Kaatsbaan Cultural Park Announces New Program Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive Collegiate Week

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park has announced the Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive Collegiate Week, from June 24-29, 2024. For more information and to register to audition, visit https://kaatsbaan.org/kbi-collegiate-week.

Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive Collegiate Week is designed exclusively for college students, this one-week intensive is an opportunity for dancers to refine their ballet technique and repertoire. Designed as a process oriented program, students will delve into the heart of ballet through classical ballet repertoire as well as experience a unique chance to explore contemporary choreography through specialized classes and enlightening lectures with first-class international dance artists.

Along with KBI Artistic Director Paloma Herrera, faculty and guest teachers include Martine van Hamel, Kevin Mckenzie, Lorin Mathis, and Gemma Bond.

This unique training program is for college aged dancers between the ages of 18 and 25 - who have at least two years of pointe work.

Auditions will be by video submission only. Submission will be accepted from December 1, 2023 until March 8, 2024.

Dancers have the choice between attending either as a residential student in onsite boarding or as a day student, in the beautiful Hudson Valley in Upstate New York. Tuition for residential students is $2,600 and tuition for day students is $1,373. Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive Collegiate Week has a no refund policy. Insurance may be purchased upon registration.

Tuition Includes:

· Daily classes with world renowned faculty

· All-star faculty including Paloma Herrera, Lorin Mathis, Martine van Hamel, Kevin Mckenzie, and Gemma Bond.

· Pianists collaborating with dancers throughout the program

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Housing and Meal Plan Includes:

· Housing at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park's Dancer's Inn, Overnight staff will be onsite

· Full meal plan (includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

Email balletintensive@kaatsbaan.org for all questions.

All participants in Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive Collegiate Week 2024 must be fully vaccinated, and those eligible to receive a Covid booster shot must do so. Negative Covid tests will not be accepted as an alternative to vaccination.

Paloma Herrera was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and began her training at the age of seven. In January 1991, having just turned 15 years old, she moved to New York and continued her studies at the School of American Ballet. After only six months, she joined the American Ballet Theatre and, in 1995, became the youngest Principal Dancer in American Ballet Theatre history at age 19. She has appeared in ballets ranging from Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, and Swan Lake, to Apollo, The Prodigal Son, and Stepping Stones. She has appeared as Guest Artist with great ballet companies around the world, including New York City Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, Teatro Colon, and National Ballet of Cuba, to name a few. She retired from American Ballet Theatre at the end of November 2015, right before turning 40. Since that, she moved back to her home, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and continued to teach all over the world.

In 2016, she wrote her autobiography that was presented at Feria del Libro in 2017. That same year, she also launched her own perfume Paloma Herrera, in 2019 her second fragrance Paloma Herrera Passion, and in 2022 her third fragrance Paloma Herrera Fantasy.

In Argentina she received the award: Konex de Platino, Maria Ruanova and distinctions by the Honorable Camara de Diputados de La Nación, Medalla del Bicentenario by the government of the Buenos Aires city, among many others, and since 2012 she is a member of the gallery of popular idols of the Argentine Government House.

In 2017, she became the artistic director of Ballet Estable del Teatro Colon, where the company has grown immensely since she arrived. She resigned in 2022.

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park continues to deepen its mission to provide an extraordinary environment for cultural innovation and excellence with two annual outdoor festivals, year-round education programs, and creative residencies for artists at all stages of their professional careers. As both an incubator for creativity and presenter for diverse world-class artists in dance, theater, music, film, poetry, culinary, media, and visual arts, Kaatsbaan provides artists with state-of-the-art dance studios, accommodations, an indoor theater, and two outdoor stages. Sitting on 153 Hudson River-adjacent acres, Kaatsbaan is free of urban facilities' space and time constraints, allowing for exciting levels of artistic exploration, creative action, and achievement - just two hours north of New York City. Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is committed to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts as it aims to present, promote, and embrace programming that accurately reflects its society. We encourage a broadly diverse group of individuals to participate in our programs and join our Board and Staff and insist on being inclusive of all peoples regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socio-economic background, physical or mental ability. For more information, please visit www.kaatsbaan.org.