The Orlando Ballet is passionate about sharing the joy of dance with people of all ages, physical abilities, and skill levels. As such, we will be offering four classes in total: Gentle BeMoved™, BeMoved™, First Steps™, and S.T.E.P.S.™
This is a fantastic opportunity to get moving in big ways and small, and to learn and grow in community together. More information on each program can be found below.
BeMoved™ inspires participants to embrace dance and fitness as a path to health, joy, and fulfillment. The course is carefully designed to deliver a safe, body-friendly movement experience and is intended for ages 14 and up. Classes will be taught by talented certified instructors from the Orlando Ballet: Krista Ledden, Marlena Abaza, and Shane Bland.
Classes meet once a week on Mondays from 3:30-4:30 p.m. beginning January 23, 2023.
Gentle BeMoved™ is designed to improve strength, balance, and flexibility and is tailored to participants with limited mobility due to age, health, or injury. Classes begin with a seated warm-up, and upright dancing can be modified for seating if necessary. The course covers a wide range of dance styles, from swing to waltz to blues and more!
Classes meet every other week on Mondays from 1-1:50 p.m. Join us today!
First Steps™ is a weekday morning workshop designed for K3 and K4, and consists of four workshops total per week for 10 weeks. Due to COVID, only two classrooms will take the workshop at a time; each classroom will attend one workshop per week.
Orlando Ballet S.T.E.P.S.™ program is modeled after a similar award-winning program developed by New York’s Dance Theatre of Harlem. This program provides students in 2nd-5th grades with the opportunity to acquire a comprehensive knowledge of dance as an art form. The Orlando Ballet S.T.E.P.S. program offers classes in classical ballet, contemporary dance, musical theater, jazz, hip hop and spoken word over 10 weeks. Each class meets once a week for 1.5 hours.
Over the course of the intensive, students are provided with full dance attire.
A final showcase is presented at the conclusion of the program. Participants will present the works that were created over the course of the intensive. Each participant receives a certificate of completion from the Orlando Ballet S.T.E.P.S. program. Family and friends are highly encouraged to attend the final
Start your week with a dose of mindful movement and breath. This class will focus on the building blocks of yoga postures and breathing and how to easily move in and out of them. Bring your beginner’s mindset no matter how long you’ve practiced. Sivasana and tea will follow in the Cohen-Presser Family Lounge.
Is your little one almost ready for school, but you’re not quite ready to let go just yet? This class will give you the best of both worlds! This class is structured like a preschool class. During the first few weeks of class, parent/caregiver and child attend together. Next, parents stay on the sidelines. Finally, the children attend themselves.
In this class, the children will become treasure hunters! Whether discovering crystals or uncovering dinosaur fossils, the children will have the thrill of collecting surprising treasures found in nature. They will also get to create their treasure box to store their loot!
In this class, the children will find their calm with yoga and explorations in our garden. They will learn all about nature’s ways as they plant and tend to the garden and explore all the other parts of the outdoor classroom.
Karen Duncan has been a part of the JCC’s Early Childhood Learning Center since 1992. She started as a classroom teacher before moving into a supervisory position. In 2007, she helped renovate and rejuvenate the former parenting center, turning it into Shayna’s Village.
As director of the Village, she is committed to helping parents and their children move through all of the phases of early childhood with dignity and respect, using best practices as the guide.
She finds joy in teaching and creating classes, but one of the best parts of her job is watching lifelong friendships develop in Shayna’s Village classes. Children and parents who meet in Shayna’s Village tend to remain friends for years and then eventually return as new parents and grandparents, keeping the cycle of friendships going. She feels honored to be a witness to those deep-rooted connections.
Karen Duncan was awarded the Harriet Weiss Legacy Award in 2021.
In this class, the children will learn kitchen basics and to follow a recipe. They will learn about “sometimes” vs. “anytime” food while they create nutritious foods and delicious treats.
Each week in this class, the children will get to experience a different area in the Village. They will enjoy the following activities: art, cooking, science, music, gardening, literature, and drama.
Enjoy a 30-minute interactive concert that includes lots of music, movement, and instruments! Please register in advance.
Enjoy complimentary challah with your child, while socializing with other families! Please register in advance.
Come snuggle and read stories together in this open library time. Enjoy guest storytellers. Please register in advance.
The children will unleash their creativity as they participate in creative activities of all kinds: visual art, dramatic play, and music.
The children will gain independence and confidence in this class as they begin to follow a school routine that is filled with learning activities, gross motor activities, and snack!
Storybook Theater
Dive into fairy tales from around the world. Weekly lessons will explore diverse cultures’ fairy tales and folklore to teach relevant themes in a creative, fun, and interactive environment. Participants will engage in improv, movement, puppetry, and music activities that nurture imagination and empathy through the world of storytelling. Fairy tales include: The 3 brothers and the Golden Apple (Bulgaria), Bunbuku Chagama (Japan), and The Legend of Coqui (Puerto Rico)
Toddlers will begin to learn about basic kitchen principles, such as pouring, mixing, and spreading. The children will enjoy being a part of the cooking process, especially when they get to eat what they make!
Director of Racquet Sports/Head Coach
Vladimir is a former top ranked player and a junior champion of Serbia, NCAA Division 1 player for a Championship team at the University of Florida, a professional player who competed on the ATP Tour for more than 16 years and a Davis Cup player for Serbia alongside Novak Djokovic. Vladimir graduated from the University of Florida where he played at the top of the lineup. During his collegiate career he was ranked as high as number 1, made the NCAA tournament first team and SEC tournament team, was SEC player of the week, and made Dean’s list as well as academic honor roll. He held a professional ranking at the age of 16 and throughout his career, he won 5 professional titles, competed in the biggest events in the world, and reached ATP ranking 192/368 singles and doubles. Throughout his career he competed against, and holds wins over, some of the best players in the world like Mariano Puerta (ATP 5 and French Open finalist), John Isner (ATP 8), Jiri Vesely (ATP 35), Kei Nishikori (ATP 4), Ryan Harrison, Janko Tipsarevic, Benjamin Becker, Sergeiy Stakhovsky, Dusan Lajovic and many more.
Vladimir comes from the same tennis club in Serbia that produced numerous professional players and he trained under the same developmental program as some of the greatest players in the history of tennis like Novak Djokovic. Upon Vladimir’s retirement from professional tennis, he transitioned into a new role as a coach, hitting partner, and adviser to some of the best players on tour. The list of clients he worked with includes Jelena Jankovic (WTA 1), Ana Ivanovic (WTA 1 and Grand Slam winner), Sabine Lisicki (Wimbledon Finalist), Andrea Petkovic (WTA 9), Ivo Karlovic (ATP 14), and Natalia Vikhlyantseva (WTA 54). In the past several years, Vladimir coached a number of junior players who became nationally ranked, received athletic scholarships into some of the most prestigious universities in the USA, reached the Orange Bowl Finals, and won Eddie Her. His proven training process, along with his work ethic, is being implemented into his academy in Orlando.
Vladimir is USPTA Level 1 Elite Professional, USTA Safe Play Coach, USTA ROGY and High Performance Coach and ATP/WTA Touring Coach.
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