January 13, 2019.  
6:30pm-7:45pm on January 13th 
$15 advance ticket purchase / $20 at the door 
We're excited to welcome back Virgil's bright energy and expertise! He is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher working across hip hop disciplines. You don't want to miss this!

Here's his bio from Broadway Dance Center in NYC, where he teaches:
Over the years, Virgil "Lil O" Gadson has appeared in NFL commercials, Season Eight of So You Think You Can Dance (top 30), MTV‘s Americas Best Dance Crew, music videos, and has choreographed musicals. He is an avid student and instructor of Hip-Hop dance and he thoroughly incorporates himself into all aspects of the art form.
Virgil was nominated for a Fred Astaire Award for the Broadway show After Midnight (7 Tony nominations) as principle actor/dancer along side Dule Hill, Fantasia Barrino, and Desmond Richardson alongside numerous other artists.
Ranging from outreach programs in Philadelphia to the University of the Arts in Center City to classrooms in Bermuda, Virgil has instructed children and adults of all ages and is very involved in his community as well as dance communities abroad. He has also competed in Paris, Japan, China and Russia representing the U.S for the Hip-Hop title of many different competitions from 2011-2013.

This fall we added two classes to the schedule: Beginner House with Ricky Evans and Locking & Funk Styles with Drew Ramsey. Both of these guys hail from the Hoodlockers, Philly's foremost locking crew. Our social media intern Adriana Imhof recently captured some of their magic. The Hoodlockers can be found not only teaching and throwing down around town but performing on major theater stages such as Jacob's Pillow and off-Broadway, in Rennie Harris' Funkified! (click here to read the NY Times coverage). 

On July 19th, I had the pleasure of hosting our first formally-informal works in progress cabaret. It was awesome. I was a cabaret in the sense that the vibe was intimate, with lots of space for audience response, and the line up had a rich variety of clever performers. Studio B was packed with both UMA regular students eager to see their teacher and classmates under a new light, as well as folks brand new to the space, who came to see their friends throw down.

Artsits included Amalia Waitr Lewis (@amalia_raye), Sanchel Brown (our current teaching resident, @trudancer92), Maddie Hopfield (@wibmd), Noa Schnitzer (@noatree), Lillian Ransijn (@lillianatora), and Ben Baker with Jamal (@tbbake and @tru_dalife). Everyone's work shimmered with inter-disciplinarity. I like performance where the artists are taking risks with their conceptual questions as well as technical capacity. Amalia timed her work through the chewing of ginger candies; Sanchel was a prism of gendered racial identity; Maddie messed around with apples and language; Lillian slithered through between grief and sexuality; Ben proposed a triptych of poetic moods of hip hop; with paper puppetry, Noa made us laugh and groan about what it's like to read the news these days. I was stoked by how attentive the audience was, with lots of tender and thoughtful feedback. 

Most of the artists in this first go round were applicants to our summer residency. We had such a kick ass pool of applicants, I wanted to do harness that momentum, even though I couldn't offer them all residency positions. Vince and I have both had our own ups and downs in the arts funding/creative capital world; it can be a bummer than being an artist has come to require also being a fundraiser and grant writer. It felt really good to be able to curate a night of work I woulnd't have known about if not for the residency application process and to give these killer artist a low stress platform (and a month of free classes.)

Big thanks to the artists for sharing their work and for everyone who came out to support. 
​Lily

Intro to Yoga (for newcomers to Yoga)
This is a 6 week intensive that provides a step by step process for starting a yoga practice. Introducing the names and alignment of basic postures, this series is for newcomers of all ages. It will provide a base of knowledge to enter any style of yoga. Instructor Alex Brazinski  teaches at a comfortable beginner pace to build confidence for new movers; there's no pressure to keep up. Come learn about yoga! 
When: Sundays 4:30-5:30 Nov 12-Dec 17th 
Cost: $65 
Sign up here
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Backbends and Handstands for All Levels
A 6 week intensive for individuals with a basic to advanced level of practice. This workshop  teaches yoga-based methods of developing handstands and backbends. Instructor, Noah Julian, provides students with safe and mindful steps to unlocking new physical mobility and capabilities for performing feats of power and grace. Click to watch video of Noah. 
When: Thursdays 6:30-7:30pm  Nov 9th- Dec 21 (no class on Nov 23rd, Thanksgiving)
Cost: $65
Sign up here

More Great Class Options @ UMA Philly Yoga and Workout Classes 

• Ballet and Yoga Fusion Workout (Mondays, 7-8pm)
• Brawn and Balance: Totally Integrated Workout (Tuesdays, 8-9pm)
• Break Dance Workout (Hip Hop HIIT) (Saturdays, 1:15-2:15pm

Feel free to stop by anytime. We are on 21st street between Chestnut and Sansom, next door to Poi Dog. 

UMA's founder & director, Vince Johnson, acting out in the street.