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Ramona Council of Arts, Unlimited Offers Series of Four Master Classes
By Tracy Rolling
Ramona Council of Arts, Unlimited is excited to offer a series of four master classes by Summer Dancin' Ramona alumni. Arts, Unlimited and Jean Isaacs' San Diego Dance Theater have provided 19 years of dance workshops in Ramona, conducted by professional dancers. Since 1988, hundreds of youth and adults have taken part in these workshops, some years provided free through Ramona Unified School District and for a community college fee by Palomar College. The workshops culminate in a performance by the workshop students and San Diego Dance Theater.
This summer's dance workshop will be from July 7 through July 25, at Jill's Dance Studio.
The first professional dance instructor who hails from Ramona is Erica Buechner, who will appear on March 3. Buechner has been performing professionally in San Diego since 1999. She has worked most extensively with Mojalet Dance Collective, under the direction of Faith Jensen-Ismay. She has also performed for Patricia Sandback and Dancers, Joe Alter Dance Group, Malashock Dance, The PGK Project, Eveoke Dance Theatre, and Heather Zornes-Almanza and Dancers. She graduated from SDSU in 2006, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance. Buechner has presented work at the Celebrate Dance Festival, Sushi's 4x4, Café Mojalet, Opus Mixtus' Ignite, Mojalet's workshop performances, and through the studios where she teaches.
Buechner's dance training started right here in her hometown of Ramona. She took lessons at local studios and participated for several years in the Ramona Council of Arts, Unlimited's Summer Dancin' workshops, training with many professional dancers from throughout San Diego. By attending these workshops, she received several scholarships to continue her training, including a scholarship to attend Jean Isaacs' San Diego Dance Theater. She was also very active in the dance program at Ramona High School. In her junior year, she was head choreographer of Dance Productions, and served as president in her senior year.
Sharing the art of dance with students is a very important part of her career. She began teaching at the Ramona/Julian Academy of Dance right after graduating from high school and still continues to teach there. She also teaches at the Malashock Dance School in Point Loma, Georgia's School of Dance in Escondido, and On The Edge in Sorrento Valley. She considers it an honor to teach through Young Audiences of San Diego, which brings the arts into the public school system. She has also been invited to teach improvisation and choreography workshops at Canyon Crest High School, set choreography at Orange Glen High School, and teach master classes at SDSU. Buechner continues to train with an eclectic array of teachers throughout San Diego.
Following Erica Buechner, the master dance classes continue on the first Monday of each month, featuring Keely Campbell on April 7, Jessica Curiel on May 5 and Lavina Rich on June 2. The dance style at each class will vary with the instructor, from contemporary, modern lyrical to hip-hop. All classes will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Jill's Dance Studio, 101 Eighth St. in Ramona The cost for a class is a $40 donation.
Participants can register online at www.artsunlimited ramona.org, or call the studio at 760-788-0914. Advance registration is recommended
as space is limited.
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