Robert Najarian is an actor, instructor, fight director, and author hailing from the East Coast. As a performer, Najarian has been seen in more than 40 productions in cities such as New York, Chicago, Washington, and Boston with such companies as The American Repertory Theatre, Washington National Opera, and NYC’s Punchdrunk, where he was an original cast member of the critically acclaimed show Sleep No More. The class will be an extension of previous mod labs starting with a brief overview of partnering concepts leading into group dynamics focusing on ocular focus and kinesthetic response.

Each Modern Lab session features a different guest artist teaching a master class and sections from their repertory. This panorama of the contemporary dance field is presented to broaden the students’ awareness of potential career possibilities. Each guest artist conducts a 30-minute technique class/warm-up and then teaches repertory that is performed by the class. In the final 15 minutes, faculty coordinator Bill De Young conducts a Q & A with each artist, discussing their career; their recommendations for transitioning from student to professional, and what they look for when they audition dancers for their projects.

This event supported in part by the EXCEL Lab.