By Lookout Staff

February 21, 2023 -- If the music moves you, you may want to develop your dancing skills at a series of classes and learning workshops at Santa Monica College (SMC) this spring.

Led by dance professionals, the series are free, and the public is invited to attend as participants or as observers. Seating is limited and on a first-arrival basis.

The workshops -- sponsored by SMC Associates and the school's Dance Department -- will be held in the SMC Core Performance Center (CPC) on the main SMC campus at 1900 Pico Boulevard.

The series kicks off March 6 at 10:15 a.m. with a Pilates-inspired workshop on how to tone muscles using resistance bands and other methods led by Alyson Mattoon.

"The multidisciplined Pilates teacher and movement educator was a principal dancer for a decade with The State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara," event organizers said.

She holds a Pilates certification through Body Arts and Science International (BASI), a BA in Performing Arts from the Saint Mary’s College LEAP program and GYROTONIC® certification.

The series continues on April 26 at 10:15 a.m. with "Balinese Movement," a workshop that "introduces the fundamental techniques and philosophy of Balinese dance, including its relationship to music and culture in Bali."

The workshop is led by Emiko Saraswati Susilo, a dancer/choreographer, voice actor and musician "who revels in the meeting of movement, voice, and music" and "has dedicated her life to nurturing intercultural communication."

Susilo is the associate director of Çudamani, where she leads international programs and programs that advance opportunities for women in Balinese performing arts, organizers said.

She has taught in Bali and the U.S. and served as director and board chair for Gamelan Sekar Jaya for more than 10 years.

The series concludes on May 18 at 12:30 p.m. with "Contemporary Jazz Fusion," a workshop led by Laura Ann Smyth, a Los Angeles-based dancer, choreographer and educator.

Smyth will lead a class on "rhythm-driven movement that honors African American vernacular jazz roots while sampling contemporary dance practices, and pushes participants to perform, find musical precision, and experience the joy of storytelling through movement."

A member of Donna Sternberg & Dancers and of JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble, Smyth is a full-time faculty member at Loyola Marymount University and currently a PhD Candidate in dance at Texas Woman’s University.

Her scholarship "focuses on the intersection of Black jazz-informed dance practices and embodied rhetoric." the workshop is part of SMC's Black History Series.

For more information visit smc.edu/dance or call 310-434-4100 or 310-434-3467. All presentations are subject to change or cancellation without notice.