South Georgia Ballet to offer Summer Intensive trainings
May 30—THOMASVILLE- Want to continue dancing over the summer? South Georgia Ballet is excited to offer a H.O.T.! summer experience consisting of Heart, Opportunity, and Training. This summer intensive offers an extensive training schedule including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, conditioning, partnering, nutrition, and dance history classes. Students will have the opportunity to dance for around six hours a day with internationally acclaimed guest instructors as well as SGB's incredible staff.
Lesley Bories-Scalise is returning to Summer Intensive for the second time. Bories-Scalise began her dance training in Flint, Michigan, but she was invited to attend the National Ballet of Canada under full scholarship at age twelve. She continued her dance education with Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Interlochen Arts Academy, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Chicago City Ballet School. She was one of only six dancers accepted from across the U.S. to attend a summer intensive training by Suzanne Farrell and Paul Mejia in New York. Her professional career consisted of dancing with the Chicago City Ballet, Ballet Chicago, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Bories-Scalise has been a ballet educator for more than twenty years, working at the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet, Point Park University, New Castle Regional Dance, and Greater York Center for Dance Education. Bories-Scalise was formerly the Executive/Artistic director of the Lake Erie Ballet School and Company where she choreographed an extensive repertoire of ballets and contemporary works including a full-length production of The Nutcracker. Her most recent endeavor is the creation of an online course, Virtual Ballet Academy, offering dance and conditioning education for all levels and ages. She currently serves on the teaching faculty of the Mercyhurst University Dance Department.
Raul Machorro will be joining SGB at the Summer Intensive for the first time. He received a full scholarship at the age of fourteen to The Houston Ballet Academy, and he spent his high school summers at The Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet and Ballet Austin. In 2001, Machorro was selected to study with some of Broadway's most respected choreographers at Jacob's Pillow Jazz: Paths to Broadway. His freshman year of college he attended The University of Arizona, where he was the only underclassman invited to choreograph for the Spring faculty concert. In summer of 2002, Machorro choreographed over fifteen dance routines, winning several choreography awards. He graduated from Southern Methodist University with a B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography. He has choreographed for Taio Cruz, Diego Boneta, X.ari, Alyssa Edwards, Coca-Cola, Subway, The Latin Grammy's, RuPaul's Drag Race, ABC's Holey Moley, Opera Santa Barbara, Los Angelos Opera, and more. He has taught ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary, and musical theatre at Dance Dimensions and Calabasas Academy of Dance in Los Angeles, Beyond Belief Dance Company in Dallas and Joffrey Ballet School in NYC. Machorro describes his passion for this art form, saying "my love for dance and entertainment are only matched by my passion to teach and share my talent."
Christopher L. Huggins (recurring guest) is a former member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and works in Europe, Japan, the Caribbean, and throughout the U.S. as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Born in Boston, Huggins trained under Andrea Herbert-Major, Danny Sloan, and Martha Gray. He attended SUNY Purchase and The Juilliard School and was a scholarship student at The Ailey School. Huggins is a 2002 and 2008 recipient of the Alvin Ailey Award for Best Choreography from the Black Theater Alliance in Chicago for Enemy Behind the Gates and Pyrokinesis, respectively, and has also worked on several projects for Disney in Orlando, Florida. He was a silver medalist for the 4th International Contemporary Dance Competition in Seoul, Korea. In addition to commissions for Ailey II and The Ailey School, he has also set works on universities and high schools throughout the U.S.
The Summer Intensive will take place June 19-23, and it is an opportunity that is too good to pass up. To join SGB please send a headshot and first arabesque photo along with a teacher recommendation letter to morgan.rhoden@southgeorgiaballet.org Call the office at 229-228-9420 with questions.
