The choreographer and educator brings together professionals from Sweden, Mexico, Israel, UK, Moscow and Spain for an extended virtual workshop

This year may have been full of challenges but Australian-Indian choreographer and educator Ashley Lobo is ending it on an upbeat note. From December 26 to 30, he will be hosting a five day, virtual workshop for dance aspirants. Helming this intensive outreach with their expertise will be six international teachers from Sweden, Mexico, Spain, UK, Moscow and Israel.

The event is being organised under the aegis of Ashley’s institute, The Danceworx (TDX . Through the lockdown and beyond, TDX has been organising online tutorials, events and workshops to educate and motivate dancers.

And now, Ashley himself along with Kentaro Mitsumori from the Royal Swedish Ballet, Shani Cohen from the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, Josh Denyer from the United Kingdom, Heidy Batista from Mexico and Juanjo Hinojosa from Spain, will be taking intensive classes on Zoom. 26 TDX choreographers who have been mentored by 10 TDX veterans will also be imparting their skill sets to the students.

On the final day, students will showcase their freshly acquired dexterity in an event and tickets will be available online for the same. There will also be an online exchange between students and celebrity panelists.

Says Ashley, “The purpose of this initiative is to expose our dancers to the best international talents, to train their minds and bodies so that they absorb more information in shorter time spans, compared to what they are used to in academy classes. As an educator, it is my responsibility to push them out of their comfort zone into a space where the impossible becomes possible. The exposure to international artists from premier ballet and contemporary companies will also give them a better idea of the level of dance expected internationally.”