Rebecca Allen is originally from Kenner, Louisiana, where she began her dance training with the Jefferson Ballet Theatre under the direction of Myra Mier. She studied both dance and the visual arts at Loyola University and the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. In 2001, she received her B.A. in Cultural Studies from the University of New Orleans. She moved to Nashville, where she became assistant to the director of StillPoint Dance Theatre and performed with the company for seven years. In 2007 she was privileged to perform Missa Brevis with the Limón Company. She is currently a company member of New Dialect, a contemporary dance collective based in Nashville, TN, under the direction of Banning Bouldin. This past year, she has had the privilege of working with contemporary choreographers Idan Sharabi, Ana Maria Lucaciu, Dor Mamalia, Belinda McGuire, Peter Chu, Zoe Scofield, and most recently, Alex Ketley. In May of 2015 she performed a month-long installation of Trisha Brown’s “Planes” at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Nashville. In the summer of 2015 she was invited to join the Francesca Harper Project in New York City with an open invitation to perform with the company for the 2015/2016 season, and she also completed a pedagogy seminar on Corvino Ballet with Ernesta Corvino. She has taught both ballet and contemporary technique in several Nashville area schools, including Vanderbilt University, where she earned a Certificate in Dance Studies. Rebecca is also a ceramic artist (RA | Studio) and is currently working on a large commission with the Biscuit Love Brunch in Nashville.  She especially loves to explore those places where her experience with the visual arts and with dance intersect.

– Thursday: Contemporary phrasework from New Dialect repertory with Rebecca. We will begin with an improvisational warm-up, then move into a few structured exercises from New Dialect director Banning Bouldin’s class to help prepare us for the rep. Repertory will likely be taught from New Dialect’s Fight/Flight.

All classes from 10-1130am at Live Oak Dance (1128 Dublin St) in Riverbend. Drop-in rate is $12. Class cards are available in 10-class increments for $100.