Janet Roston, Director/Choreographer, Cindy Shapiro Composer/Lyricist of Anaïs, A Dance Opera offer workshops in dance, theatrical movement, choreography, vocal training, music composition, collaborative creation and research techniques. Workshops tailored to all levels and ages. Many of these workshops can be open for large group community events.

 

DANCE TECHNIQUE, DANCE REPERTORY, STORYTELLING THROUGH MOVEMENT

 

Dance Technique

Contemporary dance for all levels

 

Repertory from “Anaïs, A Dance Opera”

Repertory could include: “Little Innocent Girl,” “Dream/Guernica,” “Train,” “To the Edge”

 

Basics of Dance Composition

Master class or extended residencies in elements of movement and choreography.

 

Movement composition derived from classic literature

Use of characters, plot, tone, setting and storyline to create movement studies.

 

Choreography from personal experience

Use of journals, dreams, blogs as a jumping off point to create compelling dance

 

Creating movement studies from the Cafe Culture of Paris, Artists

Using artists of the time and the art movement they represent; cubism, surrealism etc  (Pablo Picasso, Salvadore Dali, Chagall) as inspiration for dance and theatrical movement studies.

 

Creating movement studies from the Cafe Culture of Paris, Literature

Using writers of the time (Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry Miller,  Gertrude Stein) as a basis for movement studies. Using themes, vocabulary   and  visualization as well as specific scenes from literature  for the development of   movement studies.

 

 

MUSIC COMPOSITION AND VOCAL TECHNIQUE

 

Vocal technique

All levels — basic vocal technique, including pitch issues, vocal placement, smoothing out vocal registers, larynx control, and breathing

 

Songwriting

Starting with a premise and working our way through the composition of the song.

 

Theory Perspective

Musical discussion of pieces from the opera, lead sheets provided for the class for  discussion purposes — “Cold Cold Night”, “Hugh”, “Delta of Venus”, “You See Me”, “Lie Box” Discussions of harmonic theory and rhythm theory around some of the more complex songs in the show.

 

 

NIN’S ROLE, COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS, RESEARCH TECHNIQUES

 

The history of Anaïs Nin — more in-depth than the show can go

An in-depth look at her life and work

 

Collaboration in Creating Work

The art of working with other artists

 

Research techniques

Preparing the bed of the narrative through careful research

 

 

Janet Roston, Educator, Dance and Movement for Theater

A master dance educator, for many years Janet was the Artistic Director of Beverly Hills High School’s acclaimed Dance Company whose members have gone on to form their own successful dance companies and become professional dancers, actors, musicians, graphic designers etc. She has taught dance and movement for actors internationally  in London at Millennium Performing Arts Academy, London Studio Centre and Arts Educational as well as teaching in Toulouse and Cannes. National master dance/movement classes includes UCLA, Cal State Long Beach, CAHPERD, Atlanta’s Pebblebrook Arts Academy and Boston Conservatory.  Janet has a BA and MA in Dance from UCLA and a California teaching credential in Physical Education, Dance, English and Elementary Education.

 

Cindy Shapiro, Educator, Music and Vocal Technique

Cindy’s journey to composing “Anaïs” has been varied. As such she her teaching background is diverse yet interrelated. As a music instructor she has taught music theory, vocal technique, music appreciation, songwriting and conducting. Currently she is a private vocal coach working with rank beginners with pitch issues to professionals who want to elevate their craft. She has been a video game coder applying this background  to teach technology to students, including logic, set theory, coding and gaming applications. Cindy has a degree from Antioch University with a  focus in Music Composition and a Kodaly Music Pedagogy Certification from Cal. State Univ. Long Beach.