CALENDARS

07/07: 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. 

Name of Class: Body Weather Training Workshop

Price: $20 per class

Room: Dance Studio

Instructor: Oguri

Profile: Dancer/choreographer Oguri is one of the foremost exponents of the contemporary dance movement known as Butoh. Trained in Japan, his career began in 1984. He has been based in Los Angeles since 1991 and has been offering classes entitled Body Weather Laboratory (BWL). BWL strengthens the growth and understanding of Butoh, which utilizes in-depth study of nature as source material for dance. BWL has been in residence at the Electric Lodge in Venice since 1997 and has been supported in part by OGP since 1999. In 1993, BWL formed a dance company and has conducted workshops and residencies. BWL tours and performs both locally and internationally.

Email: bodyweather@gmail.com

Description: This course provides foundational physical training for the performer, with an emphasis on physical articulation and individual movement patterns. This training demands a thorough reexamination of the body and movement within different and changing environments.

1) MB Training: Rigorous mind/body, muscle/bone movement, and balance training; rhythmical and dynamic. Step by step, movements build organically, becoming more complex and demanding awareness, especially as two or more opposing movements are attempted simultaneously. Habits or modes of operation will appear. We will observe and investigate.

Guided by the knee’s brain, the colorful, suggestible body articulates changes in the center of gravity, speaking to the muscle and drawing flexibility. Tiny movements bring consciousness to muscle fiber. The body is adorned by gravity and dances.

2) Body Weather Manipulations: A series of specific stretching and relaxation exercises concerned with breathing and alignment, done alone or in couples exchanging passive and active roles.

Embodying the body of another, embodying the environment, and internalizing the external.

07/07: 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. 

Name of Class: Mojubá Capoeira

Price: $15

Room: Yoffe Classroom

Instructor: Instrutor Manhoso, Professor Maré 

Description: Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian Art form that incorporates movement, music and community. Our capoeira is open to all levels (beginners welcome) and it is based on the teachings & trainings of world-renowned Mestre Poncianinho from São Paulo, Brazil.

Mojubá Capoeira of Los Angeles is led by Professor Maré and Instructor Manhoso.

Sundays 9:30am-12:30pm $15

07/07: 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. 

Name of Class: Swing Brazil

Price: $20

Room: Dance Studio

Instructor: Vida Vierra

Profile: Vida Vierra is a multi-disciplinary performing artist and educator known for her diverse work in the world arts community. Her early vocal and movement training in jazz and improvisation led her to further studies in the field of culture and spirituality in Salvador, Bahia, and Brazil. Her experiences there have had a profound impact, informing and shaping her mission as an artist and cultural activist.

Her work has gained her recognition, especially in the field of public ritual art actions, where she has taken a leadership role. Of particular note is her creation of and participation in “Honoring the Sea,"  a celebration used as the finale for every edition of the renowned “World Festival of Sacred Music LA” that took place at Santa Monica Beach between 1999 and 2011.

Vida Vierra is the artistic director of the Afro-Brazilian dance company SWING BRAZIL!, founded in 1991 by the late, great Max Jr. from Rio de Janeiro. She leads classes and workshops in Los Angeles and is in her eighteenth year of residency at the Electric Lodge in Venice, California. In a civic capacity, Ms. Vierra is currently co-chair of the Los Angeles/Salvador Bahia, Brazil, Sister City Committee.

Website: https://www.rainbowbodymatrix.com/

Description: Explore the body-mind-spirit connection through the magic of Brazilian dance and the excitement of live percussion. Co-facilitated by Vida Vierra and Dani Lunn of Rainbow Body Matrix. All levels are welcome. Wear comfortable dance clothing and bare feet, please.

07/08: 1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m. 

Name of Class: Dancing Through Parkinson’s

Price: $17 suggested donation

Room: Dance Studio

Instructor: Sofia Klass

Profile: Sofia Klass (Director of Dancing Through Parkinson’s, Invertigo Dancer)  is a founding member of Invertigo Dance Theatre and has danced with the company since 2008. Sofia was the company manager for Invertigo from 2010–2014, and in 2014 she changed positions to director of programming for Dancing Through Parkinson’s. Sofia has been teaching for Dancing Through Parkinson’s since its inception and trained with the Dance for PD® program in both New York and Los Angeles. For the past ten years, Sofia’s passion for teaching has brought her to studios all over Los Angeles to teach movement classes in pilates, yoga, and dance. She is especially interested in therapeutic approaches to movement and teaching dance to non-dancers. Her movement interests are in improvisation, athletic contemporary dance, and somatic practices. She has big dreams for the Dancing Through Parkinson’s program and hopes to fortify its presence in Los Angeles as part of a larger umbrella program called Dancing Through Life, which reaches a wider range of dancers and people of different physical abilities.

Email: dancepd@invertigodance.org

Description: DANCING THROUGH PARKINSON’S (presented by Invertigo Dance Theatre) encourages joy, community, stability, balance, increased flexibility, keeping the mind alert and leaving you inspired!

This program provides dance classes designed for people living with Parkinson’s disease as well as their friends, family and care-partners.  Anyone is welcome and classes are designed so you can move at your own pace.

Come dance with us in a class dedicated to your physical and mental well-being.

Dance builds connection and community.

Dance promotes balance and body awareness.

Dance cultivates joy.

Walk-ins are welcome; no reservations are necessary.

For phone inquiries, please call Invertigo Dance Theatre at 424-229-2141

07/08: 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. 

Name of Class: Electric Improv

Price: $30/class or $100/month 

Room: Kelman Theatre

Instructor: Matt Gaffney

Profile: Matthew is a graduate of the Westside Comedy Theater Improv program and performs on their house team in business class. He is close to completing The Second City’s Conservatory program. Matthew also writes and performs stand-up comedy and story-telling and finds himself most comfortable misbehaving.

Email: matt@mattgaffneyexperience.com

Description: Imagine if you had no fear of public speaking or social anxiety. You could be present and comfortable in any situation and adapt to any scenario under the sun. This is what we do. Come join us each Saturday for improv-based exercises designed to get you out of your critical mind and into your creative flow.

This is a local venice drop-in class for all levels. If you’ve never done improv before, this is a great way to be introduced to the art form and its benefits, including leadership, vulnerability, connection, self-expression, intuition, gut instincts, and spontaneity. It’s also great for overcoming performance anxiety, inhibition, self-consciousness, depression, nervousness, and lack of confidence, and having fun doing it.

If you have done improv before, this is a great way to get more reps and practice fundamentals. The level of the class is determined each week by the experience level of the players. We endeavor to have fun, be challenged, and be inspired in each class.

07/09: 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. 

Name of Class: Moo Moo Musica

Price: $25

Room: Dance Studio

Instructor: JulieAnne Searles

Profile: Moo Moo Musica was created in 2002 by JulieAnne Searles, MFT, a licensed psychotherapist, an accomplished musician, and a devoted wife and mother who lives in Venice, California, with her husband, Monty, and their 12-year-old son, Jasper.  The popular multicultural music and movement program was inspired by JulieAnne’s childhood memories of family gatherings filled with singing and playing musical instruments, as well as her professional therapeutic work with children and parents. It is also infused with her deep commitment to caring for and repairing our planet.

Through her more than 20 years’ experience as a psychotherapist, JulieAnne recognized how crucial positive early attachment and bonding experiences between infants and parents are to healthy childhood development and, in fact, a healthy and functional adulthood. Singing, playing, modeling, and mirroring experiences between parent and child, as well as group interaction from a very early age, help foster happy, secure individuals.

Email: moomoomusica@yahoo.com

Description: Moo Moo Musica ignites the joy, vitality, and imagination that are the essence of the human experience. The popular multicultural music and movement program was inspired by JulieAnne’s childhood memories of family gatherings filled with singing and playing musical instruments, as well as her professional therapeutic work with children and parents. After a long search for a music class both she and her son would enjoy, JulieAnne decided to draw on her multifaceted background to create a music and movement program that was uniquely different from anything she had experienced.

Moo Moo Musica is now back at Electric Lodge! This class provides a joyful Music & Movement opportunity for babies and children up to age 5, accompanied by their caretakers. For more information, please email moomoomusica@yahoo.com.

Schedule:

Tuesdays, 10 a.m.–11 a.m.

Thursdays, 10 a.m.–11 a.m.

Fridays, 9 a.m.–11 a.m.

07/09: 4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. 

Name of Class: Tae Kwon Do-Battle Studios

Price: $150 monthly, unlimited

Room: Dance Studio

Instructor: Battle Studios Community Project

Email: info@battlestudioscp.org

Description: When you experience the wonder of martial arts at Battle Studios, you enter a safe, supportive, and fun environment to grasp the basics of self-defense.  Battle Studios is grounded in a tradition based on protection rather than offensive action.  A certain level of discipline is encouraged, making this a wonderful way to focus your mind and channel energy.

Start your journey to a black belt today! Call 310-351-5142 for more information.

07/09: 6:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m. 

Name of Class: Jilly Jazz

Price: $20 90-minute class or $19 60-minute class

Room: Dance Studio

Instructor: Jill Strauss

Profile: Twenty years ago, Jill brought her brand of jazz from New York to Los Angeles.  Having trained, taught, and performed with Luigi’s Jazz Center, Jill combines the classic and contemporary jazz influences of Luigi, Fosse, Robbins, and Gennaro to create JillyJazz Dance Arts.  Performing on the New York stage, on tour, and in company, Jill brings performance energy to each class.  New York stage and tour productions include Carousel, West Side Story, Radio City Musical Hall’s Valentine’s Day Special, Dance Dimension at Madison Square Garden, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Fiddler On The Roof, and Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf. and bye-bye, birdie. Jill is on faculty at the Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences, teaching upper school dance.  She created JStrauss Jazz in 1998, performing throughout southern California.  Jill is committed to infusing the dance world with joy!!

Email: jillyjazz@gmail.com

Description: The minute you walk into the studio, you can feel it.  It is undeniable.  The rhythm, the passion, the inspiration, and the music.  Classic contemporary jazz at its best.  JillyJazz.  And then the warm-up starts.  It is mesmerizing—a kind of choreography of its own.  Steeped in Luigi Jazz technique and style, Jill Strauss brings an emotion-invoking style of her own that transforms the student into a dancer.

If you are looking for exciting jazz classes on the west side of Los Angeles, look no further.  Jill Strauss, protegé of Luigi, embodying style and technique, incorporates fabulous, eclectic music with magical choreography to create fun and challenging dance classes for dancers of all levels.  With extensive credits on the New York Stage, teaching and performing with Luigi’s Jazz Company, and teaching Master Classes throughout North America, Jill’s brand of teaching is of the highest caliber.

Jill Strauss has 25 years of experience teaching and performing in the USA and throughout North America.  She trained in New York City and has taught for and performed with Luigi’s Jazz Center.  Performing on the New York stage for 15 years and touring the USA, Jill brings to each class her dance and acting experiences to help foster a professional performance environment.  Professional credits include Carousel, West Side Story, Radio City Music Hall, and Madison Square Garden.  She founded JStrauss Jazz Dance Company in 1999 after arriving in Los Angeles, and she has been teaching and choreographing in Los Angeles for 20 years.  Having taught at Crossroads School in Santa Monica for 18 years, Jill is currently on faculty at UCLA.

JillyJazz offers both group classes (beginning basic through advanced intermediate) and private instruction and has locations in Venice, Santa Monica, and West Los Angeles.  Come by and dance!

Visit us on Facebook at JillyJazz Dance Arts at Electric Lodge.

07/10: 6:30 p.m.–10:00 p.m. 

Name of Class: RAW Acting Workshop

Price: $325 (4 consecutive classes)

Room: Yoffe Classroom

Instructor: Guy Camilleri

Profile: Guy is a Los Angeles-based actor, acting coach, and screenwriter. As an acting coach, Guy has been coaching in New York and Los Angeles since 2004. He opened Raw Acting Studio in 2010. Guy’s approach to teaching is a combination of studying with master teacher/director Gene Frankel for 7 years in New York and as a working actor for 15 years.

In addition to teaching classes and workshops at RAW Acting Studio, Guy is a working actor, screenwriter, and producer. He starred in and produced Chinese Coffee and played the lead role of Harry. Guy was the first person to receive the rights to perform Chinese coffee in Los Angeles from playwright Ira Lewis. With it’s Los Angeles premiere, Chinese Coffee and Guy’s work were critically acclaimed, with Guy receiving rave reviews from the LA Times & LA Weekly. Guy hired the highly esteemed director Jack Heller to direct.

In addition to starring in and producing Chinese Coffee, Guy also produced the critically acclaimed production of Jean Cocteau’s The Human Voice at the Elephant Theatre. Guy hired award-winning director Dan Bonnell to direct Ho-Jung in a tour de force performance.

Guy’s film and television credits include Stevie D, Electric Children, Political Disasters, Danika, Rx, Late Watch, Two Lost in a Dirty Night (shot on location in Brazil), House, Crossing Jordan, Simple Revenge, and Love Without Borders (shot on location in Moscow, Russia). Guy has starred in numerous other films in Los Angeles and New York.

His theatre credits in Los Angeles include Chinese Coffee (Harry) by Ira Lewis at the Flight Theatre and After the Fall (Dan) by Arthur Miller at the Open Fist Theatre. Off-Broadway: Two Rooms (Michael) by Lee Blessing at the Atlantic Theater and Reclamation (Anthony) at the Samuel Beckett Theatre. Regional credits include The Fantasticks (Mortimer) at the Hangar Theatre in New York. Guy has performed in numerous Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway productions.

Currently, Guy is in pre-production on a feature film that he wrote and is producing. He just completed writing a second feature-length screenplay and a book of poems.

In addition to the arts, Guy was an innovator and leader in the field of fitness and nutrition in Hawaii for 15 years. Some notable clients include Tony Curtis, Charo, Gil Janklowicz (Bodies in Motion), Kapono Beamer, and Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi.

He is a proud member of the MSA (Malibu Surfing Association), competing in contests up and down the coast of California and assisting in keeping the ocean healthy.

Email: hello@rawactingstudio.com

Description: Guy Camilleri’s RAW acting studio (Venice Beach) is the Westside’s most unique & diverse acting studio. It is a hub for actors, writers and directors to practice, learn, and/or deepen craft. It is also an incubator where artists explore, create, develop and produce projects in a safe, collaborative, dynamic and affordable space.

RAW acting studio’s founder & master teacher Guy Camilleri and his team are in hot pursuit of the truth. Your truth. In our classes, workshops and intensives, we use craft (acting, writing and directing techniques) along with specific transformative tools to reveal, challenge and unleash the full creative self-expression of actors, writers, and filmmakers.

Guy and his team operate from a place of enthusiasm & support to create radical, authentic Work. that is personal and speaks to the core of what it means to be human. If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and commit to honoring your artistic integrity in service of living out loud (without apology) as a human being, we are the right community for you.

We invite you to experience a new-found level of self-confidence that will lead to creating work in the studio (in person and virtually), on the set, on stage and in casting offices that many describe as undeniably RAW. For more information or to register, please visit: www.rawactingstudio.com or email us at hello@rawactingstudio.com

07/10: 6:30 p.m.–10:00 p.m. 

Name of Class: Mojubá Capoeira

Price: $15

Room: Dance Studio

Instructor: Instrutor Manhoso, Professor Maré 

Description: Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian Art form that incorporates movement, music and community. Our capoeira is open to all levels (beginners welcome) and it is based on the teachings & trainings of world-renowned Mestre Poncianinho from São Paulo, Brazil.

Mojubá Capoeira of Los Angeles is led by Professor Maré and Instructor Manhoso.

Wednesdays 6.30-8pm $15

07/11: 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. 

Name of Class: Moo Moo Musica

Price: $25

Room: Dance Studio

Instructor: JulieAnne Searles

Profile: Moo Moo Musica was created in 2002 by JulieAnne Searles, MFT, a licensed psychotherapist, an accomplished musician, and a devoted wife and mother who lives in Venice, California, with her husband, Monty, and their 12-year-old son, Jasper.  The popular multicultural music and movement program was inspired by JulieAnne’s childhood memories of family gatherings filled with singing and playing musical instruments, as well as her professional therapeutic work with children and parents. It is also infused with her deep commitment to caring for and repairing our planet.

Through her more than 20 years’ experience as a psychotherapist, JulieAnne recognized how crucial positive early attachment and bonding experiences between infants and parents are to healthy childhood development and, in fact, a healthy and functional adulthood. Singing, playing, modeling, and mirroring experiences between parent and child, as well as group interaction from a very early age, help foster happy, secure individuals.

Email: moomoomusica@yahoo.com

Description: Moo Moo Musica ignites the joy, vitality, and imagination that are the essence of the human experience. The popular multicultural music and movement program was inspired by JulieAnne’s childhood memories of family gatherings filled with singing and playing musical instruments, as well as her professional therapeutic work with children and parents. After a long search for a music class both she and her son would enjoy, JulieAnne decided to draw on her multifaceted background to create a music and movement program that was uniquely different from anything she had experienced.

Moo Moo Musica is now back at Electric Lodge! This class provides a joyful Music & Movement opportunity for babies and children up to age 5, accompanied by their caretakers. For more information, please email moomoomusica@yahoo.com.

Schedule:

Tuesdays, 10 a.m.–11 a.m.

Thursdays, 10 a.m.–11 a.m.

Fridays, 9 a.m.–11 a.m.

07/11: 4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. 

Name of Class: Tae Kwon Do-Battle Studios

Price: $150 monthly, unlimited

Room: Dance Studio

Instructor: Battle Studios Community Project

Email: info@battlestudioscp.org

Description: When you experience the wonder of martial arts at Battle Studios, you enter a safe, supportive, and fun environment to grasp the basics of self-defense.  Battle Studios is grounded in a tradition based on protection rather than offensive action.  A certain level of discipline is encouraged, making this a wonderful way to focus your mind and channel energy.

Start your journey to a black belt today! Call 310-351-5142 for more information.

07/12: 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. 

Name of Class: Moo Moo Musica

Price: $25

Room: Dance Studio

Instructor: JulieAnne Searles

Profile: Moo Moo Musica was created in 2002 by JulieAnne Searles, MFT, a licensed psychotherapist, an accomplished musician, and a devoted wife and mother who lives in Venice, California, with her husband, Monty, and their 12-year-old son, Jasper.  The popular multicultural music and movement program was inspired by JulieAnne’s childhood memories of family gatherings filled with singing and playing musical instruments, as well as her professional therapeutic work with children and parents. It is also infused with her deep commitment to caring for and repairing our planet.

Through her more than 20 years’ experience as a psychotherapist, JulieAnne recognized how crucial positive early attachment and bonding experiences between infants and parents are to healthy childhood development and, in fact, a healthy and functional adulthood. Singing, playing, modeling, and mirroring experiences between parent and child, as well as group interaction from a very early age, help foster happy, secure individuals.

Email: moomoomusica@yahoo.com

Description: Moo Moo Musica ignites the joy, vitality, and imagination that are the essence of the human experience. The popular multicultural music and movement program was inspired by JulieAnne’s childhood memories of family gatherings filled with singing and playing musical instruments, as well as her professional therapeutic work with children and parents. After a long search for a music class both she and her son would enjoy, JulieAnne decided to draw on her multifaceted background to create a music and movement program that was uniquely different from anything she had experienced.

Moo Moo Musica is now back at Electric Lodge! This class provides a joyful Music & Movement opportunity for babies and children up to age 5, accompanied by their caretakers. For more information, please email moomoomusica@yahoo.com.

Schedule:

Tuesdays, 10 a.m.–11 a.m.

Thursdays, 10 a.m.–11 a.m.

Fridays, 9 a.m.–11 a.m.