Saturday: Moving is Life- Modern Dance [Adults & Teens]

Channel the power of movement and response to musicality through establishing mind and body connection. Use art of movement as a kinesthetic and aesthetic combination to further connection internally and externally. This class will entail teaching students the fundamentals on stability and mobility through a combination of modern dance, inspired by pioneers of Modern Dance and Bharatanatyam. The following will be taught in the workshop: body alignment, maintaining balance while moving, strength and stability through conditioning, musicality, history of dance (including modern dancers in America as well as history of dance), emoting through the body and using the body as a tool to regulate your mood, teaching the power of breathing while moving spatially, focusing on techniques for injury prevention, and helping participants to collaborate with fellow dancers to create patterns. At the end of the Workshop, the student should be able to create patterns in response to music, focus on body alignment and technique of movement, learn to communicate through their body through non-verbal gestures, learn the joy of movement, and prepare them for a performance.

This class will be held in-person at the WWAC. All students and teachers will be required to wear masks and maintain social distance in our large gallery space. Covid Protocols: Classes and workshops held in all spaces at the art center and Whole World Arts utilize an HVAC system supplemented with portable HEPA filtration systems. Fresh air is introduced whenever possible. Classes are spaced appropriately to allow 3 - 6 ft. of social distancing. Acrylic barriers are utilized, as needed. Mask wearing is strongly encouraged for all adults regardless of vaccination status, and required for all youth classes. All our staff and Teaching Artists have been vaccinated. High-touch surfaces are wiped down regularly using certified cleaning agents. Hand sanitizer is available in all classrooms. Youth visual arts classes have their own sanitized art supplies to be used.

About the Teaching Artist: 

A graduate of Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, Somdatta is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer trained since the age of 4. Darpana Academy has been founded by Smt Mrinalini Sarabhai and is now currently being spearheaded by Maliika Sarabhai. Somdatta has performed for the Doordarshan and several other projects and choreographies in Ahmedabad. She has judged various competitions in Ahmedabad and has also received awards. Somdatta believes continuous learning enriches and enlightens our path and the future generation. She has learned Ballet and Modern Dance under the guidance of Jody Gazenbeek-Person, Jill Molinero, Jennifer Gladney, Rebecca Bradowski, and Lester Holmes at the MCCC and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities with a concentration in Dance at Riders University, USA. Along with a Masters in Business Administration in Marketing from Ahmedabad, India, she has continued her musical productions and has had three curated performances at Princeton University. These well-received performances have been sponsored mainly by the Department of Music and the Department of South Asian Studies. In recent years, she has collaborated with artists like Grammy Nominee Flutist Ron Korb, Jazz and Blues pianist Eli Yamin and Anil Veeraraj, and her vocal guru Dr. Trineice Robinson.