Peridance: A Pathway to Professional Life

by Maddy Wright

Batsheva Ensemble, Saturday Night Live, Porsche Cars, Sidra Bell Dance New York, Adidas, MSA, and Gallim Dance – this is definitely a strange combination of familiar names. What they share in common though, are the graduates of Peridance Capezio Center that have gone on to either work for or represent some of these companies, agents and brands.

It’s fair to say that Peridance has helped prepare some of the dance industries’ most actively working performers in all the respective fields of dance, theatre and entertainment. However, what’s more exciting is how many of those professionals have continued to navigate that vast landscape themselves. If you research some of the alumni, you might be pleased to read of the diversity in their individual working experience. Many have gone on to explore the territory of concert, commercial and theatre-dance venues, regardless of the specific track of training with which they began.

For instance, Kerime Konur – a graduate of the Peridance Certificate Program in 2014, already carries an extensive resume of different work. She was most recently seen in the production SHE: a choreoplay, which is headed Off-Broadway in late Spring 2019. Kerime has also performed commercially for brands like Nike and Revlon, and she is currently collaborating on an evening length production with Kayla Farrish/Decent Structures Art – an emerging company combining the disciplines of film, photography and dance.

Another Peridance alum, Tushrik Fredericks, grew up mostly training in Hip Hop and the street dance style ‘KRUMP’. He moved to New York from his hometown of Johannesburg, South Africa for the Peridance Certificate Program, graduated in 2015, and moved immediately onto working with Sidra Bell Dance New York where he thrived for several seasons. He’s now progressing toward investigating and creating his own work but has recently joined forces with Shamel Pitts (former dancer in Batsheva Dance Company) and Mirelle Martins on a multidisciplinary performance art piece titled BLACK HOLE.

Kerime and Tushrik are two highly successful artists with a wide-ranging palette of interests. They both dedicated themselves to a program that honoured their desires and needs to become the professionals they are today and are clearly challenging the idea of identifying as ‘one-kind’ of artist. Personally, as a dancer and performer myself, who is very much in the thick of navigating my professional journey, I have a great deal of respect for that characteristic: the affinity to work in all capacities. Thus, I’m led to believe that the programs at Peridance truly do encourage their students to expand themselves as artists and exercise their ambitions to seek opportunity everywhere.

It’s important then, to mention that Peridance Capezio Center has a celebrated and long-standing presence in the New York City dance community. They’re known not only as a hub for all kinds of dance training, but for their professional company – Peridance Contemporary Dance Company (PCDC), and as the home of the Salvatore Capezio Theater where programs like APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals) have been presented. Inspired by the vision of Igal Perry working together with executive director Yarden Ronen-van Heerden, and made possible by a tireless team of directors, staff and teaching faculty, Peridance is a well-oiled and highly functioning machine. It’s an institution that’s celebrating 35 years of success and held strong by its four pillars: the Open Class Program that offers a broad spectrum of dance classes in all levels; the School at Peridance that’s dedicated to youth and novice dance students; their Training Programs for pre-professionals; and Peridance annual Intensives.

Every year Peridance sets out on a diligent search to find dancers for their programs and time after time enthusiastic candidates attend in droves. Peridance makes their application process more accessible than most by touring their auditions/master classes across America, Europe and Asia. For their 2018/2019 season, they’ll be visiting everywhere from Pittsburgh and Los Angeles to Paris, France; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and even Tel Aviv, Israel – where they’ll be heading first on December 20^th. As in the past, Peridance will be holding auditions for their 2-year Professional Certificate Program, and two of their annual intensives – Blueprint Summer Intensive and the Teen Summer Intensive. Although each very different in terms of program structure and the demographic to which they cater to, they all offer a sophisticated level of training through classes led by many of the industries most experienced and distinguished professionals.

I’ve attended Peridance a multitude of times for open classes and workshops and have always left feeling like my time, energy and money were put to good use. Although, I haven’t participated in any of these programs specifically, what I can say is that no matter what you’re attending Peridance for, the space itself serves as a breeding ground for great training and opportunity. I’ve seen it first-hand having many friends who’ve walked through those doors and left with a job or a clear sense of direction. Any dancer with the opportunity to be in New York City would be lucky to have the experience of being fully immersed in the Peridance community. Whether it’s for a short summer adventure or two years of study, Peridance will welcome you with open arms and give you the space and resources to grow.

For international students, Peridance offers a dedicated on-site student advisor, helping students with a smooth registration process to obtain their F-1 Visa status for any program 3 months or more. So, whether you’re from around the corner or half-way across the world there’s still a spot for you at Peridance. Auditions are right around the corner, so be sure to check out their website for more program details!

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Main photo by @mp-photographyandfilm

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Maddy Wright

Dancer, writer, artistic collaborator. Currently experiencing life between New York City and home in Toronto, Canada. I hope you enjoy what I have to share!

Latest posts by Maddy Wright (see all)

• Another Summer of Dance – 10 “Must Try” Summer Dance Intensives for any Experience-Hungry Dancer! (2019) - April 28, 2019
• Peridance: A Pathway to Professional Life - December 19, 2018
• Van Legakis, Unity Space and this summer’s “Interdisciplinary Festival of Embodiment” East Point West - June 6, 2018