Intermediate and advanced dance students are invited to participate in a master class Saturday, Jan. 23, taught by celebrated dancer and choreographer Victor Quijada. The class will be held on from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the dance studio at Laguna Beach High School, 625 Park Ave.
The class offered by Laguna Dance Festival is open to dancers ages 12 and older. Cost is $25 to participate; observers may sit in for $15. Register in advance at [email protected] or 949-715-5578.
Quijada’s work fuses classical choreographic principles and hip-hop ideology. He is a native of Los Angeles whose journey took him from dancing on the streets as a hip hop dance artist invited to work with Twyla Tharp in New York to a classical ballet company in Montreal.
There, he founded his Rubberbandance Group in 2002 and has since choreographed more than 24 short and full-length pieces and toured with his company. He has also acted as director and dramaturge, with more than one dozen film credits.
Quijada is in residence at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at the University of Southern California. Laguna Dance Festival founder and artistic director Jodie Gates leads the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.
“We are launching our Contemporary Master Class Series, which reflects the expansion of the Laguna Dance Festival’s programming and represents our commitment to relevant arts education in schools and the community,” Gates said in a statement.
The other classes involve Patrick Corbin, who will teach the repertory of Paul Taylor on Feb. 27, and Thomas McManus, who will explore William Forsythe’s improvisation techniques and repertory on March 26.
