SJDC’s (Savage Jazz Dance Company) movement is defined by three primary beliefs: the importance of disciplined, technical dance training, rooted in classical ballet and modern techniques; the willingness to give into the rich artistic expression of music, in all forms; and, last but not least, ENERGY. And it is these same beliefs that inform Mr. Savage’s teaching style and daily practice.

Through his work with Savage Jazz Dance Company and his teaching practice, Mr. Savage’s contributions to the arts and dance have been recognized in multiple ways. In 1993, Mr. Savage was awarded the Creative Artists Fellowship in Choreography from the City of Oakland. Mr. Savage was also distinguished with a 2001 GOLDIE Award by the San Francisco Bay Guardian for outstanding contribution to the arts. SJDC has also had the honor of being nominated for several IZZIEs (Isadora Duncan Dance Awards): in 2003 for Company Performance for its entire 2002 season at the Cowell Theater (SF) and in 2007 for Individual Performance by Principle SJDC Dancer, Alison Hurley, in SJDC's 2006 performances at ODC Theater (SF), and, most recently, in 2013 for Outstanding Achievement in Performance for the Company’s work at the Black Choreographers Festival at Laney College (Oakland) in 2012. Mr. Savage has taught dance in the Bay Area since 1989, teaching regularly at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center in Berkeley and at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts in Oakland. In 2003, he joined Oakland School for the Arts faculty as Chair of The School of Dance. Students of Mr. Savage have gone on to dance with Philadanco, Martha Graham Dance Company, Mark Morris Dance Group, Garth Fagan Dance, Dallas Black Dance Company, Oakland Ballet, Ailey II, Hubbard Street 2, River North Dance Chicago, Disney’s The Lion King, Metropolitan Opera Ballet (NYC), Janet Jackson, and dance companies in Europe and South America, as well as been accepted to The School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, Bolshoi Academy in Moscow, The Ailey School, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, London Contemporary Dance School, The Graham School, San Francisco Ballet School, The Boston Conservatory, and many other dance schools, programs, and Summer Intensives throughout the country. Mr. Savage brings to his teaching and choreography a wealth of training and professional performing experience in a variety of dance styles and techniques, including but not limited to: Ballet, Dunham, Contemporary, and Musical Theater. He does not take lightly the fact that his was the last generation of dancers to be trained by many of the "old school" teachers whom he feels eternally grateful and fortunate to have learned from and studied under. His respect for them can be found today in every class he teaches and every piece of his choreography.

This masterclass is being presented in conjunction with Zohar Performance Series 4: The Summer Festival. All students who sign up for the class will receive a discount code of $10 off general admission to our Summer Festival 8pm evening performance.

For more information about Savage Jazz Dance Company visit: http://www.savagejazz.org

Photo Credit: Mark Kitaoka