Upper Montclair, NJ
– The Fred Astaire Dance Studio of Upper Montclair NJ announces its latest
addition in dancing genres – Musical Theater/Broadway Styles. Led by
Broadway veteran Lois Englund, the class will be every Saturday from 10-11 AM.
Carrie Babcock,
owner of the Fred Astaire, and life-long dancer, has been looking for “a place
to take class without having to trek to NYC,” says Babcock. Babcock is a
Ballroom champion and former member of AEA and AFTRA. “When I met Lois
this fall, I knew the time was right to start our own program. I hope
this class will fill the niche for high-quality, professional Theatrical/Broadway
dancing for adults in Northern New Jersey. There are few adult
classes around Montclair, and they’re all at night, when I’m working or putting
the baby to bed. I’m thrilled we could hold a Saturday morning
class.” Although Carrie herself will be attending the class, she wants to
assure you the class is Open to any level. She adds, “we’ll teach a high
standard, but you don’t have to be a professional dancer to attend. Think
of it as your community theater. They’ll be some advanced people who’ll
get the leading roles, and some new people who just want to have fun and use
dance to get fit. Eventually, maybe we’ll divide the class into beginners and
intermediate/advanced. But for now, we’ll all dance together.”
Lois Englund will
be teaching the Musical Theatre Technique class on Saturday Mornings from 10-
11:00 a.m.
Best known for her
portrayal as Val in “A Chorus Line” on Broadway, Lois has performed
feature roles in over a dozen other Broadway shows including DANCIN, CABARET,
SHOWBOAT, CAROUSEL, MAME, and ANNIE. Lois has worked with Hal Prince, Bob
Fosse, Michael Bennet, Francoise Szony and Agnes DeMille. In
addition to acting, directing and choreographing shows all over the world, Lois
has served as Artistic Director for Musical Theatre Works at NYU Tisch School
of the Arts. Lois is a certified yoga teacher in Ashtanga, Anusara and
Vinyasa.
The 16-week course
will be broken into 2 eight-week sessions – January 29 – March 19, and March 26
- May 14. Beginning January 29, the first eight weeks will focus on center
work, jazz, and musical theater. The second 8 weeks will focus on one or
two Musical Theater Masterpieces that we will perform at the Fred Astaire
Anniversary Party in May. Class on January 29 will be your
orientation and registration. Registration will be accepted the week
before, and starting at 9:30 am Saturday, January 29. RSVP is
required. Only cash or checks will be accepted as payment.