|
Audition Dates Friday, February 27th: 6:30-9pm Saturday, February 28th: 6:30-9pm Location: Range of Motion, 812 Chestnut Street ***best if available for both dates Registration deadline is Tuesday, February 24th Looking for versatile dancers for a project running March - June 2026 I am composing music and dance for a proscenium stage show set to be presented in June 2026. The dance and movement of this work draws upon my foundations in street dance and martial arts, while engaging certain modalities from various institutional forms. The movement will be intricate, idiosyncratic, rhythmic, athletic and at times raw. Although drawing upon common foundations, the movement will often deviate from common aesthetics and rule sets. My most recent works have leaned more in the direction of performance art. Although this work will draw upon devices used previously, it will focus more heavily on more conventional dancerliness, i.e. movement centered choreography, formation, stage direction etc. However, the work will deviate from common aesthetics, tropes and even foundational techniques. The aim is to generate movement language that belongs to the contexts of this piece. The themes of the piece, although subject to change, are fictitious folklores and vernaculars for now and the future. Pop culture, technology, dogma, hierarchies and biology are themes of interest. The project seeks experienced dancers and performers with tonal range and athleticism. It seeks adventurous and expressively daring dancers that can manage intricate choreography, improvise and play characters. Dancers should also have a strong sense of rhythm and musicality. The project seeks dancers who are process driven, dedicated to trial and error, learning and excavation. Dancers that attend the audition should be prepared for the following: Learning choreography Improvising freely Improvising with prompts Technical learning for performance application (i.e. improvising with a prompt that uses a technique and/or system) Character exploration Read more details about logistics and guidelines/expectations below. The deadline to register is Tuesday, February 24th. There is limited space available for the audition. Currently the audition is a two day process. However, it might be reduced to a single day and dancers will be assigned a specific day to attend. Dancers should be available for both days listed. If we receive full registration, the form will be shut down. Interested candidates should then email [email protected] to be put on the waitlists. This audition is a competitive process, seeking dancers with skills and attributes that are best suited for this particular project. The registration form contains a written portion that must be completed in order to be eligible to audition. Your answers on the form will be taken into consideration in the selection process along with your performance at the audition. All registrants must also complete a waiver. If you register, but determine that you can’t make the audition, please contact [email protected] ASAP so individuals on the waitlist can be let in. Project Logistics (all details are subject to change) Timeline These details are subject to change. The project timeline is March -June 2026 1-2 performances in Philadelphia will culminate the project. Tentatively performances will be held between June 11 and June 13th. Schedule There are a minimum of 3 hrs of rehearsal per week, starting the week of March 9th. More hours may be added. In order to be eligible for a position, dancers must have the following available: Mondays 9am- 1pm Tuesdays 10am-1pm Thursday 10am -1pm Location: Range of Motion, 812 Chestnut Street Set days and times will be scheduled on either of the days and times shared. The hope is to identify a set day to apply the full 3hr minimum allotment, weekly throughout the project timeline. In this case, additional hours, if needed, would be applied to the other remaining days that haven’t been selected as primary. Final Event There will be 1 or 2 performances for the final event. Tech and Dress rehearsals will likely happen a few days, within the same week, prior to the event day. So if the first performance is Friday, June 11, dancers should plan to have availability for 2 days Monday-Thursday of the same week. Dancers should have a flexible schedule on the performance day. Final tech and performance dates are TBD Pay Rehearsals are paid $20 per hr Performance Fee is TBD (The performance fee will be a flat rate per showing. This rate will include tech/dress responsibilities + performance) Guidelines and Expectations Quality of Participation This project seeks dancers that are professional and able to commit to this project’s process. Dancers are expected to be punctual, organized and good communicators. Dancers should be committed to the process, taking responsibility and ownership over learning and performing the material at their best level. Creative sessions and rehearsals will be diligent, prioritizing physicality and action, so dancers should be interested in such a work flow. Along with learning choreography and composed parts, dancers will be asked to improvise and create within tasks and frameworks given. Dancers should be strong team players that are effective communicators. Dancers should be adaptable and resilient, responding well to constructive criticism and direction. Creative Adventurousness This project seeks dancers that have a strong movement foundation while being open to a wide palette of physical expression and creativity. This project seeks risk takers that embrace failure on the path of learning and development. This project seeks dancers that are open to dynamically and fearlessly exploring a variety of topics ranging between superficial and heavy, along with light and dark. The project will likely feature satire, so dancers that participate should be open to satire and also absurdity. This project seeks dancers that can stretch beyond physical expression, extending into character, narrative, poetics, music, abstraction and more. Technique and Capacities This project seeks dancers that have versatile capacity for movement expression. Dancers should be able to improvise via a personal style that is clear, flowing and compelling. Additionally, dancers should be able to adapt improvisation well to tasks whether narrative or musical. The choreography will be rhythmic and intricate. The choreography will also require athleticism, featuring jumps, rolls, level changes and inversions. The project seeks dancers that have endurance for long durations of uptempo movement and plyometric type movement. Choreography and prompts will reference modalities of street dance while drawing upon martial arts, sports and various aesthetics from institutional dance codification. Dancers should have the capacity to groove and be atmospheric. At the same time, dancers should have the capacity to learn non-genre specific and sometimes idiosyncratic choreography that is detail oriented. Tasks and choreography featured in the project will present pathways that extend beyond the comforts of base, foundation and aesthetic tropes. Dancers that are open to such departures will thrive in this process.  Why We Strut | 3 Hour Workshop Rashaad Hasani Saturday, March 14th 5:30-8:30pm @ 2100 Chestnut St $40 This workshop centers Strutting as a traditional Black American artform form developed in 1970s San Francisco. Participants explore movement through solo expression, group stepping, historical context, and musical empathy. Dancers will:
What we build: Mechanics • Tradition • Form • Story • Voice A return to funk and soul. Honor the legacy. Make it your own.  Come to UMA's annual Valentine's Day event and catch UMA students performing in choreography by UMA instructors Lady Perez, Jae London and Chloe Marie, as well as in solos developed with coaching from Lady Perez. This year, the production's central theme delves into the eight Greek categories of love: Eros (romantic love), Philia (deep friendship), Storge (family love), Ludus (playful love), Pragma (enduring love), Philautia (self-love), Agape (unconditional love), and Mania (obsessive love). Dancers will be guided through an exploration of these concepts and the many facets and tropes of love found within their subcategories. At LoveScope, you're in for a sultry night of dance and performance & support your fellow students! LoveScope SATURDAY, Feb 21st 6-9pm @ First Unitarian Church Tickets $20  Hustle, a partner dance originating in the Latino community of The Bronx, New York City, emerged in the early 1970’s. With its roots in Mambo and Salsa, it ignited the Disco scene of the 70’s and 80’s. Hustle has emerged today as a genre that speaks to a wide array of dancers. Hustle can be danced to music across the spectrum of classic disco, hip-hop, house, R&B, Afro, Cuban and more. Daniel is a master teacher, bringing his vast knowledge to dancers all over the US and abroad. A two-time World Hustle Champion, with over 25 years of Hustle experience, he is known for his extensive knowledge of the subject and for communicating that knowledge in a fun and relatable manner. In this series you will learn the timing, footwork, and basic figures of Hustle, coupled with the ability to dance comfortably at your next club night, party, or jam session. There will be no traditional gender-specific lead-and-follow roles. Anyone may lead and anyone may follow. DATES: February 4-25 WEDNESDAYS 7-8pm - INTRO TO HUSTLE 8-9pm- HUSTLE LEVEL 1- BEYOND BASICS @ 812 Chestnut PRICING/ REGISTRATION $80 for 1 class/week in Feb $140 for 2 classes/ week in Feb (this is if you want to take both levels back to back!) $22 for single drop in (however, we recommend taking the full series, especially if you are new to Hustle!). For the drop in option, you can head to the schedule page to book your class  Placement Process Experience “Mock Audition” Saturday January 31st 5:30-8pm at 812 Chestnut St This will be a combined audition date for both collectives. Please pre-register by filling out the registration form! It is a FREE audition/ level placement. Placement process will determine who gets placed in what level. We are evaluating based on effort and ability to execute choreography, technique of the focused forms, adaptability, awareness of space, and this student questionnaire. This experience is meant to simulate how a traditional Audition would go, we do not want to turn anyone away, but we only have the capacity/resources to fill each level with a certain amount of people especially since this is our mid-season placement. If people want to enroll into the program at a later date it would be by a case by case or invite only basis if space permits that. We also do a full season audition every August. Level Upgrades throughout the season would come from leadership otherwise students would wait until the next open placement process. Thanks! UMA Team  FLOW STATE features physically daring and artistically adventurous dance works, fusing the worlds of street, contemporary theater and folkloric dance. Performance material is generated via workshops led by: Chelsea Murphy, Josh Culbreath, Chachi Perez and Tamar Gutherz. The choreographers share an aim of producing a dance experience that unites virtuosity, whimsy, the ethereal, surrealism and groove. Flow State is an immersive event, somewhere between a party and happening, set to the vibrations and sounds of DJs and live musicians inside an environment of projections and installations that stimulate the senses. Register by Feb 10th Show Date: April 19th Rehearsals Start Feb 13th PRICING:
MEMBERS $110 Member registration $15 add on NON MEMBERS $140 Non-member registration $25 add on *If you are a member of UMAMI Collective or UMA Groove Collective, you receive 40% off your registration *If you are a member of BOTH UMAMI Collective or UMA Groove Collective, you receive 50% off your registration REHEARSAL SCHEDULES You can sign up for one or multiple pieces CHELSEA MURPHYSaturdays Feb 14- April 25th 10am-11:30 @ First Unitarian Church TAMAR GUTHERZ Saturdays Feb 14- April 25th 11:30am-1pm @ First Unitarian Church *April 4 is RESCHEDULED to March 29th 2:30-4pm @ First Unitarian Church CHACHI PEREZSaturdays Feb 14- April 25th 1:00-2:30pm @ First Unitarian Church *March 14 and April 4 are RESCHEDULED to March 8th and 29th from 1-2:30 @ First Unitarian Church JOSH CULBREATH Saturday Feb 14- April 25th 2:30-4:00pm @ First Unitarian Church PIECE DESCRIPTIONS: CHELSEA: About Chelsea’s Piece: Attentional Drift is a dance piece about the amount of time we spend on our phones and the consequential loss of focus, creativity, and deep thinking. Through the use of imagination, improvisation, and rhythm we will explore what it means to pay attention and connect in a time of constant disruption and disconnection. We will ask the question, when was the last time I let my mind wander? TAMAR: About Tamar’s Piece: This piece will be about good-byes, and about dance as a ritual of transition. As we move we allow things to move through us and leave us—opening a portal into new eras, new ways of being, new versions of ourselves. We’ll explore the idea of transitions in various ways, playing with musicality in the beginnings and endings of movements, the dynamic of the floor dropping out from under us and learning how to adapt. We’ll also explore the physical sensation of absence, an emptiness inside the chest stemming from grief or loss. The dance that comes out of this abandon, letting go and leaning into the freedom that comes with loss. CHACHI: About Chachi’s Piece: This movement work is a ritual in motion, an offering to collective resurrection, shared breath, and culture as liberation. Flowing through contemporary, social, and folkloric dance forms, the piece invites the body to remember what community feels like when it moves together. Rhythm becomes prayer, hips become storytellers, and presence becomes celebration. If you want to move ya hips, reconnect to communal pulse, and add a little sazón to your life, you’re invited to step into this work! JOSH: Josh's piece will use Homer's Odyssey as inspiration, the rehearsal process will focus on themes of reclaiming/ understanding space and memory through character work and explorative movement scores. While Josh specializes in breaking, he welcomes folks from all movement backgrounds into this collaborative process. Participants can expect embodied writing, character works and movement exploration. "The Collective Experience" is a split bill show between "The Groove Collective" directed by Marcus "Epic" Tucker and "The UMAMI Collective" directed by Rylee "Prodigy" Locker. Both collectives are the two Adult Training Companies at Urban Movement Arts. The Collectives offer performance training that focus on developing capacity in foundational forms of street/club dance, ranging from Locking, Waacking, Popping, Breaking, Voguing, House and Hip Hop. The mission is to create an environment that supports dancers by giving tools needed to prepare dancers to perform and participate in professional work. Two Shows: Saturday, Jan 10th 7:00pm Stick around for a DJ set and party after the show on Saturday! 8:30pm-midnight! Sunday, Jan 11th 4:00pm @ Fringe Arts 140 N Christopher Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, PA Tickets: $20 UMA Groove Collective: Walkout Show description: “Walkout” is scenes and excerpts for a full unfinished theater show. In a future where AI and robots dominate the arts, a totalitarian regime bans human creativity. Underground gatherings emerge, where humans secretly dance and express emotions. A regime scientist develops a machine to transmit human dance skills to AI. When a police raid captures talented dancers, a catastrophic malfunction occurs, resulting in all but one dancer's death. This lone survivor merges with an AI robot, becoming the first to possess a true soul. As the special robot dances authentically, it causes other AI to malfunction, showcasing the irreplaceable value of genuine human emotion and creativity. UMAMI Collective: Femmebot Frenzy Show description: "Femmebot Frenzy" is a show that challenges the stereotypical “bot.” Inspired by music ranging from Disco and Funk to K-Pop and Vogue beats, the performance launches us into a cosmic journey where the dancers—Femmebots themselves—navigate the universe freely, experiencing human emotion for the first time as they break free from their programming. This show celebrates our autonomy, honors our humanity, and empowers us to rise into our highest self.  Valentine's Day is approaching, and what better way to warm up the chilly winter months than with the LoveScope Production and Party? This six-week series invites dancers to explore the sensual side of UMA. This year's production is curated by Jess aka Lady Perez, drawing on her extensive background in theatre, waacking, and burlesque to guide participants through an engaging artistic process. The program will also feature two guest choreographers Sjaedah 'Jae' London and Chloe Marie. In addition to learning group choreography, all participants have the chance to create and perform their own solo with personal coaching from Lady Perez. This year, the production's central theme delves into the eight Greek categories of love: Eros (romantic love), Philia (deep friendship), Storge (family love), Ludus (playful love), Pragma (enduring love), Philautia (self-love), Agape (unconditional love), and Mania (obsessive love). Dancers will be guided through an exploration of these concepts and the many facets and tropes of love found within their subcategories. This collaborative program is best suited for dancers with an advanced beginner skill level and above; bring your team spirit and prepare for a creative journey. The series culminates in a sultry night of performance and party. Join the LoveScope production this winter to refine your skills, build a powerful solo performance, and get in touch with your sensual side this Valentine’s Day. REHEARSAL DATES: Jan 10- Feb 18th CLASS/ REHEARSAL TIMES: -Saturdays 5:30-7:00pm at 2100 Chestnut (Jess) *1/10 RESCHEDULED to 2/20 6:30-8pm @ 812 Chestnut -Saturdays 7:00-8:15pm @ 2100 Chestnut (Chloe) *1/10 RESCHEDULED to 1/16 6:30-7:45pm @ 812 Chestnut S-undays 10:30-11:45am @ 812 Chestnut (Jae)* * 1/18 RESCHEDULED to 1/23 6:15-7:30 @ 812 Chestnut -Wednesdays 8-9:30pm @ church (Jess) We encourage participants to sign up only if they can make PRICES: $150 Non Member $125 Member *UMA Groove and UMAMI Collective Members receive 40% off their registration **If you are in BOTH UMA Groove and UMAMI Collective, you receive 50% off registration REG CLOSES: JAN 8 EVENT DATE: Feb 21st @ First Unitarian Church Register via this form. When registration closes we will follow up to confirm if we have received enough sign ups and then send payment links to finalize participation. Email [email protected] with questions!  2 v 2 All Styles Battle November 30th, 5-9pm First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Final Competition of the 2025 Season REGISTER TO BATTLE: $25 per person SPECTATOR TICKETS: $20 Open to any 2 person teams that would like to battle. Each team member must complete battle registration. UMA concludes it's battle program season with its inaugural 2 v 2 competition. Marcus Tucker, director of battle workshops, has led a group of students and guest instructors Bboy Rukkus and Ricky ''Glytch" Evans in workshops that support students with polishing their individual skills while learning how to strategize with a teammate for competition. Crew Battles are a central component in street dance culture. UMA battle workshop participants have had the opportunity to explore the experience of training in a crew. We invite all UMA students and beyond to battle or to join as spectacles and of course for the party. Let's bring the hype to close out UMA's first battle workshop season.  Hustle, a partner dance originating in the Latino community of The Bronx, New York City, emerged in the early 1970’s. With its roots in Mambo and Salsa, it ignited the Disco scene of the 70’s and 80’s. Hustle has emerged today as a genre that speaks to a wide array of dancers. Hustle can be danced to music across the spectrum of classic disco, hip-hop, house, R&B, Afro, Cuban and more. Daniel is a master teacher, bringing his vast knowledge to dancers all over the US and abroad. A two-time World Hustle Champion, with over 25 years of Hustle experience, he is known for his extensive knowledge of the subject and for communicating that knowledge in a fun and relatable manner. In this abbreviated 3-week workshop series, you will learn the timing, footwork, and basic figures of Hustle, coupled with the ability to dance comfortably at your next club night, party, or jam session. There will be no traditional gender-specific lead-and-follow roles. Anyone may lead and anyone may follow. DATES:
November 5-19 WEDNESDAYS 7-8pm @ 812 Chestnut PRICING/ REGISTRATION $60 for 1 class/week for 3 weeks $22 for single drop in (we recommend taking the full series, especially if you are new to Hustle!) |
ContributorsKayla Bobalek Archives
February 2026
Categories |
RSS Feed
Locations
812 Chestnut StSearch 'Urban Movement Arts @ 812 Chestnut' on Google Maps
|
2100 Chestnut St. 2nd Flr
*entrance is on 21st! between Rione Pizza & Monde Market*
|