Michiyaya Workshops at Dancing Grounds

Join Dancing Grounds as we welcome MICHIYAYA for TWO special workshops with this all-female company! Wednesday, November 15th 9:30-11am - Contemporary Techniques (Int/Adv) (in place of Modern-ish) $12 Drop Ins | FREE for DG Members Artistic Directors Anya Clarke and Mitsuko Verdery lead a dynamically physical and cerebral contemporary class. Class starts with an anatomically mindful warm-up inspired by Pilates and Yoga practices. Warm-up bleeds into improvisational research, both individually and as a group. MICHIYAYA repertoire is fused with the students personal style, providing rich material for one's studies. 7:30-8:45pm - Movement Studies (All Levels) (in place of Freestyle Lab) $12 Drop Ins | FREE for DG Members The Movement Studies is an improvisational class guided by Artistic Directors Anya Clarke and Mitsuko Verdery. Clarke and Verdery will start with a simple warm-up, followed by anatomical and imagery-driven prompts. Movers are encouraged to explore their natural movement and bodies. The Movement Studies serve as a safe space for people to gain self-awareness, build connections with others, and groove! About MICHIYAYA: MICHIYAYA Dance is an all-women’s contemporary dance theater company based in New York City. Co-founded in fall 2015 by Anya Clarke and Mitsuko Verdery, MICHIYAYA Dance merges the worlds of Clarke and Verdery’s backgrounds in dance and visual art. Clarke, who has a bachelor of fine arts degree from Long Island University, calls on her experience in choreography, adding visceral and intuitive movement. Verdery, who has a bachelor of fine arts from Carnegie Mellon University, taps into her practice in performance and visual art, adding conceptually driven performative elements. Together, they produce collaborative and improvisation-based work with their dance artists. MICHIYAYA Dance was awarded the 2016 first prize for Choreographic Excellence at the 11th Annual International REVERBdance Festival. They were awarded the 2017 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant and Pittsburgh Opportunity Fund Grant. MICHIYAYA Dance was featured in the one of the newest collections of THINX, women's period-proof underwear line. They have performed at venues such as Yale University, Brooklyn Museum, Dumbo Dance Festival, Dixon Place, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, among others. Clarke and Verdery have taught master classes and workshops at Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts, Gibney Dance Center and Peridance Capezio Center. They were also guest choreographers for LIU’s Dance Department in 2016.