Guest artists include Amy Miller and Jenna Riegel

Continuing a 38-year tradition, the dance studios of the Cleveland State University Arts Campus will once again host intensive dance studies and creative work as students, professional dancers and dance aficionados participate with nationally renowned artists in three weeks of contemporary dance. 

The CSU Summer Dance Workshop will be held from June 3 to 21, featuring guest artists Jenna Riegel, longtime member of the Bill T. Jones Company, Teena Custer, artistic director of Venus Fly Trap, and Helanius Wilkins, assistant professor of dance at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Amy Miller, associate artistic director of New York’s Gibney Dance also returns as a guest artist courtesy of DanceUSA. This year, the national DanceUSA Conference coincides with the second week of Summer Dance and participants will have access to workshops and classes that will be hosted in the CSU Arts Campus as part of the conference.

“The Summer Dance Workshop has become a significant component of Cleveland’s arts landscape, drawing nationally renowned artists to the region, supporting enhanced partnerships between CSU and numerous arts organizations and enhancing educational opportunities for our next generation of dance professionals,” says Lynn Deering, chair of the Department of Theater and Dance at CSU and organizer of the Workshop.

Created in 1982 by local arts activist Susan Miller, Summer Dance has featured a range of national and international companies and artists over the decades, from Liz Lerman and the Paul Taylor Dance Company to Cuba’s Malpaso and noted German choreographer Johannes Wieland. In addition, through partnerships with DanceCleveland and the GroundWorks DanceTheater, the Workshop has developed year-round residencies and performance opportunities which have assisted in enhancing the quality and national notice of the regional dance scene. 

Finally, Summer Dance has offered a range of unique training opportunities for non-professionals designed to promote the healing power of dance. This includes classes specifically created for juvenile detention center inmates, domestic violence survivors and senior citizens, among others.

“Our overarching goal has been to promote dance as a tool for enhancing all aspects of community development,” Deering adds.

For more information on the CSU Summer Dance Workshop, please contact Lynn Deering at l.deering@csuohio.edu or visit csuohio.edu/dance.