Zohar Update 1.14.26

[Vivian Sam]

Hello Zohar Community, 

We hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy. Just a quick re-cap: Claire Alexander's Contemporary class was well attended and everyone had a very wonderfully creative time. Her class continues for another 11 weeks. Pop Groove with Christine Baker was just a ball of fun energy. We look forward to her pop groove classes again in the spring. Thank you to all who attended these classes. 

Regarding the regular dance class schedules, please check the Mindbody site for the most up to date information. 

What's new this week - 

JAZZ BASICS with JEN CUEVAS BEGINS 1/15, THIS THURSDAY

• Jen is back to teach the Jazz Basics class for 8 weeks. No need to commit to all 8 weeks. One can register via Zohar's MindBody site. 

• Thursdays 7:45p - 9:00pm

• This class is for beginning jazz dancers or for dancers who want a slower pace class to focus on various techniques and alignment. 

• Link: www.zohardancecompany.org  

Upcoming - 

COLLEGE BOUND MUSICAL THEATER AND THEATER STUDENT/FAMILY PREPARATION WORKSHOP (for freshman - juniors in high school) PRESENTERS: VIVIAN SAM & FRANCES DEVLIN

• Saturday, February 7, 2026; 3:00pm - 5:30pm

• This workshop offers a wealth of information for families with high school students interested in pursuing musical theater or theater in college. The instructors will cover essential topics, including timelines, summer intensives, résumé formatting, prescreen preparation, and much more. You’ll also have the opportunity to hear directly from parents and former students who have gone through the process.
  This Info session will give:
  1. An awareness of University Performing Arts Training Programs.
  2. An overview of the preparation and training for College Auditions.
  3. An understanding of the difference between a BA and a BFA program.
  4. An overview of prescreen submissions, live auditions, the Unifieds…and much more.

• Vivian Sam & Frances Devlin will be presenting a lot of updated material that you can take home. There will also be a Q&A with former high school students who are now in college with their theater or musical theater department.

• Link: https://zohardancecompany.org/college-bound-workshop

ZOHAR PERFORMANCE SERIES #13

• Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026

• Tickets are coming soon. Stay on the lookout for the ticket announcement as this is a ONE NIGHT ONLY performance and seats typically sell out. 

• We are thrilled to announce that our teachers: Adrienne Foley and Claire Alexander will be presenting their work at this performance. Adrienne will be setting a piece choreographed by Lisa Deo. Both Adrienne and Lisa are former members of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Claire, our artist in residence, will be working on a contemporary piece with her students in her current class. Claire's work is in conjunction with her certification at Jacob's Pillow. 

• The program will also feature additional works, offering a rich and varied evening of performance. We invite you to join us for an inspiring celebration of the art of dance. 

ZTalk #3 : ZOHAR WELCOMES THE POPULAR PODCAST "BALLET HELP DESK"

• Saturday, April 18, 7:00pm - 8:30 pm
• Help us welcome the incredibly popular Dance Podcast: The Ballet Help Desk. The co-founders, Jenny and Brett, will be offering their first LIVE talk session. The Ballet Help Desk was born out of two moms who spent years trying to figure out how to support their dancing kids. From the competition circuit to ballet training to their professional careers, we stumbled along trying to support our kids in the best way we knew how. After several years on this path, they are ready to share what they have learned with you!
• As parents, you play a crucial role in supporting your dancer's ballet path and we know navigating the world of ballet training can be challenging. The Ballet Help Desk is here to help. 
• We also invite studio directors and ballet teachers to hear & learn some very important information about the ballet world. 
• This event will be hosted by Dawn Sue. You can find her at Zohar as Ballet sub teacher, carpooling as a mom of three, more carpooling as a mom of a "bunhead", and at Zohar taking ballet classes.  

SUMMER DANCE INTENSIVE (SDI) JUNE 15 - 19

• SDI will be 5 days of dancing beginning Monday, June 15 - Friday, June 19. 

• Times: MONDAY - THURSDAY, 10:30am - 5pm/ FRIDAY, 10:30 am - 3:30pm

• Dance Classes will consist of: Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theater Choreography, Tap, Contemporary, and Modern.
• "This past summer I took the week-long dance intensive at Zohar. The intensive was a huge factor in the start of my dance training and I'm super grateful to have had the opportunity. Being able to take smaller classes with only the other people in the intensive was super helpful to be able to get more individual and personalized training. I appreciated that the intensive included multiple styles of dance to be able to start building my skills in multiple areas. I felt very supported by the instructors who were very helpful and gave helpful feedback in correcting techniques. Having this opportunity was extremely helpful in giving me a start to my dance journey, I only would recommend taking more classes following the intensive!" ~ Carter N. (sophomore @ Cornish College of the Arts, MT major)

Have a wonderful day!

With gratitude,

Vivian Sam & Daynee Lai-Krauss