Summer Offerings

Summer is always a time for exploration, learning and fun. The faculty and staff at Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy invite you to join us. Our dance program has something for students of all ages, as well as Art Start celebrations, and new to SCAA this summer: visual art classes and writing workshops!

  • Registration deadline is two weeks prior to the class start date.  
  • If there is available space in class, registration will be taken up to the day of the class. If there is available space in class, registration will be taken up to the day of the class. 

Art Start

Celebrations Around the World (Two Age Groups)

Travel around the globe visiting all seven continents and learn about some of their craziest, zaniest and most fun celebrations. We will read stories, listen to music, and make souvenirs to bring back. So . . . pack your suitcase, grab your passport and let’s go on a global expedition.

Ages: 3–5 years*

*Young students must be bathroom independent

Tuition

$120

Meeting Dates & Time

July 10–14 | Monday-Friday | 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Ages: 6–9 years

Meeting Dates & Time

July 10–14 | Monday-Friday | 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Instructor

Abigail Johnson

Location

Room 300

Dance

Ballet Technique

Age: 13+ years

Level: Intermediate/advanced dancers (or by instructor approval)

This weekly hour-and-a-half class is designed to maintain and improve your technique, while enhancing your artistry. Classes include barre, center and across the floor work. Tights, leotards and ballet slippers are required. Dance skirts or dance shorts are optional. Pointe shoes are optional for advanced students.

Tuition

$144

Meeting Dates & Time

June 12, 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17 | Monday | 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Instructor

Mary Robare

Location

Room 300

Intro to Pre-ballet (Two Offerings)

Age: 3–5 years*

Students will be introduced to the world of creative movement and the fundamentals of ballet. Lessons focus on locomotor skills, musicality and creativity as children explore their natural abilities through movement and dance. No previous training is required. Students may wear dance apparel or clothes that allow for easy movement. Footwear: ballet slippers, socks or barefeet.

*Young students must be bathroom independent

Tuition

$36

Meeting Dates & Time

June 20–22 | Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday | 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
July 11–13 | Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday | 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Instructor

Abigail Johnson

Location

Room 300

Intro to Ballet

Age: 6–9 years

Designed for beginners or current students. This class will introduce dancers to the fundamentals of technique and artistry. Students will gain new skills and build confidence for continued studies during the academic year. No previous training is required. Students may wear dance apparel or clothes that allow for easy movement. Footwear: ballet slippers, socks or barefeet.

Tuition

$48

Meeting Dates & Time

June 20–22 | Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday | 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m

Instructor

Abigail Johnson

Location

Room 300

Ballet Variations

Age: 9–12 years

Learn a new variation each day from a famous ballet. Two years of previous ballet experience recommended, or approval from the instructor. Tights, leotards and ballet slippers are required. Dance skirts and dance shorts are optional.

Tuition

$72

Meeting Dates & Time

July 11–13 | Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday | 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Instructor

Abigail Johnson

Location

Room 300

Ballet Variations

Age: 12+ years

Learn a new variation each day from a famous ballet. Two years of previous ballet experience recommended, or approval from the instructor. Tights, leotards and ballet slippers are required. Dance skirts and dance shorts are optional.

Tuition

$72

Meeting Dates & Time

June 20–22 | Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday | 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Instructor

Abigail Johnson

Location

Room 300

Intro to Dance Styles

Age: 6–9 years

Ballet, jazz, tap and musical theatre dance are just some of the dance styles we will venture into. Each day students will take part in a different genre dance class to find which styles are perfect for them. Wear comfortable dancewear or clothes that allow for easy movement. Footwear: ballet slippers, barefeet or socks may be worn.

Tuition

$120

Meeting Dates & Time

July 10–14 | Monday-Friday | 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Instructor

Abigail Johnson

Location

Room 300

Lovely Lyrical

Age: 7–11 years

Come explore the style of lyrical dance, which combines elements of ballet, modern and jazz performed to soulful, popular music. This series of three classes consists of a warm-up, movements across the floor and an expressive dance combination. Convertible or footless tights, leotards, and bare feet or dance paws are required.

Tuition

$48

Meeting Dates & Time

June 20–22 | Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday | 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Instructor

Mary Robare

Location

Room 300

Lovely Lyrical

Age: 12+ years

Come explore the style of lyrical dance, which combines elements of ballet, modern and jazz performed to soulful, popular music. This series of three classes consists of a warm-up, movements across the floor and an expressive dance combination. Convertible or footless tights, leotards, and bare feet or dance paws are required.

Tuition

$48

Meeting Dates & Time

June 20–22 | Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday | 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Instructor

Mary Robare

Location

Room 300

Musical Theatre Dance

Age: 9–12 years

A comprehensive study of ballet skills and artistry from beginner to intermediate level through succeeding years of study. New students should call the office for placement assistance.

Tuition

$48

Meeting Dates & Times

June 13–15 | Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday | 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Instructor

Mary Robare

Location

Room 300

Musical Theatre Dance

Age: 13+ years

A comprehensive study of ballet skills and artistry from beginner to intermediate level through succeeding years of study. New students should call the office for placement assistance.

Tuition

$48

Meeting Dates & Time

June 13–15 | Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday | 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Instructor

Mary Robare

Location

Room 300

Contemporary

Age: 9–12 years

Contemporary dance is a style of interpretive dance that embraces innovation, blending techniques from various genres, including classics ballet, jazz, modern dance, and lyrical dance. This class will push the dancer’s physicality, movement quality, and understanding of music. It shows each dancer how to keep the integrity of their technique while utilizing it in the most effective way possible.

Tuition

$120

Meeting Dates & Times

June 26–30 | Monday–Friday |  9:30 a.m. to  11 a.m.

Instructor

Haley Wilt

Location

Room 300

Contemporary

Age: 13+ years

Contemporary dance is a style of interpretive dance that embraces innovation, blending techniques from various genres, including classics ballet, jazz, modern dance, and lyrical dance. This class will push the dancer’s physicality, movement quality, and understanding of music. It shows each dancer how to keep the integrity of their technique while utilizing it in the most effective way possible.

Tuition

$120

Meeting Dates & Times

June 26–30 | Monday–Friday |  11 a.m. to  12:30 p.m.

Instructor

Haley Wilt

Location

Room 300

Contemporary Partnering

Age: 9–12 years

This class will explore different ways of combining modern, contemporary and ballet vocabularies into a challenging but fun combination utilizing a contact based approach to dancing with a partner. We will also explore ways to increase one’s artistic capacity through inspiration by movement, music and philosophy. The students will be introduced to weight sharing, partnering and improvisation methods.

Tuition

$80

Meeting Dates & Times

June 26–30 | Monday–Friday |  3:30 p.m. to  4:30 p.m.

Instructor

Haley Wilt

Location

Room 300

Contemporary Partnering

Age: 13+ years

This class will explore different ways of combining modern, contemporary and ballet vocabularies into a challenging but fun combination utilizing a contact based approach to dancing with a partner. We will also explore ways to increase one’s artistic capacity through inspiration by movement, music, and philosophy. The students will be introduced to weight sharing, partnering and improvisation methods.

Tuition

$120

Meeting Dates & Times

June 26–30 | Monday–Friday |  4:30 p.m. to  6 p.m.

Instructor

Haley Wilt

Location

Room 300

Jazz Fusion

Age: 9–12 years

Jazz funk originates from social dances that found their way onto the main stage. It is a mix of fast, intricate footwork, technique and acrobatic floor moves. This genre of dance works on the dancer’s creativity, their understanding of music and energy, and fuses traditional jazz with hip-hop.

Tuition

$80

Meeting Dates & Times

June 26–30 | Monday–Friday |  1:30 p.m. to  2:30 p.m.

Instructor

Haley Wilt

Location

Room 300

Jazz Fusion

Age: 13+ years

Jazz funk originates from social dances that found their way onto the main stage. It is a mix of fast, intricate footwork, technique and acrobatic floor moves. This genre of dance works on the dancer’s creativity, their understanding of music and energy, and fuses traditional jazz with hip-hop.

Tuition

$80

Meeting Dates & Times

June 26–30 | Monday–Friday |  2:30 p.m. to  3:30 p.m.

Instructor

Haley Wilt

Location

Room 300

Visual & Literary Arts

Painting with Music (Two Age Groups)

Music is an expressive art form with the power to create emotions — it captures and evokes feelings with sound! But how? In this workshop students will listen attentively to music to access, engage and express their emotions. Together, we’ll listen to a variety of curated music and identify which sounds create which feelings inside us, then we’ll listen again while painting how the music makes us feel, translating emotion from sound to paper using line, shape and color. Students will practice listening more deeply and imagining more freely and will leave with an assortment of colorful expressive paintings to remind them of the powerful pieces they heard. Great for naturally expressive children as well as those who struggle to access their feelings. Supplies included.

Age: 7–9 years

Tuition

$24

Meeting Date & Time

June 23 | Friday | 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Instructor

Karen Magro Townsend

Location

Room 209

Age: 9–12 years

Tuition

$36

Meeting Date & Time

June 23 | Friday | 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Instructor

Karen Magro Townsend

Location

Room 209

Drawing with Music (Two Age Groups)

Music is an expressive art form with the power to create emotions — it captures and evokes feelings with sound! But how? In this workshop students will listen attentively to music to access, engage and express their emotions. Together, we’ll listen to a variety of curated music and identify which sounds create which feelings inside us, then we’ll listen again while drawing how the music makes us feel, translating emotion from sound to paper using line, shape and color. Students will practice listening more deeply and imagining more freely and will leave with an assortment of colorful expressive drawings to remind them of the powerful pieces they heard. Great for naturally expressive children as well as those who struggle to access their feelings. Supplies included.

Age: 7–9 years

Tuition

$24

Meeting Date & Time

June 12 | Monday | 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Instructor

Karen Magro Townsend

Location

Room 209

Age: 9–12 years

Tuition

$36

Meeting Date & Time

June 12 | Monday | 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Instructor

Karen Magro Townsend

Location

Room 209

Great Story Hunt

Age: 6–8 years

Did you know there’s a treasure hidden in every story you hear? It’s true! The Great Story Hunt will show you how to find it in every book you read, every movie you watch, every campfire tale you’re told. Experience the universal structure of stories in physical ways: climb the story-structure “mountain” on the floor, sound the alarm when you identify a piece of treasure as we read, jump when the teacher mentions your story element, and so much more! You’ll leave with a “map” and treasure of your own: a whole new understanding of what makes a story FUN. Supplies included.

*Bring a favorite children’s picture book and we’ll read it in class to find its buried treasure!

Tuition

$36

Meeting Dates & Times

July 7 | Friday | 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Instructor

Karen Magro Townsend

Location

Room 209

Writing Workshop for Teens (Two Offerings)

Age: 14–18 years

Are you a teen who enjoys writing and wants to level up? Come learn how professional writers help each other grow! Bring two pieces of your writing (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essay — anything you like, but no more than four pages long) and together we’ll practice sharing work, giving and receiving constructive feedback, and providing encouragement and support. Guidelines and instruction will be given on how to share appropriately in a group, how to provide helpful input, and how to hear and apply feedback given from others. We’ll look for “what’s working” in others’ work as well as “what I still have questions about.” The facilitator will model how to give constructive criticism in ways that support and encourage the writer. This will be a safe, positive environment with an emphasis on growth and support. Supplies included.

*We may consider continuing the teen writing workshop through the school year if anyone is interested.

Tuition

$45

Meeting Date & Time

July 10 | Monday | 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

OR

Meeting Date & Time

July 11 | Tuesday | 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Instructor

Karen Magro Townsend

Location

Room 209

Classes Begin

Monday, June 12, 2023

Classes End

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Instructors

Abigail Johnson
Karen Magro Townsend
Mary Robare
Haley Wilt

Registration Deadline

Registration deadline is two weeks prior to the class start date.

If there is available space in class, registration will be taken up to the day of the class. 

Tuition

Tuition is due within ten days of registration. Special payment arrangements are available upon request.

Tuition is not refundable within two weeks prior to the class start date.