Community Classes

Over the past fifteen years, Jean has succeeded in creating a vibrant and supportive community brought together by his weekly Saturday Afro-Haitian class at The Dance Complex. It’s a loose network of hundreds of people, 75 of which attend class on any given Saturday. The students are a multicultural rainbow of all ages, shapes, genders and abilities. It is a communal celebration through dance and music.

Afro-haitian

Saturdays, 1:30 - 3:00 pm @ The Dance Complex

Open company class - Modern (Horton)

Friday, 6-8pm. $10. Green Street Studios.

Spring 2017 dates: April 28 - June 16

Join the JAE Company Dancers for their Friday night class. This is a fast-paced modern class, based in Horton with Afro-Haitian and jazz influences. Each class starts center with some traditional Horton exercises (roll downs, flat backs), moving into longer center combinations involving side/lateral/front T's, turns, spirals, and the like. Next, dancers go across the floor. Class will either finish there, or conclude with a modern-based combination Jean dreams up, maybe that lasts only for that evening, or maybe that ends up incorporated into a future JAE performance. Or, maybe something totally different will happen! But we can promise that you'll sweat and work on some serious modern technique.

Pedagogy and Approach 

Jean’s pedagogy is based upon a strong foundation in ballet, Horton technique and Haitian folkoric dance.  Developed by Lester Horton, Horton technique emphasizes a whole body, anatomical approach to dance that includes flexibility, strength, coordination and body and spatial awareness to enable unrestricted, dramatic freedom of expression. Jean’s alma mater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, is known for its strong use of Horton technique, derived from Ailey’s studies with Lester Horton who was his most significant artistic and pedagogical influence.

Beyond technique, however, it is Jean’s philosophical approach to teaching dance that is so noteworthy. Jean’s dance classroom provides a uniquely positive and affirming atmosphere in which every student (regardless of their ability and prior training) is deemed inherently capable and artistic. Jean also creates a highly rigorous and challenging environment in which he has the same expectations of every student—to achieve his/her best through personal expression. Jean’s gift as a teacher is that dancers of all abilities leave the same class feeling that they have had a successful experience, regardless of whether they are a beginning or advanced dancer.

Teen Program

Jean Appolon Expressions’ Teen Program is for students ages 13-19 who are interested in improving their dance technique and learning, rehearsing and performing original choreography by Jean Appolon. The JAE Teen Program is led by JAE Artistic Director and Co-founder Jean Appolon. The Program is infused with Jean Appolon’s signature choreographic style, which combines Horton technique (preferred technique of Alvin Ailey), and elements of Haitian folkloric and Dunham techniques. Appolon’s pedagogical approach creates a uniquely positive, affirming and challenging environment in which each student is considered inherently capable and artistic, and is encouraged to achieve her/his best through personal expression. While some dance experience is encouraged, one of Jean Appolon’s strengths is that students–beginner to advanced–leave his class feeling as though they have had a successful experience regardless of their level or prior training.

JAE’s Teen Program is free to all participants thanks to generous support from Massachusetts Cultural Council and Cambridge Arts Council.

Check back here for Spring 2017 information.