Street-inspired Dance Workshops Coming to El Paso
July 3-5, 2009
Radisson Hotel
El Paso, TX - A celebrity cast and the urban rhythms and street-inspired fashions of Hip Hop culture are expected to draw fans and followers to the Street Funk Dance Workshops, which will be held June 3 - 5 at the Radisson Hotel at1770 Airway Blvd.
Popular stars Jimmy and Ashley from ABC television show “So You Think You Can Dance” along with music video choreographer David Mayorga will host workshops in jazz funk, contemporary jazz, hip hop, break dancing and freestyle dancing.
“Street Funk dance workshops offer a special craft for performance-oriented dancers in a powerful, non-competitive atmosphere,” said LAT Studios, the company that founded the workshops. “We know that dancers will walk away inspired and eager to reach their own professional goals.”
Dancers will attend several workshops on Friday and Saturday, with Saturday’s events culminating in an “midnight dance-off” from 9pm to 1am. This event is free to the public. On Sunday, participants will continue with dance classes before ending the workshop with a scholarship ceremony.
Participants of all ages and experiences levels are encouraged to attend. Special “mini” workshops will be offered for participants aged 5 – 9 for $15 per participant.
Fees to attend the workshops begin $29 per person for individuals and groups of up to four students, with groups of 15 or more students receiving admission for $24 per person. Students registering on site will be charged a slightly higher fee. Anyone interested in observing the workshops will be charged $20 for the entire event.
About the dancers
David Mayorga born and raised in Miami, Florida first started dancing at the age of 15 at his local high school, Miami Killian Senior High with dance director, Connie Mosure. Shortly after starting, guest teacher and later mentor, Barbara Delgado offered David a full scholarship at New Image Dance Company, a local dance studio, where he began his formal training and competing in modern/contemporary, jazz, and hip hop. His Senior year of high school he transferred to a magnet program at Coral Reef Senior High after realizing that he wanted to dance as a profession focusing on contemporary and primarily on hip hop. At age 18 he attended an arts college, New World School of the Arts, where he fcocused on Ballet and modern techniques such as Horton and Graham. While in college, David started dancing professionally working in the Latin industry in South Florida and performing in live broadcast shows like Premios Juventud, Premios Lo Nuestro, and Sabado Gigante. He recently worked as assistant choreographer to Brooke Hogan's tour and is working with up and coming artist The Velvet Angels. David has worked with artists such as Wisin y Yandel, Gloria Trevi, Aventura, Ivy Queen, Rakim y Ken-Y, Mayra Veronica, Olga Tanon, Sure Shot, Anamore and many more.
JimmyArguello was a top 20 finalist on the third season of the Fox network’s reality television show So You Think You Can Dance. Nicknamed “Jimmers,” he began getting into the world of dancing at the age of 12, and trained at the Dance Gallery studio. Jimmy studied ballet, hip-hop, tap dancing, jazz, and lyrical styles. Nowadays he calls his style and techniques a mix of lyrical and contemporary dance. His favorite professional dancer is Brian Friedman, and he says his most memorable dancing experience was going through all the different styles.
Aside from dancing, he’s also an athlete who practices sports such as swimming and track and field. He jokingly notes that no one else in his family dances professionally, because “They don’t have rhythm.” Jimmy says he has performed in a number of public functions and events as a dancer, and he hoped to be one of the top ten finalists on the show. He also plans to be a professional dancer and be on tour with a dance company within the next ten years. He was eliminated from the show on June 21, 2007 along with fellow contestant Faina Savich.
Ashlee Langas was also a top 20 finalist on the third season of Fox Television’s dance contest series “So You Think You Can Dance.” She says that she has no nickname, and that she started dancing at the age of two. Her formal dance training spans though a number of schools and programs, such as Gotta Dance for eight years, Danceworks and the Fox Troupe for one year, the Candy Crocker School of Dance for six years, and the Kilgore College Dance Department from 2005 to 2007. Ashlee classifies her dance style as contemporary, and says that her favorite professional dancer is Mia Michaels.
Apart from dancing, she also enjoys working out and reading. No one else in her family dances professionally, and she has yet to perform in any public functions or musical theater productions as a dancer. She also wishes for bigger career opportunities to meet her ambitions after the show, and plans to both work as a teacher and choreographer while traveling abroad within the next ten years. Ashlee says that her most memorable dance experience was performing as a Kilgore College Sophomore Rangerette during their homecoming halftime in 2006.
For more information, please call (915) 590-7000, or visit the workshop Web site at www.streetfunkdance.com.
