Youth Ensemble
What is Youth Ensemble?
Our four Youth Ensemble groups are comprised of dancers in grades 4-12. Participating in Youth Ensemble involves a commitment to class and rehearsal beyond normal class expectations and is intended for dancers who wish to hone their technique and performance skills. Time commitments are composed of weekly rehearsals and some pre- scheduled weekends. Additional rehearsals may be called in preparation for performances. In addition to their weekly schedules, ensemble members will have the opportunity to work with different choreographers in a variety of dance genres, perform throughout the year at various venues in the community, attend the annual Howard County Community Dance Festival (a weekend of master classes and performances culminating in a student showcase), perform in Youth Ensemble productions in December and April, take part in an informal student choreography showcase, and have their work featured in the Kinetics Spring Showcase.
Please see the information below for admission requirements for each Youth Ensemble group:
- Open to dancers in grades 4-7
- No audition necessary
- Rehearses one hour per week
- Enrollment Requirement: 1 Modern + 1 additional class (ballet, jazz or hip hop)
- Annual Dues: $160
- Open to dancers in grades 8-12, dancers in grade 7 by audition only
- No audition required
- Rehearses 1 hour per week
- Enrollment Requirement: 1 Modern + 1 additional class (ballet, jazz, hip hop or contemporary)
- Annual Dues: $175
- Open to dancers in grades 8-12
- Admission by audition only
- Rehearses 1.25 hours per week
- Enrollment Requirement: 1 modern + 2 additional classes (ballet, jazz, hip hop or contemporary)
- Annual Dues: $175
- Open to dancers in grades 8-12
- Admission by audition only
- Rehearses 1.5 hours per week
- Annual Dues: $200
- Enrollment Requirements will be decided on a case by case basis within the following parameters:
- Recommended: 1 modern + 2 additional classes (ballet, jazz, hip hop or contemporary)
Directors
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Alex J. Krebs
Associate Artistic Director, Youth Ensemble Director, Repertory 1 and Apprentice Director -
Levi Coy
Repertory 2 Director -
Teresa Whittemore
Pre-Repertory Director, Project Administrator
Alex J. Krebs
Associate Artistic Director, Youth Ensemble Director, Repertory 1 and Apprentice Director
Alex J. Krebs has been an instructor at Kinetics since 2008. In the Spring of 2013 she received her BA in Dance from UMBC. She has trained in ballet, jazz, musical theatre, modern, lyrical and hip-hop. At UMBC Alex trained with Helanius Wilkins, Douglas Hamby, Carol Hess-Vait, Sandra Lacy and former Paul Taylor dancer Elizabeth Walton. She has performed with Baltimore Dance Project, Kinetics Dance Company, LucidBeings Dance and Masala Soul Project. Alex is currently the Associate Artistic Director and directs Youth Ensemble’s Repertory 1 and Apprentice groups. She also is a Senior Adjunct of Dance at Howard Community College and the Assistant Artistic Director of HCC’s Dance Company.
Levi Coy
Repertory 2 Director
Teresa Whittemore
Pre-Repertory Director, Project Administrator
Teresa graduated Magna Cum Laude with her BA in Dance and Pre-Physical Therapy from University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2020. She attended her undergraduate program under full scholarship as a member of the Linehan Artist Scholars Program. Knowing early that she wanted to pursue a career in education, Teresa completed the Teaching Academy of Maryland in 2016, through which she studied child development, curriculum, pedagogy and theories of education. Teresa instructs students in Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, and dance conditioning. She has completed the Lisa Howell Teacher Training and is certified in teaching Progressing Ballet Technique, both of which have contributed to her wholistic approach to teaching that centers anatomy, physiology, injury-prevention, psychosomatics, and above all else, healthy dance training.
In addition to her focus in education, Teresa has received the honor of presenting her choreographic works When Eve and Eve Bit the Apple and Giving Skin at the American College Dance Association’s Regional Conference. Both works were adjudicated and selected for the ACDA Gala Concert. Her work, Spoon Theory, was also selected for presentation through New York based Arts By the People.
Teresa has been a part of the Kinetics community in nearly every capacity over the years. She started out as a student right here at Kinetics and fell in love with our warm, familial community. She began volunteering administratively and assistant teaching under Jodi Guzewich in 2012. Teresa interned under Kinetics’ former School Director from 2014-2016, and she began teaching in 2014. Throughout college, Teresa continued instructing at Kinetics and served as both the Interim School Administrator, and the Assistant School Manager through Kinetics’ transitions of direction. In Spring 2021, Teresa completed her first year as a Kinetics Youth Ensemble director, working with Pre-Repertory.
In addition to teaching at Kinetics, Teresa has been on the teaching faculty at JMD Studios, C-Unit, EMC Performing Arts Studio, and Expressions Performing Arts, and regularly guest-teaches at Design in Motion Dance. In the Fall, Teresa will be the director of her own Ballet Company at Expressions Performing Arts, where she will be setting a classical ballet production and coaching students for the Youth American Grand Prix.