This summer, La Casita will offer a free youth summer program for girls age 8 and older to learn dance and choreography while they explore their potential in areas of science and animation technology. The program will be co-led by two local experts in the fields of dance and animation.
The dance portion will be facilitated by Marisa Guzman-Colegrove, owner and artistic director of Guzman’s Dance Studio in Fayetteville. She teaches numerous styles of dance and is also an award-winning choreographer. She is a lifetime member of the CNY dance community. She specializes in jazz, creative movement, ballet, modern and is trained in Stott Pilates. Marisa’s choreography credits include the Syracuse Contemporary Dance Company, Syracuse Opera, Syracuse Symphony, Fayetteville-Manlius High School musicals, Town of Manlius summer shows and most recently a SALT award for her choreography in CNY Playhouses’ “Adams Family.” She has performed with Alegre Flamenco throughout the Upstate Region. She recently got her certification to teach Rhythm Works Integrative Dance classes for children with special needs.
The STEM portion will be facilitated by Kelly Gallagher, who is a filmmaker, animator, and Associate Professor of Film at Syracuse University. Her handcrafted films and commissioned animations have screened at venues including: the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and the Smithsonian Institution. Recent commissioned animations have screened on Netflix and PBS. She’s presented solo programs of her work at institutions including: SFMOMA, Close-Up Cinema London, SF Cinematheque, and Wexner Center for the Arts. Kelly enthusiastically organizes and facilitates fun and inclusive film workshops and camps for communities of all ages, from Kentucky to California, from New York to Iowa and beyond.
The three-week STEM + Dance program begins on July 24 and concludes with a dance performance by participants on August 11. Each day of programming will run from 10:00am-4:00pm and will consist of a dance class, an animation workshop, and a visit from a guest speaker who will teach participants about their career in the field of STEM.
This program is made possible through a partnership between the Micron Foundation, the Central New York Community Foundation, United Way of Central New York, the Gifford Foundation, and the Allyn Foundation.
To register for the program or for more information, contact La Casita at 315-443-2151 or lacasita@syr.edu.
To learn more about the program’s mission, read this recent CNY Central article.