Saturday Switch Series offers instruction in workshop-based setting from a rotating roster of guest artists.

Time: 10-12pm

Cost: $15 per class

October 15th:

Amenawon Okundaye, Hip Hop

Amen Okundaye is an all-styles dancer from Neenah Wisconsin. While never receiving formal training in dance before college, his interest in the art form developed from watching music videos. While attending Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, he trained in jazz, modern, contemporary, hip-hop, and free-style techniques.  Amen served as President of Momentum Crew, a choreography-based hip-hop dance crew and co-founded two all-styles crews, Photonic Funk and Crunchy Beats Crew. He was also apart of the Wake Forest Dance Company as a performer and a choreographer. While working in New York, Amen received dance training at Broadway Dance Center. Amen was a 2013 quarterfinalist at the ‘Battle For Your Life’ free-style dance competition in Brooklyn, NY.

Amen has used dance as an opportunity to positively impact his community. In Winston-Salem, he co-founded ‘Dance- I do it for the Kids’, a fundraiser for the Brenner’s Children Hospital and hosted dance workshops to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank. Currently a graduate student at Brown, he assists in teaching ‘Dance for Parkinson’s Disease’ classes for aging populations in the Rhode Island area.  He continues to be involved in free-style dancing and choreography, collaborating with visual artists at Brown & RISD to create concept videos. He is excited for the chance to connect with fellow Rhode Island dancers and learn of their dance experiences.

Class Description

The class will be an intermediate level hip-hop dance class with a focus in technique and musicality. After warming up and movement phrases, choreography will be taught. The point of the class is to exchange dance styles and enjoy an opportunity to broaden your dance repertoire.

Upcoming Workshop(s):

November:

5th: Caitlin Trainor, Contemporary Technique (Director, Trainor Dance)

19th: TBA

December:

3rd: Bill Evans, Evans Laban/Bartenieff Based Dance Technique (Director, The Bill Evans Dance Company)

17th: Shawn Hove, Modern Technique (Director, shove gently dance/theater)