Mariana Bekerman Dance Company’s teaching approach is geared towards helping students of all ages and levels (open-level classes) raise their self-esteem and body awareness through dance. By becoming aware of the body and its ability (and sometimes disability), students will learn different techniques to help discover their own movement potential and generate new ways of creative expression. In time, we hope to help students incorporate these techniques on a daily basis and improve in other areas of their lives such as school, home, work, and with their peers and family.

Classes generally start with simple floor exercises and gradually develop to build phrases of movement that emerge out of guided improvisation mixed in with MBDC’s personal movement vocabulary. We incorporate a variety of dance techniques (both classic and contemporary) to allow students to enhance their own movement vocabulary and potential. The classes offers dancers and non-dancers a way in which they can find joy and freedom in their experience of moving and their own physical vocabulary and creative expression.

MBDC is gearing up towards launching a workshop program for 2010-2011 (stay tuned!). Here, dancers will learn company repertoire while also exploring and improving on their own movement and improvisational skills. Since the Company fuses a wide range of styles, warm up when class starts, will be broad in range exploring all the many styles of dance (including technical and underground styles). Classes will conclude with short presentations of student works.

For arts in the schools, MBDC provides year-long teaching and performance residencies in the public schools under Arts Horizons ranging from kindergarten through high school, parents, teachers, and administrators. The Company teaches a range of populations, levels, and abilities including bilingual and special education students. Through in-school lecture-demonstrations, evening performances, and after-school and professional development workshops, the Company introduces dance as a medium while adhering to the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts.

For more information or to book MBDC to your school/organization, please contact the Artistic Director, Mariana Bekerman at mbdance01@aol.com or 917-209-9480.