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Stephen Petronio Company has taught worldwide at every level from primary school to professional. Each educational initiative is based in a rigorous and intelligent movement practice that encourages creativity and discovery.

The foundation of Petronio movement is the conscious direction of energy through the body and out into space. Technique class begins with a somatic warmup that focuses on skeletal connectivity and initiation from the far edges of the body. Across-the-floor movement expands on ideas of spatial awareness, rhythm, and sequencing through the spine. Class is rooted in an energetic, rather than “shape-based,” approach. Each student is encouraged to find a healthy, open, and fearless mobility within their own body.

Repertory workshops give students firsthand experience with Stephen Petronio’s acclaimed body of work. Complex phrasework is broken down into accessible components, and rebuilt with an emphasis on dynamism, rhythmic precision, and speed. This unpacking of the choreographic process gives students a host of tools for their own work as dancers and dance makers.

The Company is available for master classes, guest teaching, and restaging on students. Contact Education Director, Tess Montoya, for more information.

Where We’ve Taught

  • University of Utah
  • SUNY Brockport
  • Columbia College Chicago
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • SUNY Purchase
  • Princeton University
  • Vassar College
  • University of Minnesota
  • George Mason University
  • Reed College
  • UC Santa Cruz
  • Skidmore College

I want to offer our sincerest thanks to the Stephen Petronio Company team for being such good partners. The students had an extraordinary experience, and our local community was all the richer for having had Stephen and the dancers here.

Maria McCollAssociate Director for Summer Institutes, Office of the Dean of Special Programs, Skidmore College

ABOUT THE EDUCATION DIRECTOR

Tess Montoya

TESS MONTOYA was raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she began her training at the National Dance Institute of New Mexico. She graduated from Point Park University with a Bachelor of Arts in dance. Since moving to New York, Montoya has worked with Megan Kendzior, Daniel Gwirtzman, Daniel Roberts, and Alexandria Giroux. She has taken part in multiple workshops and performances through the Merce Cunningham Trust Fellowship Program. Tess is currently General Manager with Davalois Fearon Dance. She joined Stephen Petronio Company in 2015 and is Director of the Company’s Education Program.

Photo by Sarah Silver.

CONTACT TESS