Contemporary Dance (Mixed Level)
Faciliated by Vija Kemanis
December 6, 2025
10-12pm
Vija’s two-hour contemporary class starts with a careful, full body warmup influenced by her decades-long practice of Simonson Technique. The emphasis is on anatomical awareness with a healthy balance of stretching, strengthening, and dance technique. After center warmup and floor stretches, Vija leads the class in progressions—short combinations traveling across the studio. The class culminates in a longer dance combination, followed by a short period of student improvisation. Vija loves music and uses a variety of genres. Her contemporary movement incorporates attention to musicality, percussive/lyrical contrast, fluidity, and emotion.
Schedule
10am – 12pm, December 6
Option to stay overnight at WildHeart before or after – come early or stay late. Reach out to us at contact@wildheartcenter.art to confirm your stay.
Who is it for?
The class is “Mixed Level,” open to adults (16+) with any level of dance experience from beginner to advanced. Any type of dance experience is helpful (ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, etc.), whether one year or fifty years of training. Vija’s exercises and combinations are adaptable for all body types and experience levels. More advanced dancers will move deeper in the body with greater flexibility and extension.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I wear to class?
Any comfortable clothing you can move freely in. Dancers may choose to take the class barefoot or with soft dance shoes (modern half soles or ballet shoes).
Is this a “Simonson” class?
Not strictly, but Vija’s warmup is heavily influenced by her decades of training in Simonson Technique. Here is a quote from the official website, where you can find more information: “Simonson Technique, created and developed by master teacher Lynn Simonson, is an organic approach to movement that prepares the body to dance in a way that is anatomically intelligent and somatically aware.”
Is any of Vija’s choreography on film?
Some of Vija’s choreography can be found on her YouTube channel. Here are a few examples: OneTwoOne and Lyrical Jazz with Vija.
About Vija Kemanis
Vija (pronounced Vee-ya) started dancing at the age of seven in Oakland, California. As a teen, she studied with an affiliate of England’s Royal Academy of Dance and mastered the RAD ballet syllabus. Her subsequent training in Colorado and New York as an adult, and continuing to this day, encompasses a wide range of modern jazz and contemporary styles. She is certified in the Simonson Method of Teacher Training™. Performance credits include (California): Dancer’s Theatre, Carlos Carvajal’s Dance Spectrum, The Berkeley Mime Troupe; (Colorado): The Boulder Jazz Dance Company; (New York): The TZDG Jazz Workshop, works by choreographers Susan Czechel, Katiti King, and Teresa Perez Ceccon, and Vija’s own choreography. Vija has decades of experience teaching and choreographing for dancers of all ages, levels and styles in many Westchester County studios. She is currently on the faculty of Scarsdale Ballet Studio. For information about her legal career and published fiction, go to V.S. Kemanis.
Vija’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@v.s.kemanis5320
OneTwoOne: https://youtu.be/KYqPlHQnVEo
Lyrical Jazz with Vija: https://youtu.be/kI0_wr4c5Qk
V.S. Kemanis website: https://www.vskemanis.com/
Location
This workshop will take place in the Barn. If you’re coming to WildHeart for the first time, please visit our Directions page for arrival info.
Refund Policy
- no refunds, no transfers.
(This policy stands even in case of sickness so we encourage participants to plan accordingly)
Register for the workshop
Class Cost
$15-30 Sliding Scale
BIPOC spots
We are offering 2 free spots for BIPOC folx. Please select BIPOC Spot from the Pricing drop down to use one.