MEDIA RELEASE

West Hawaii Dance Theatre announces its Summer Fun Dance Camp workshops for children aged 5 through teens.

Students will be introduced to hip hop, jazz, creative movement, performing arts, lyrical dance, performing arts, and basic terms and positions of classical ballet — all in a fun, non-competitive environment.

Camps run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, according to the following schedule:

* July 9, 10, 11
* July 16, 17, 18
* July 23, 24, 25
* July 30, 31, Aug. 1

Students ages 5-8 meet 10 a.m.-1 p.m., and ages 9-12 meet 1-4 p.m.

Students may sign up for the camps at $90 per week, or for the entire four weeks for $325.

Instructors are Kat Sullivan and Blythe Stephens.

Sullivan is originally from Colorado, and began her studies at Dance In the Rockies. As a member of the Rocky Mountain Rockettes and Durango Ballet Ensemble, Sullivan received numerous awards for performances in hip-hop, jazz, musical theater, tap, and ballet.

She presented her early work in New York at Carnegie Hall and at the University of Oklahoma. She is a recipient of the Sherrie Newbold scholarship for dance and received a full scholarship to The Briansky Ballet in New York City.

Sullivan currently is an elite dancer at Bella Dance Company in Durango, Colo., where she also teaches dance and performs on Bella Elite dance team. She recently won first place for her dance pieces at Starpower and Revolution Dance competitions in Denver and Albuquerque, as well as a high gold champion at Showstopper dance competition.

Blythe C. Stephens began her studies at the West Hawaii Dance Academy at the age of 5, going on to graduate with a high school diploma in ballet from the North Carolina School of the Arts. While at NCSA she performed in the Nutcracker, student choreography concerts and showcases, and in the operetta “The Merry Widow” with the Piedmont Opera.

While earning her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Whitman College, Stephens performed extensively with Whitman Dance Theatre and Whitman Dance Production, also creating original choreography and teaching at the Walla Walla Dance Center.

In Portland, Stephens served as president of the Dance Coalition of Oregon. She also performed with Mythobolus Mask Theater, The Dolly Pops (a variety troupe), was a guest choreographer for the Ballroom Dance Company’s “On Broadway” showcase, and performed and presented new choreography annually with the DanceCORE Blue Sky Choreographers Concert Series.

Since relocating to Oahu, Stephens has taught ballet and creative movement at Ballet Hawaii, the Central YMCA, Nuuanu Hongwanji Mission School, and Island Tumblers Gymnastics.

Next fall, she will be teaching beginning modern dance as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she is enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts in Dance program and has been performing with the dance and theatre departments.

Blythe has taught in Washington, Oregon and Hawaii, and her experience spans ballet, modern dance, creative movement, musical theatre, and body conditioning. She is also a life coach.

In addition, Sullivan and Stephens will be instructing teen and adult classes in the evenings. Modalities include hip hop, lyrical dance and modern ballet.

To register, call 329-8876 or visit www.whdt.org