Plié for the Arts is hosting a series of international masterclasses for dancers in Jamaica and throughout the region.

The master class series is a Creative Caribbean Project funded by the European Union’s ACP EU fund and implemented by UNESCO, Caricom, and The University of the West Indies.

Disney’s’ Celise Hicks, dance supervisor for The Lion King will lead off the series and she will be followed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing. The series will close with the dean and director of dance at the Juilliard School, Alicia Graf Mack.

Plié’s Founder and Artistic Director Marisa Benain is excited by this great opportunity that will see Jamaican and regional dancers being taught by some of the best master dance teachers, who represent the most successful musical in the world (Lion King), a world-renowned modern dance company (Alvin Ailey), and arguably the most competitive performing arts conservatory in the world (The Juilliard School).

The classes will take place at the National Dance Theatre Company studio in Kingston, Jamaica, and will see dancers from the region participating in-person and virtually on September 16-17, September 26-27, and October 7-8.

This masterclass series is in alignment with the goals and objectives of Plié for the Arts, which is to provide dance development, training, and international exposure to dancers in Jamaica and throughout the region.