top of page
IMG_4064 3.JPG

Summer intensive

Gain new tools for your creation tool kit!

Summer Intensive

August 19 - 21, 2025

Nightly 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Evolved Movement Arts

4005 9 Street SE
Calgary, AB

The Alberta Dance Theatre Summer Intensive is back!

Join us for intimate classes with local arts professionals that will inspire you before the Fall season kicks off.

Participants will spend two hours each night experiencing new dance styles, gaining insight into their own unique way of moving, and discovering tactics and techniques to nurture themselves into stronger dancers and performers.    

 

Community and connection is encouraged! This Intensive is open to all movers, creatives and performance arts enthusiasts in grades 2-12, even if you are not intending to join the ADT Youth Program.

 

Drop us a line below if you have any questions. Keep scrolling to meet our faculty!

What to Bring

We recommend bringing a journal and writing utensil, water bottle, wearing easy to move in athletic wear, and dressing in layers. Only ballet shoes and bare feet are allowed in the upstairs studio at Evolved Movement Arts.

 

Injury Prevention: Bring a Yoga Mat

Clowning: Bring a hat with personality!

Pricing

Single Night - $50/participant
Three Night Pass - $130/participant

August 19, 2025

Kimberly Olson

5:30pm - 6:30pm / Ages 13 - 18
Injury Prevention

A Pilates inspired lecture and exercise class to encourage proper muscle engagement to prolong your dance career

Ahona Sanyal

5:30 - 6:30pm / Ages 7 - 12

Clowning
Discover your clown self and experiment with gestures, catchphrases, voices, and posture!

6:30pm - 7:30pm / Ages 7 - 18

Playwrighting

Learn new brainstorming techniques & how to generate creative ideas, along with basic story structure and communicating characters & conflict.

August 20, 2025

Katherine Mandolidis

5:30pm - 6:30pm / Ages 7 - 12

Lyrical​​

6:30pm - 7:30pm / Ages 13 - 18

Lyrical

Alessandra Warkentin

5:30pm - 6:30pm / Ages 13 - 18

Hip Hop

6:30pm - 7:30pm / Ages 7 - 12

Hip Hop

August 21, 2025

Deann Weekes

5:30pm - 7:30pm / Ages 7 - 18
Modern Fusion: Dunham Meets Horton

Discover the beauty of rhythm, strength, and storytelling in this electrifying fusion class that bridges two revolutionary techniques Katherine Dunham and Lester Horton. 

New This Year!

We're finishing off our Summer Intensive with a viewing of Gloom Town, our Fall 2024 production.

 

This is a free viewing open to all. Parents included!

Summer Intensive Schedule

Dec 11 - Dec 17

S

11

M

12

T

13

W

14

T

15

F

16

S

17

2025 Summer Intensive Faculty

This year's faculty is composed of exciting emerging artists and established teaching professionals, each sharing their passion and experience with the Summer Intensive participants. Let's get inspired!

Katherine.jpeg

Katherine Mandolidis

Lyrical

With 17 years of experience in dance instruction and an MA in Dance Movement Therapy from the University of Auckland, Katherine Mandolidis is a dedicated educator, choreographer, and adjudicator. Specializing in the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) curriculum, she also teaches contemporary, modern (Horton and Graham), hip hop, and capoeira—integrating cross-disciplinary movement practices with a holistic, somatic approach.

Katherine’s choreographic work is rooted in collaboration and guided by process-based research that values shared authorship, embodied exploration, and emotional truth. Her creative practice invites dancers into a dynamic exchange where improvisation, cultural context, and lived experience inform authentic movement expression.

Her teaching journey has taken her across Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon, and New Zealand, earning recognition for her choreography on stages across Canada and the United States. As a dance movement therapist, she supports artists, high-performance athletes, and individuals with diverse physical and neurological needs—focusing on anxiety, disordered eating, neurodivergence, burnout, grief, and nervous system regulation.

Most recently, Katherine represented Canada as an international passista in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during a cultural dance exchange for Carnival—further deepening her commitment to global movement traditions. Passionate about cultural responsibility, artistic growth, and embodied healing, she is committed to fostering confidence, creativity, and integrity in every dancer she teaches.

IMG_2139 (2).JPG

Kimberly Olson

Injury Prevention

Kimberly is a versatile artist and wellness advocate with an extensive background in dance and fitness. A graduate of both the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Certificate Program and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York City, she has performed works by legendary choreographers including Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, Ray Mercer, Justin Prescott, and Amy Hall. Her professional career spans companies such as the Hudson Ballet Theatre and features in print, film, and campaigns, including The Night Game’s Once in a Lifetime and Universal Standard’s clothing campaign.

As a 500-hour certified Pilates instructor with a foundation in kinesiology, Kimberly develops classes that blend mindful movement with anatomical insight, empowering students to move with strength, efficiency, and awareness. She has curated a specialized Pilates program for dancers that integrates biomechanics and anatomy into every session, offering tools to refine alignment, improve strength and mobility, and deepen understanding of movement mechanics. Her goal is to not only enhance dancers’ performance but also promote long-term joint health and injury prevention.

 

Kimberly also developed and implemented a dance program for the International Multiple Sclerosis Management Practice in New York City, which she continues to bring to diverse communities across Alberta. Her inclusive approach to movement is rooted in her commitment to making dance and fitness accessible to all, regardless of ability, disability, or limitation.

A.Sanyal.jpg

Ahona Sanyal

Clowning / Playwrighting

Ahona Sanyal is an emerging artist based in Calgary. She graduated with a BFA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Lethbridge. Having spent most of her time there studying puppetry, clown, and physical theatre, Ahona has developed a passion for Theatre for Young Audiences. As a firm believer that art brings community together, Ahona is eager for any opportunity to share the magic of theatre with children and community members. She has worked with Quest Theatre, Inside Out Theatre, and she may even serve you at Jubilations Dinner Theatre!

AlessandraW.png

Alessandra Warkentin

Hip Hop

Alessandra graduated with a degree in Theatre and Dance from the University of Winnipeg in 2003.  After graduation, Alessandra free-lanced as a singer, dancer, actor, choreographer and vocal coach throughout Winnipeg.  From 2003-2006, Alessandra lived in Halifax where she continued to perform and teach and also became a member of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association.  After moving back to Winnipeg, Alessandra became the director of a non-profit performing arts school. In 2010, Alessandra moved to Calgary and became a member of Corps Bara, a local modern dance company, and free-lanced as a choreographer and music teacher throughout the city.  In 2014, Alessandragraduated with her Education degree from the University of Calgary and began teaching music and dance with the Calgary Board of Education. Alessandra recently completed a masters degree in counselling psychology and works by day as a school counsellor at West Island College, and by night, gigs with her band, Two Late to the Party.

5d8ffd3c-87f3-441d-ac2e-b0cd5dc128d8.jpeg

Deann Weekes

Modern Fusion: Dunham Meets Horton

Deann's Modern Fusion class will blend the grounded, pulsating energy of Afro-Caribbean movement and the elegance of ballet from Dunham technique with the expansive lines, isolations, and sculptural clarity of Horton. Designed to challenge and inspire, dancers will explore dynamic expression, precision, and fluidity, developing both technical skill and emotional depth. Whether you’re seeking to expand your modern vocabulary or connect with cultural roots, this class is a must for any serious dancer ready to explore the richness of two iconic dance legacies.

Contact ADT

Thanks! Message sent.

The Society of Alberta Dance Theatre, For Young People

900, 105 12 Avenue SE
Calgary, AB
T2G 1A1

(825) 846-2015

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
bottom of page