Summer Dance Teen Academy | WVU College of Creative Arts and Media

This week-long, in-residence dance program is geared toward dancers ages 12-19 interested in furthering their dance training.

The faculty includes current WVU Dance Program instructors as well as a variety of guest artists that will include past or present Paul Taylor Dance Company members. The program will offer dance technique classes, classes in wellness and conditioning and other movement related classes. It is required that applicants have at least 3 years of prior dance experience to be eligible for registration to the Teen Academy. A student showcase is scheduled for the last day. Students are encouraged to bring a dance from their home studio/school that they wish to present and share at the showcase. A one-on-one performance coaching session with SDA faculty will be offered to each student performer. The final showcase will also include original work by faculty created on the students during the week. The presentation will take place in the Clay Theatre at Creative Arts Center (CAC) and is free and open to the public.

*For any discounted registration and scholarship waivers/fees please contact yoav.kaddar@mail.wvu.edu for specific code.

Classes Offered

Daily Technique Classes:

Hip-Hop
Ballet
Modern
Jazz
Contemporary
Choreography and Improvisation
Tap
Yoga

Specialty Classes:

Israeli Folk Dance
Dance Conditioning
Classical Indian Dance

Schedule

Sunday, July 6, 2025

10 a.m. – 12 p.m.	Check-in Lincoln Hall dorms
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Welcome Reception CCAC Douglas O. Blaney Lobby
1:45 - 2 p.m.	Welcome Talk CCAC Antoinette E. Falbo Theatre
2:15 - 3:45 p.m.	Placement Classes CCAC Clay, Davis and Falbo Theatres
3:45 - 4:15 p.m.	Break
4:15 - 5:30 p.m.	Repertory rehearsals CCAC Clay, Davis and Falbo Theatres
5:45 - 7 p.m.	Dinner Towers cafeteria
7:15 - 8:30 p.m.	Q&A with the faculty and Folk Dancing Museum Education Center, Great Hall
8:30 - 9:30 p.m.	Free time Lincoln Hall dorms

Monday, July 7 – Friday, July 11, 2025

7 – 7:30 a.m.	Breakfast Towers cafeteria
8 a.m. - 12:15 a.m.	Technique and repertory classes
12:15 - 1:45 p.m.	Lunch and Free time Towers cafeteria and dorms
2 - 5:45 p.m.	Technique and repertory classes CCAC
6 - 7 p.m.	Dinner Towers cafeteria
7:15 - 8:45 p.m.	Specialty classes and activities

Saturday, July 12, 2025 (all Saturday classes are open for observation)

7:30 - 9 a.m.	Prep for check-out and breakfast
9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.	Technique/Warm-up classes
10:30 - 11 a.m.	Prep for Showcase
11 a.m.	Showcase CCAC Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.	Check-out of dorms and departure

Tuition

Student Tuition (for all classes and activities): $725.00
NEW!!! Returning 2024 Student discounted tuition: $650.00
Tuition and Registration after June 30th: $770.00

Full tuition will not be refundable after July 1st.

What to Bring

Dance Attire

Ballet	Tights: Skin-tone or black (suitable for class and performance) Leotards (suitable for class and performance) Wrap skirt (mid-thigh or shorter/preferably chiffon or tricot) *optional Ballet shoes Pointe shoes (must have previous pointe training)
Modern	Footless Tights, dance pants, or shorts (suitable for class and performance) Leotard, Tank, or full unitard, footless (suitable for class and performance) Barefoot or socks (NO Modern scandals)
Jazz	Tights, Leotards, or Full unitard, Jazz Pants (suitable for class and performance) Jazz shoes or jazz sneakers
Tap	Tights, Leotards, Shorts, Jazz Wear (suitable for class and performance) Tap Shoes (Please make sure your shoes are in good condition, no exposed screws, etc.) Screwdriver to maintain shoes
Yoga	Yoga / exercise mat (please label mat with your name)
Student Showcase	Costume or desired dance attire for the performance Personal make-up kit and hair accessories Music is to be sent to counselors at camp
Special (recommended, not required)	Thera-band/stretchy band for stretching and warm-up Your personal First Aid Kit and supplies for "tired feet" (a used tennis ball or massage tool) Spiral or binder notebook (small enough to fit in dance bag) and pencil/pen Re-useable ice pack with your name on it Sharpie Marker to mark your personal items Personal hand sanitizer Swimsuit (Pending a swim night at the WVU Rec center) Extra cash: Extra SDA shirts will be on sale on Saturday July 22nd (see T-shirt order form). Advanced orders are recommended, as there will be a limited number of shirts on sale.

Present and Perform a Solo Piece

This form is not required and only for participants wishing to present and perform a solo piece. These will be performed at the closing concert. Each performer will be coached by the faculty.

Student Showcase Form

Location

WVU Canady Creative Arts Center
One Fine Arts Drive
Morgantown, WV 26506-6111

WVU Campus Map

Lodging and Meals

Payment for lodging and meals at the Evansdale Residential Complex will be done directly to the WVU Conference Services at check-in. Only credit card payment will be accepted. Room and/or Board are optional and not required. Participants can choose to live off campus and commute daily. If for medical reasons a participant cannot have any food offered through the program, please contact Yoav Kaddar.

Full Room and Board (double occupancy WVU Bennett Hall and full meal plan): $387.70

*All Room and Board fees are to be paid on arrival day at check-in by credit card only. Do not call in or send room and board payment to the School of Theatre and Dance.

Emergency Contact Form

Download the Emergency Contact Form and return on day of arrival.

WVU FACULTY

Yoav Kaddar

Ballet and Israeli Folk Dance

Dr. Yoav Kaddar is a professor of dance at West Virginia University. He is the current director of the WVU Dance Program, where he established the first and only Dance major in WV. He is the founder and director of the WVU Summer Dance Academy, founding member of the WV Dance Education Organization and is the president of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO).

Maureen Kaddar

Modern/Taylor Technique, Yoga, Conditioning and Wellness

Maureen Mansfield Kaddar is a dancer and educator originally from East Rockaway, New York. She holds degrees in dance and choreography, with honors, from Adelphi University (BFA) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (MFA).

Katreena Snyder

Contemporary

Kat is the director and owner of Kat and Co. dance studio in Morgantown, WV, for the past 20 years. Before opening her own studio she received her earlier training with Linda Butcho, Katy Lyon-Palumbo, Christina Greenwell and Fiona Morris.

Hirali Shah

Classical Indian Dance

Hirali Shah is a professional Kathak teacher. She learned Kathak from GURU Pandit Shri Harish Bhai Gangani (Son of Pandit Shri Sundarlala Gangani) and Mrs. Kanan Desai. She has started learning Kathak at the age of 7. Hirali has completed B.A. and M.A. in Kathak and currently doing her PH.D. in Kathak (Natyashastra).

Matt Saffron

Tap

Matt Saffron is a native of Morgantown, WV and has been dancing since the age of six. He has had extensive training in tap, jazz, and ballet. He won world honors performing in Germany as a member of the 2000 USA Tap Dance Team.

Gretchen Hurd

Hip-hop

Gretchen Hurd (Artistic Choreographer) received her BA in Dance from Slippery Rock University in 2002. She was a company member with Laboratory Company Dance (LABCO) (2004-2009), August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble (2009-2010), Dance Alloy Theatre (2010-2011).

GUEST FACULTY

Tamara Begley

Choreography and Improvisation Louisville Ballet | Western Middle School for the Arts, Louisville, KY

Tamara Begley is an active modern dance teacher, dancer and choreographer in Louisville, Kentucky. She earned an MFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and she holds a BFA in Choreography and Performance from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Maurice Watson

Jazz; Repertory University of North Carolina Greensboro | Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company

Maurice Watson is an esteemed dancer, choreographer, and educator with a rich 20-year background in dance. He earned his MFA in choreography from the University of Iowa and is an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).

annMaria Mazzini

Modern; Repertory Paul Taylor Company | Taylor School

Annmaria Mazzini is a New York City based dancer, choreographer, and educator. Annmaria is from Allentown, PA. She earned her BFA in Dance from Southern Methodist University while performing in musical productions during the summers. As a member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, she performed and taught all over the world for sixteen years, and remains on the faculty at the Taylor School as a traveling teaching artist and répétiteur of Taylor masterworks.

WVU Dance Counselors

Jayda Giles

Jayda Giles will be graduating WVU in May 2025, with a degree in dance. She is a returning counselor from The Summer Dance Academy in 2024. Jayda is President of the National Honor Society of Dance Arts and a part of the Student Dance Association board as NHSDA Representative. She has been dancing for 20 years and earned most of her training at Tari Jo’s Dance studio.

Isabella Runion

Isabella Runion will be entering her junior year at WVU this fall and is a double major in dance and exercise physiology. She is an officer in the Student Dance Association and is also a member of the Dance Science Club. Isabella has been dancing for 19 years and plans to attend physical therapy school after completing her undergraduate education at WVU.

Liana Brooks

Liana Brooks is a current sophomore at West Virginia University studying dance and multidisciplinary media studies with a focus on entertainment media, strategic social media, and advertising. She currently runs the WVU’s Student Dance Association social media pages and is very excited to be a part of the WVU Summer Dance Academy as a counselor.

Cariann Missling

Cariann Missling is a sophomore honors student double majoring in dance and business. She is from Falling Waters, WV and graduated from Spring Mills High School. Dance has always been a part of her life and is something she plans to pursue also after college. She has been dancing since a young age and continued dancing through high school while on the school’s dance team.