Abigail is currently a teacher and choreographer with Beacon Performing Arts Center, Premiere Performing Arts, and Stage to Screen (all based in the Queens & West Chester).
As an educator, her mission is to pass down dance and theater training to the next generation in a historically based and approachable way. She has been teaching and choreographing for twelve years, and finds herself in constant inspiration and awe of her students ,
Movement and learning how to access our whole bodies is a valuable skill for all peoples in all walks of life. We benefit in dance by holding a rich history to recall and learn from.
Abigail teaches musical theater, jazz, contemporary, floor-work, ballet, and movement for actors. These experiences have also involved teaching students from different backgrounds and in different formats.
You can connect with Abigail for teaching at abigail.rebekah.shown@gmail.com.
WORKSHOPS
Musical Theater Series:originally created for 1hr/week for 12 weeks
3-weeks per artist. Studying the works of Agnes DeMille, Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse, Sonja Tayeh, & Andy Blankenbuehler. The focus is put on the value of dance during its time and the significance of the choreographer. Extra homework is given to learning more about the history and the importance of their signature pieces at their times. i.e. Oklahoma was the first musical to bring dance in as a storytelling device to move the story along. It has a ballet base in its movement, and how can we create our own choreography inspired and influenced by the DeMille. **Original choreography is not taught in this class due to legal requirements.
Movement for Actors: originally created for one 5-hour intensive/workshop
This is a focus on finding a full-body connection at all times within the creative process. Gives actors fundamentals to put into daily practice. Actors will be led through warm-ups and practices to help remind the body of what it can do. Following, actors will be led through a creative process helping give material to work towards devised work or other multi-disciplinary works.
Beginning Dance Bootcamp: originally created for three 2hr classes
This is smart for groups with no dance experience. The goal is to send movers home each day with various steps, phrases, and practices that are essential in basic dance requirements for musical theater. After each close, students should feel that they have a regular practice in each theme to help provide a solid base at musical theater dance auditions.
Musical Theater Medley: originally created for an 8-day intensive for 5hrs per day
Students work to create a collaborative musical theater medley based on one classic musical. Students do homework based on the history of the musical and look up past productions as added research to pay homage to the original work. The result is about a 15-minute musical theater dance medley aiming at themes of stage presence, musicality, and style.