Zohar Update 1.21.2026
Vivian Sam
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."I think the student should be prepared to the best of their ability. Schools aren't necerssarily looking for accomplished performers, or students with broadway credits. They want to know if the student is trainable...the best way to meet college auditions is to be as parepared as you can. You want your child to be as comfortable in the room as possible. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! Most people spend months preparing for college auditions. Yes, months. Do your homework ahead of time" Michele Leavy, UCDavis Theater/Drama Instructor
Zoom option is available.
Our alums will be available to answer questions. Colleges represented - Elon University, Emerson College, Cornish College of the Arts, UCDavis, UCSD, NYU Tisch, CMU and more. Parents who went through this process will also be available to answer questions.
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-workshopgoog_1973348088
- In conjunction with Stanford Live, Zohar will be offering a workshop taught by Estelle Bovay from Aterballetto.
- Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
- Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm
- Location: Zohar Dance Studio, 4000 Middlefield Rd. Rm. L4, Palo Alto, Ca.
- Students must be 16 or over and Int/Adv. Level Contemporary Ballet. This will not be a ballet specific class, it will bbe based on Aterballetto's repertoire.
- Link to register for class: https://zohardancecompany.org/guest-artist
- About Aterballetto: Hailing from Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, Aterballetto creates contemporary dance in a multitude of styles, fostering connection with other artforms and modern society. Working with world-renowned choreographers, this company refuses to conform to norms of age, gender, and ability, posing questions and identifying new standards of virtuosity and beauty. These performances at Stanford will mark Aterballetto's West Coast premiere.
- Aterballetto reel: https://vimeo.com/1145365684?autoplay=1&muted=1&stream_id=Y2xpcHN8MTIxOTU4NjU3fGlkOmRlc2N8W10%3D
- Performing at Stanford - Dates: Wednesday, Feb. 11 @ 7:30p & Thursday, Feb. 12 @ 7:30p; Location: Memorial Auditorium
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.
- 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.
- 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)
Enjoy the rest of the week!!
With gratitude,
Vivian Sam & Daynee Lai-Krauss