Jacksonville Dance Theatre (JDT) has announced the return of its acclaimed summer intensive program, SHAPE/SHIFT 2025. Professional and pre-professional dancers ages 16 and up are invited to join JDT Artistic Director Rebecca R. Levy, resident choreographers, company dancers and special guest instructors for a transformative week of contemporary modern dance, July 28 to Aug. 1 at the Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) South Campus.
Registration is now open, with limited spaces available; early registration is strongly encouraged.
This immersive five-day program offers dancers the opportunity to deepen their practice through contemporary and modern techniques while exploring composition, improvisation and choreography. The experience culminates in a professionally staged public performance on the evening of Aug. 1 at the Nathan H. Wilson Center for the Arts mainstage, showcasing work created during the week.
“SHAPE/SHIFT represents JDT’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of dance artists,” said Levy. “This intensive creates a space where dancers can challenge themselves technically while developing their unique artistic voices in a supportive and collaborative environment.”
SHAPE/SHIFT 2025 Details
Times: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily Location: FSCJ South Campus, 11901 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Cost: $550 per participant Deadline to Register: June 15 Registration: jacksonvilledancetheatre.org/workshops-classes
Featured Faculty
The 2025 intensive features an exceptional faculty, including:
· Rebecca R. Levy — Choreographer, performer and educator whose work explores the intricacies of the mind, feminism and human dynamics through athleticism, humor and detailed movement. Levy co-founded Jacksonville Dance Theatre in 2012 and serves as artistic director, crafting dances, staging performances and fostering new talents. Her critically acclaimed choreographic works have graced festivals, films, concerts and events worldwide.
· Eboné C. Amos — Assistant professor of African-American studies in the Theatre and Dance Department at Austin Peay State University, whose work interrogates the transformative power of the Black radical imagination through movement. Amos is a graduate from a highly competitive MFA dance program at Florida State University and has been staging works of dance in and around the Southern United States since 2010.
· Winter Bosanko — Educator, dance artist and somatic practitioner with more than a decade of dance education experience for students of all ages. Bosanko holds an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she was awarded the Advanced Opportunity Program Fellowship and was a JDT company dancer for seven seasons before becoming company manager in 2022.
· Susan Dodge — Former Paul Taylor Dance Company member, choreographer, educator and founder of the Amelia Island Dance Festival. She has choreographed musicals including “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Xanadu,” “The Drowsy Chaperone” and “Matilda” and made her directorial debut with “First Date” in June 2024.
· Jessica Plonka — Jacksonville native and company artist with JDT since 2021. Plonka is a James Madison University graduate with dual degrees in dance and kinesiology. She serves on the dance faculty at LaVilla School of the Arts and Debbie’s Dance Company, specializing in modern, contemporary, jazz and competition dance.
· Emily Poli — Florida-born company artist and Jacksonville University graduate with a BFA and a minor in kinesiology. Poli’s professional experience includes contracts with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble (Cleo II), Hannah Kahn Dance Company and Wonderbound in Denver, Colorado, before returning to Jacksonville where she performs with JDT while teaching at several local dance studios.
· Kristen Sholes Sullivan — JDT’s associate artistic director, choreographer and dance educator with more than 20 years of experience and an MFA from Florida State University. She danced professionally with Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre from 2005 to 2014 and has performed internationally at theaters and festivals across Europe. Sullivan’s choreography has also been featured in festivals across the United States.
For more information or to register, go to jacksonvilledancetheatre.org/workshops-classes or contact Levy at rebecca@jacksonvilledancetheatre.org.
