Local dancer Campbell Clark nabs a national title
Local dancer Campbell Clark nabs a national title

The Spin

The fall dance season kicks off during First Friday ArtWalk with Lane Arts Council’s Fiesta Cultural salsa dance party 5:30 to 8 pm Friday, Sept. 4, at Kesey Square; free.

Also during First Friday: “Come to the last #instaballet of the season!” co-founder Suzanne Haag suggests. “This is your last chance until 2016 to help Eugene Ballet Company dancers make a ballet with audience input.” Catch #instaballet 5:30 to 8 pm in The Studio at the Hult Center; free.

Eugene Ballet Company gears up for tours of The Sleeping Beauty throughout the Northwest, including a run in Eugene Oct. 24-25. EBC also welcomes new dancers Hirofumi Kitazume, Yuki Beppu and Yamil Maldonado to their ranks.

Ballet Fantastique launches its new season in October, with performances of Cirque de la Lune featuring live music from Mood Area 52, Troupe Carnival and Betty and the Boy in Eugene, Portland and Honolulu.

And Vanessa Martin’s Xcape Dance Company has been invited to represent Oregon at the 25th annual Dance Excellence event in Los Angeles in 2016. On Oct. 9, Xcape holds a fundraising gala to cover the cost of the trip. More information at xcapedance.com.

In studio news, Anne Cooper and Cara Haakanson offer new movement classes at the Celebration Belly Dance & Yoga Studio beginning Sept. 14. Cooper offers the MELT Method, focused on the connective tissue that surrounds everything in the body, 9 to 10 am Tuesdays and 5 to 6 pm Thursdays. She also teaches a Feldenkrais Method class on Wednesdays from 4 to 4:50 pm. Haakanson offers a MOVEit Fitness Class that combines cardio and strength with encouragement and support 5 to 6 pm Wednesdays and Fridays.

Laura and Robert Taylor of Dance With US teach rumba, tango and social dancing at their studio in the River Road neighborhood. They also offer private lessons and specialize in teaching people to dance for special occasions. “Last year I taught over 37 couples to dance for weddings,” Laura Taylor says. Register for fall term by calling 342-3058 or visiting danceeugene.com.

Eugene Ballet Academy fall term begins Sept. 8 with new class offerings and faculty; call 686-9342 for info.

Emelia Reed and Erin Hennessy offer a beginning teen tap class at Midtown Arts (16th and Willamette) 2 to 3 pm Sundays; $5 drop-in.

Fall term dance classes at Lane Community College begin Sept. 28, offering a variety of classes for all levels. Auditions for the Lane Dance Company are Oct. 5.

Looking for work in arts administration? Danceability International is hiring a fulltime Oregon programs/communication/development director to start in October. Qualified candidates should send a cover letter, resume and a one- to three-page professional writing sample to Sara Zolbrod at sara@danceability.com by Sept. 25.

And hearty congratulations to 5-year-old Campbell Clark, who recently competed at the Showbiz Talent Competition in Branson, Missouri, bringing home a national title. Clark trains at All That! Dance Studio.

Got a scoop on the local dance scene?  Email Rachael Carnes at eugeneweeklydance@gmail.com