will be held on May 26, 2021 at 5:30 pm at the Lula Washington Dance Theatre located at 3773 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90016. To reserve an audition spot, call LWDT at 323-292-5852 or email them at school.lwdt@gmail.com. If you are unable to attend any of the audition dates listed, please contact tamica@lulawashington.org
The classes for this apprentice/professional development training program will be at the pre-professional levels. Therefore, dancers must have a strong technical dance foundation in Modern, Ballet and Jazz. To prevent the spread of Covid-19, LWDT will limit the number of students in each class. All participants MUST register in advance and adhere to the school’s Covid-19 protocols and policies.
Lula Washington Dance Theatre in “Zayo” by Esie Mensah – Photo by Kevin Parry
Participants of the 5-week summer program will work directly with Artistic Director/Choreographer Lula Washington, Associate Director Tamica Washington-Miller as well as with other stellar professional teachers. Apprentices will work with guest artist Jamal Story who will remount A Folk Dance on the LWDT professional company; a work that was choreographed by renowned choreographer Donald Byrd for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. A Folk Dance had its world premiere at the New York City Center in 2019. Among his many career accomplishments, Story studied with Lula Washington, performed with LWDT, and is a Trustee and Stager of Mr. Byrd’s work.
Dancers will work Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11am – 4pm. Some students may be required to take additional technique classes on alternate days. There is a culminating showcase July 31, 2021
For more information 323-292-L-U-L-A (323-292-5852) or email us at school.lwdt@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook at Lula Washington Dance Theatre School.
To visit the Lula Washington Dance Theatre website, click here.
By Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Lula Washington Dance Theatre in Rennie Harris’ “Reign” – Photo by Timothy Norris courtesy of Ford Theatre
