Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Lydia Johnson and Geralyn partner for downtown summer arts movement.
Carlos Lopez, a featured soloist in the American Ballet Theatre, will be a guest artist at the Lydia Johnson Dance camp this summer, teaching a ballet workshop and performing selections from the Lydia Johnson Dance New York season. Lydia Johnson Dance and Geralyn’s Art Studio have partnered this summer to present a full-day downtown summer arts camp open to children in Maplewood, South Orange and nearby towns. This exciting immersion in dance and the visual arts will run July 8-July 26 in downtown Maplewood. Scholarships and one and two-week sessions are available. In the dance component, campers will explore dance in depth with professional dancers from New York. The Dance Camp will run from 9 a.m-1 p.m. Monday through Friday at The …
Monday, February 11, 2013
In honor of National Dance Month, SOMA arts organizations feature screening of Academy Award- nominated film and live dance performance.
Two Maplewood - South Orange arts organizations are joining forces for the first time for a special event in honor of National Dance Month. Studio B, which showcases local talent through original performance events such as Story Slam, the Speakeasy Series and Hybrids, is teaming up with the acclaimed Lydia Johnson Dance Company to present a screening of Wim Wenders's documentary Pina, preceded by a live performance by LJD Company dancers. The event takes place on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Burgdoff Center for the Performing Arts in Maplewood at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be reserved at studiobmaplewood@gmail.com. "We really admire Lydia's work," said Marcy Thompson, Studio B co-founder. "We've been looking for a way to collaborate …
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Winter semester begins this week for young dancers with acclaimed choreographer.
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Wednesday, January 30
Young dancers have the opportunity to study under the tutelage of choreographer Lydia Johnson, the founder and artistic director of Lydia Johnson Dance. In addition to ballet and contemporary classes that begin this week, the school will be offering Hip Hop on Saturdays. Sherrell Bush, the assistant director for Lydia Johnson Dance (LJD) Camp, teaches the Hip Hop and Jazz class on Saturday mornings at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts in Maplewood Village. The school is offering free trial classes on February 2 and February 9. Email Info@lydiajohnsondance.org to reserve your spot. This class will focus on both Hip Hop and classic Jazz (Broadway) dance steps and combinations in a creative environment which allows each student to …
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Acclaimed dance company performs on New Year's Eve in Maplewood.
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Sunday, December 30, 2012
Dance in the New Year with a free performance and presentation by Lydia Johnson Dance. The acclaimed dance company can be seen at 3 p.m., Monday, Dec. 31 at The Studio at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, Maplewood Village, 10 Durand Road. This New Year’s Eve opportunity to learn more about the creative process is being sponsored by the South Orange and Maplewood Municipal Alliance against drug and alcohol abuse. LJD’s professional dancers from NYC will perform excerpts from Johnson’s works. The dances will be broken down to their design elements for discussion, followed by a Q&A with the choreographer and dancers. The presentation is appropriate for adults and children ages 6 and up. “For musicality and fine structuring, few …
Monday, November 26, 2012
Annual benefit will be held at historic home of Patricia A. Bell.
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Monday, November 26, 2012
Lydia Johnson Dance will hold its annual benefit on Friday, Nov. 30 at the home of Patricia A. Bell. Tickets are still available for the event, which will feature LJD dancers performing around an indoor pool at this art-filled historic Montrose home. Dancers will perform an excerpt from Change of Heart set to J.S. Bach's Three Part Inventions and choreographed by Lydia Johnson, the South Orange resident who 13 years ago founded the dance company. Lydia Johnson Dance has been consistently praised for its distinctive choreography which combines ballet and modern dance. The company has long been supported by Bell, an ardent supporter of the arts. Her home and collection have been featured in The New York Times and other newspapers. The …
Monday, September 17, 2012
There is still time to join the hip hop and preschool/kindergarten ballet classes.
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Monday, September 17, 2012
Young dancers have the opportunity to study under the tutelage of choreographer Lydia Johnson, the founder and artistic director of Lydia Johnson Dance. In addition to ballet and contemporary classes, the school will be offering hip hop on Saturdays. Sherrell Bush, the assistant director for Lydia Johnson Dance (LJD) Camp, teaches the hip hop class. In 2010 she was appointed as one of the teaching artists for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. There are still openings for her LJD hip hop classes that begin on Sept. 22. “My favorite part of the job is inspiring and motivating all of the young dancers and working with such talented, responsible, and fun staff,” Bush said this summer when featured on Patch. “Not only do we inspire the …
Monday, July 30, 2012
Five questions for the assistant director of a local dance camp.
What is your summer job? Is this your first job? I am the Assistant Director for Lydia Johnson Dance (LJD) Camp. This my sixth year with Lydia Johnson School and Dance Camp. How did you find your job? I started as an LJC intern and dance instructor assistant. However, I first met Lydia in the early 2000's when she asked me to be one of her featured young dancers in a piece that she choreographed. What is your favorite part of the job? My favorite part of the job is inspiring and motivating all of the young dancers and working with such talented, responsible, and fun staff. Not only do we inspire the students, but the works that they choreograph never fail to truly move and inspire our hearts. What will you do with the money you are …
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
NYC professionals lend talents to inspire aspiring dancers.
Wondering the raison d'être young dancers are spending their summer under the tutelage of choreographer Lydia Johnson, the founder and artistic director of Lydia Johnson Dance? Look no farther than the stage of the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts in Maplewood, where professional dancers are rehearsing an excerpt of Johnson’s “Summer House,” a new work that premiered in New York City at the Peridance Theater. The professional dancers have been sharing their talents this summer with aspiring dancers. Many of the students are attending on scholarships thanks to generous donations from Friends of Lydia Johnson Dance. The LJD Dance Camp is held every summer for kids and teens ages 6-high school at all skill levels. “The students have …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
At end-of-semester showing of works, Lydia Johnson Dance showcases student-created dance.
Young dancers under the tutelage of choreographer Lydia Johnson, the founder and artistic director of Lydia Johnson Dance, presented their own creative works on Monday night at the Burgdorff Center in Maplewood. Lydia Johnson Dance has been consistently praised for its distinctive choreography, with reviews in The New York Times, Backstage and Oberon's Grove. But Monday night, the spotlight shined on Ballet and Choreography students taught by Tammi Shamblin with Lydia Johnson. (Similar showing of the works showcased the youngest ballet students and dancers in Contemporary and Choreography classes). LJD believes that technique is best learned as children use their creative energy to compose their own dance works. Indeed, several of the …
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Benefit features premiere of new work, dance lessons and auction.
Lydia Johnson Dance presented a premiere of a new work on Friday night before supporters of contemporary dance, which judging by the large crowd at a benefit event at the Maplewood Club is quite large in the Maplewood-South Orange communities. The dancers performed a work in progress to the music of Osvaldo Golijov. The dance was choreographed by Lydia Johnson, the South Orange resident who 12 years ago founded a dance company that has been consistently praised for its distinctive choreography. The benefit on Friday night raised funds for the company and school, which is also supported by The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. The evening included a dance party, swing and hustle dance lessons, and live auction. The work in progress performed …
Mary Ann Uschak
10:14 am on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
We need a dance hall in Maplewood or South Orange for people to enjoy on Saturday nights.... more ›