Arts

Fall dance classes at MSA target youth

SAXTONS RIVER — Modern dance and creative movement classes for youth are on the schedule at Main Street Arts this fall.

Vermont-based choreographer and performer Ashley Hensel-Browning leads the weekly classes beginning Thursday, Sept. 18.

Creative movement for ages 3 through 5 meets from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. for an introductory class to encourage exploration and a love of dance.

Modern dance for ages 6 through 9 meets from 4:15 to 5 p.m. and will focus on improvisation, basic techniques, and body awareness.

The fee for either class is $36 for members and $48 for non-members. The six-week classes meet in Vermont Academy's dance studio. Scholarship assistance is available.

Hensel-Browning has most recently performed at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the Cunningham Studios in New York, MassMOCA in North Adams, Mass., and the Vermont State Dance Festival.

She teaches at the Dance Factory in Springfield and conducts movement outreach with the Opera Theatre of Weston. She also works with local high school students to develop independent studies exploring movement, dance history, and culture.

She received a B.A. from Hampshire College, where she designed her own major in dance education and community development through the arts, and an Ed.M. from Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, focusing on arts education, education policy, and community organizing.

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