Adult Programming
Unleash Your Inner Pop Star
Commercial Jazz Choreography Workshop
Instructor: Lea Marie D’Arminio
3 week series
Wednesdays - 12/3 12/10 12/17
4pm - 5pm
$75
​Get ready to sweat, smile, and learn some serious moves! This 3-week progressive series is intentionally designed for dancers of all levels of experience who want to immerse themselves with the high-energy, confident style of Commercial Jazz.
Commercial Jazz is the style you see in music videos, concerts, and major motion pictures—think sharp, powerful, and full of attitude. We'll break down the fundamental techniques and build them into a polished, dynamic routine set to a fun and energetic Holiday-themed track! (let’s face it: Mariah Carey Season is upon us!)
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What You'll Learn
This workshop is focused on both technique and composition, giving you the foundational skills to execute the choreography with confidence and style.
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Commercial Technique: Learn essential jazz fundamentals, including proper alignment, dynamic isolations (chest, hips, shoulders), smooth traveling steps, and clean transition work that are crucial for this style.
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Choreography & Composition: We will work progressively through a challenging but accessible routine, focusing not just on the steps, but on musicality, performance quality, and how to put the movement together to tell a story (composition).
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Confidence & Performance: We’ll practice running the choreography full-out, focusing on stage presence and having fun, regardless of skill level.
On the final day of the workshop, Wednesday, December 17th, we'll celebrate all the hard work we’ve put in!
You will have the optional, low-pressure chance to perform the choreography for a small group or for one another, capturing your fantastic final product on video (optional). This is purely a chance to practice performing, celebrate your progress, and have a festive, memorable class before the holidays begin!
No pressure, just joy!
Lea, a choreographer, educator, and performer based in Providence, RI, is the artistic director of elemdi performance collaborative.
Her evening-length works, including The Silent M (2023) and One Size Fits All (2022), have been featured in the PVD Fringe Festival and funded by RISCA's MakeArt Grant. Lea's choreography has also been performed internationally by GeaDanza (Trieste, Italy) and locally by Urbanity Dance (Boston, MA).
As an educator, Lea is committed to creating impactful and accessible art education. Currently, she is the Dance Coordinator and integration specialists at Moses Brown School, teaching dance to students from nursery to 12th grade and choreographing and directing school musicals. Lea also continues to teach a wide range of styles for adult movers in the community - from ballet and contemporary technical jazz, yoga and somatics. She is a resident instructor, dancer and choreographer with Metamorphosis Dance Company - creating and performing professional commercial dance in the New England Area.
As a performer, Lea has collaborated with renowned choreographers like Michelle Bach-Coulibaly, YaTonde (Whitney) Hunter, Betsi Graves and Natalie Johnson. She holds certifications in Progressive Ballet Technique, Pilates Mat I, and Vinyasa Yoga (200 hr RYT). Lea is a professional member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and serves on the board of the Rhode Island Dance Alliance (RIDA). She holds degrees from Boston College and Columbia University Teachers College. *website: leadarminio.com*
