Miami City Ballet principal dancer to teach master class at Indian River Charter High

Usually, spending part of the weekend at school doesn’t sound like fun, but for a group of Indian River Charter High School students, it could be life changing.

On Sunday, students and aspiring dancers not enrolled at the school, will get a chance to learn one-on-one from a ballerina with the Miami City Ballet.

“It’s not everyday you get a principal from a very famous dance company here, so you have to go,” said senior, Olivia Schulke, 17, who is part of the high school’s dance program led by instructor Hedi Khursandi. 

“For someone who has made it this far to come here and teach a master class where you get to ask questions and learn from them and gain some knowledge is a really big deal,” Schulke said.

What Schulke is most excited to learn from principal dancer Jennifer Lauren is how she adapts to new teachers and choreographers and learns so quickly.

“I know it’s good to train with one teacher all year, but it’s always good to train with different people because there’s different teaching styles in the real dance world,” Schulke said.
Lauren, who is entering her 11th season with the Miami City Ballet and the 20th season in her career (she previously danced for the Alabama Ballet), understands the importance of branching out on the dance floor.

“I’d like to open up the students to different styles of dance and just try to teach them to value all different styles of ballet and not just classical or Balanchine,” Lauren said. “I’ve done both, so I see the value in both, but it’s just good to have your doors open to all different types of possibilities.”

But it’s not just dance Lauren hopes to teach students. She wants them to know she once sat where they are now. 

As a child, Lauren took ballet classes from Khursandi in Alabama and thinks his lessons helped her forge the path she’s on now.

“It’s been a wonderful career and I couldn’t have done it without the beginnings, the solid base that Hedi gave me,” Lauren said. 

For Khrusandi, hosting the master class, which he has done numerous times,  is a way to push his students to the next level. 

“I can teach them everything, but it’s good for them to see some principal dancers from companies so they can relate to them,” he said. 

“Psychologically it has a big affect on these students because for them to see that these dancers are ordinary human beings just like them, it shows what hard work and dedication can do.”

Ballet master class

What: Master class with Miami City Ballet principal dancer Jennifer Lauren
When: 11 a.m. Sunday
Where: Indian River Charter High School, 6055 College Lane, Vero Beach
Cost: $20. Dancers must sign up in advance. Twenty spots are available on a first-come basis.
Information: 772- 567-6000, ext. 226