Dancing into summer at Green Mountain Performing Arts

Belle McDougall, board member and secretary of the organization, said this year’s camp schedule was developed in collaboration with the Waterbury summer recreation program and its aim is to “keep local children engaged in the performing arts.”

She said summer camp favorites like “Fairytale Ballet” and “Princess Ballet” are back by popular demand for a week-long run beginning June 23.

The fairytale-inspired camp introduces kids ages 3 to 5 to the enchanted world of dance through movement, literature and imagination, complete with activities like themed games, arts and crafts.

And aspiring princesses ages 6 through 8 can learn ballet while moving to music of classic favorites like “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast,” all while wearing crowns and royal costumes.

Children can stay for a half-day from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., or make it an all-day affair and attend a second session from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

McDougall said new dance camps have been added to the mix this summer, featuring everything from Celtic dance, hip-hop, kids singing and how to make a musical.

The classes are held at the Green Mountain Performing Arts studio at 37 Commercial Drive, near the intersection of Routes 2 and 100.

All classes require registration. For more information, visit greenmountainperformingarts.org or contact studio manager Melody Richardson at 244-8600.

The summer season winds down in early August with a three-day master class called “Liquid Strength” designed for teens and adults.

Chrystal Brown of Middlebury College’s Mahaney Center for the Arts will lead participants in an intensive workshop aimed at combining the focus and intention of meditative practices with exercises designed to train the body in “articulate expression as well as athletic execution,” according to a GMPA press release.

The class “focuses on developing the total artist,” while developing flexibility, alignment, lower body strength and abdominal control.

Prior to summer camp activities, McDougall said, GMPA will bring a special weekend of dance to the area starting Friday, April 11.

Direct from New York City, the Alvin Alley Arts in Education and Community Program will kick off with a free, interactive community event at Crossett Brook Middle School featuring African dance and drumming techniques beginning at 6 p.m.

Teachers from the New York school will present a series of six master classes and workshops at GMPA throughout the day on Saturday, April 12, beginning at 9 a.m. Students ages 11 and older are invited to attend the classes to learn new techniques in dance genres like ballet and modern dance.

Fees for the hour-long individual classes range from $25 to $35. A full-day class is also being offered for $75 beginning at 11:30 a.m., culminating with a presentation later in the afternoon where students will show off their new moves. The presentation is free and open to the public.