Camp and Vacation Programming
A Time To Explore
Ascendance Half Day Camp
FEBRUARY 2024 , FULL
Page To Stage February Camp * Accepting Names for Waitlist
2/19/24-2/23/24
Join our annual performing arts winter camp, Page To Stage. Campers, ages 6-9, will immerse themselves in DANCE, ART, MUSIC, and DRAMA while working alongside special guests, as part of our theater arts discovery week. Seasoned artists & performers will guide our group with master instructors from Ascendance. No prior dance experience required. 9AM-12:30PM.
Featuring: Voice with Soprano Michelle Marinelli Prindle from The Prindle School, theater educator & improv artist Heidi Haas. Dance for musical theater, acro & jazz hip-hop. Scenery making & crafts with Art Always. Puppetry with Megan Allen.
$50 deposit Required. $250 session
SUMMER 2024!!!
Up, Up & Away!
Storytellers!
Around The World!
NEW! Let The Games Begin!
Mix It Up!
Empowered Presence – Technique and Wellness for Pre-Teens
Special Guests, 2024 Children’s Camps:
Heidi Haas Improv, Lindsay Fogg-Willits & Art Always, Lexi Walters Wright & High Five Books, Hitchcock Center, Springfield Museums, Dance Educator Kate Martel, Ascendance Instructors: Tiffany Joseph & Nadine Matthews, Jeremy “J-Rock” Wheat
More Guests to come, Stay Tuned!
* A variety of dance styles offered each week in all camps.
No previous dance experience required.
Scroll down for full camp descriptions…
We are excited to feature programming from some of our local small businesses. They provide excellent experiences for youth in the region and we are grateful to be able to include them in our summer and vacation offerings!
Summer Half Day Camp!
UP, UP & AWAY! July 1-5 , 2024
Ages 6-9, 9AM-12:30PM, 15 students, $250
We’re bringing back an expanded discovery week dedicated to flight! Through dance, expressive arts, education & enrichment, we’ll explore the principles of flight & movement, experimenting with weight & gravity. Get a birds-eye view with special guests, learn about what it takes to prepare for take-off & how weather plays an important role. From butterflies & birds to planes & hot air balloons, we’re soaring to new heights this summer. A variety of dance styles, art & experiments are part of the fun.
Let’s Fly!
STORYTELLERS! A celebration of dance movement & children’s literature.
July 8 – 12th, 2024
Age 6-9, 9AM-12:30PM. $250
The art of storytelling is shared in many ways, whether it be DANCE, MUSIC, ART, or the written WORD. This week we’re tapping into all of it! Imaginative play will be our guide as we interpret beloved children’s books and create stories of our own, through language, movement, puppetry, and song. Hear from incredible storytellers who have paved the way & entertained us for years. In past sessions, we’ve welcomed Author/Illustrator Grace Lin & Heidi E.Y. Stemple. Who will be joining us in 2024?
Stay tuned for our guest author reveal!
AROUND THE WORLD!
July 22-26th
Ages 6-9, 15 students, 9AM-12:30PM, $250
Get ready for a globetrotting adventure traveling to a different international destination every day. Guest artists will share connections to countries, highlighting cultures & traditions through stories, dance & music, even traditional foods. Take a journey with us as we celebrate different parts of the world through movement & expressive arts.
No passport required!
August Camps!
NEW!! LET THE GAMES BEGIN August 5-9
Ages 6-9, 15 students, 9AM-12:30PM, $250
From the youth games, now to the main stage, breakdancing will make Olympic history, as an official competitive sport in the August 2024 Paris games! We’ll be gearing up for the main event, learning basic breakdancing moves & more about the history of this popular hip hop dance form with AIWA instructor Jeremy J-Rock Wheat. In addition, we’re hosting our first AIWA summer games, a combination of dance and olympics! Learning teamwork, dedication and perseverance, this camp will bring the friendly competitor out of everyone. Step up to the podium & join the fun- with a variety of dance classes & art projects that can’t be beat.
Go For the Gold!
MIX IT UP! Aug 19-23rd
Ages 6-9, 15 students, 9AM-12:30PM, $250
This is the perfect camp for the child who wants to dip their toes in a little of everything! Melty beds, jewelry making, shaving cream art, let’s go! Our fun filled “Mix It Up” week is all about exploration and variety, whether it be through dance, music, or art. No two days are alike, and that’s what we love about this popular theme week.
Slime bar, here we come!
Pre-Teen Week
Empowered Presence: Technique and Wellness Week
Aug 12-16
Ages 10-12, 11:00-3:00 $275 , 15 students
In its second year, the Empowered Presence half day camp for pre-teen dancers provides a brand new approach to dance training. Through daily practice of body-mind awareness, the five senses, our proprioceptive abilities, and imaginative impulse, we will connect to our bodies’ inherent intelligence, and learn to listen to its wisdom. Dancers will have two daily technique classes in various styles that focus on empowered response: the art of choosing our next action, consciously rather than reacting. Focusing on how sound, words, music, and story influence our state, we will learn how to interpret cues and sensations in the body that communicate our needs. Special Guests will be with us during the week to teach us how to incorporate self-care and wellness practices into our daily lives.
*Registration opens 1/20*$50 Deposit Required for all camps. Questions? kathryncarpenter@ascendancearts.com
Ascendance Happenings:
First Friday’s: Parent’s Night Out: the first Friday of every month 7-9:30 PM, Oct-June 2024. Pizza, Movie, Art Always Craft. All children ages 5 plus are welcome. See Community Programs for 2024 Movies & Dates
Half Days at Ascendance! Returning Fall 2024, We’ve got you covered during elementary school conference week, Sign up for individual days based on YOUR schedule. Students in grades, k-2 and 3-5 .
