Jump at the chance
Photo by Hiromi Platt
The Newport School of Artistic Movement has opened registration for fall classes open to students aged five through adult in beginning through advanced levels. The school specializes in Contemporary Ballet; a fusion of ballet, modern and jazz dance.
Classes are designed to increase grace, flexibility, speed, balance and strength, drawing from various dance forms, Pilates and yoga.
“I teach technique for the first part of the class so they have skills if they want to pursue dance as a career,” Director Nancy Mittelman said, “but then we move on to improvisation, what we call ‘dance games’ where the students explore ideas with each other. During that process they learn to work in groups and to share information. I also try to get them to try playing the role of the director and the directed.”
Additionally, students are trained to create full theatrical productions exploring not only the world of movement, but a variety of musical genres, the use of costumes, props, sets, lighting and more.
“When you choreograph, you have an idea, then you go on to a process of experimentation, then you whittle things down and then present it to the world.”
Mittleman has been training dancers from preschool to professional for more than 45 years. Her holistic approach to dance integrates science, art, literature, music and math and is highly influenced by a connection with the natural world.
“My love of nature is based on my firm belief of the interconnectedness of the universe,” she said. “That we are part of this magnificent weaving of plants, animals and the environment and totally dependent on the health and well-being of all if we are to save our dear planet. I also try to encourage my students to express their observations and feelings about the world around them.”
Though her students have gone on to study and perform at world renowned places such as Juilliard and the Martha Graham Studio in New York City and with the American Ballet Theatre, Mittleman seeks to give her students important life skills through dance.
“Ninety percent of my students won’t be going on to dance careers, but I want them to understand how to work with their own bodies and become a more expanded human being,” Mittelman said. “One of my students went on to do linguistics and she said her training helps her to get up in front of an audience and speak as a confident person. I’ve been to school graduations where most of the kids are looking down or to the side except for my kids — they were standing straight up and proudly looking at the audience.”
Mittleman has studied with such luminaries as Martha Graham, the New York City Ballet and the Alwin Nikolais Dance Co. In 1990, she received the Honor Award from the Oregon Dance Association for “History in the Making.”
She was a founding member of Red Octopus Theater Company and an original board member of the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts.
She also directs the Pacific Dance Ensemble, a company of teens and young adults well known to the area for their high quality and artistic performances.
Students paying before Sept. 15 receive a 10-percent discount on their first month’s tuition and there are family rates available. For more information and registration, go to pacificdanceensemble.com, email pdedance@msn.com or call 541-961-2316.