INTENSIVES

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The VALLETO Intensives is now held biennially, welcoming participants from around the globe. This program serves as an artistic incubator, offering a rich blend of dance training, holistic practices, and collaborative opportunities with fellow dancers. Designed for semi-professional and professional dancers, the intensive culminates in a live performance, showcasing the talent and dedication of its participants. This change to a biennial schedule allows for more comprehensive planning and preparation, ensuring each intensive is a unique and enriching experience.

NEXT INTENSIVE:

January 2025

winter intensive  

 

Location: TBA

 Why did we decide to make our intensives every two years?

As we approach a new phase in the journey of VALLETO, we have important updates to share with our dedicated community of dancers, instructors, and supporters.

Transition to a Biennial Format: After careful consideration, we've decided to transition our dance summer intensive from a biannual event to a biennial one. This change, effective immediately, means that instead of holding the intensive twice a year, it will now occur every two years.

Reasons for the Change:

Enhanced Planning and Budgeting: The new biennial schedule allows more time for thorough budgeting and financial planning. This is crucial for maintaining the quality and accessibility of our program, ensuring that every intensive is a remarkable experience for all participants.
Director Preparedness and Fresh Content: With more time between each intensive, our director can gather fresh, innovative ideas and information, enhancing the curriculum and overall experience. This ensures that each intensive remains cutting-edge and impactful.


Focus on Sustainable Funding: VALLETO is constantly exploring new funding opportunities to support our programs. As a creative organization, securing consistent funding is challenging, yet essential for our growth and sustainability. We aim to provide an environment where art and expression through dance can thrive without financial constraints.

Looking Towards Our 10th Anniversary: As we look ahead to our 10th year, we are filled with anticipation and excitement. This milestone is not just a celebration of our past achievements but also a launching point for future ambitions. We hope to mark this special anniversary with a truly memorable intensive, embodying the spirit and passion that VALLETO has always stood for.

Our Commitment: These changes reflect our commitment to excellence, sustainability, and the continuous evolution of our program. We deeply appreciate your understanding and support as we embark on this new chapter. Together, let's continue to celebrate the power and beauty of dance.

 

Winter Intensive 2025

Heal + Artistic Experimentation Edition

We are excited to offer an intensive workshop uniquely crafted for movement and visual artists seeking a nurturing environment for artistic growth and experimentation. Our program is tailored to those who are delving into their artistic journey, offering a safe and supportive space for exploration, dialogue, and constructive feedback.

Participants will engage in various activities throughout the workshop, including movement exercises, durational processes, and in-depth discussions. We aim to foster an environment where artists can question, understand, and delve deeper into their creative 'why'. The program includes an immersive study of human expression within the realm of performance art, allowing participants to both learn from others and discover their own distinctive practices.

Key Details:

* The workshop requires a minimum of 10 participants to proceed.

* Ages from 18 and up


At the heart of our workshop is the freedom to express oneself authentically.

* Participants are encouraged to embrace their emotions openly, with the assurance that the experiences shared within the workshop remain confidential.

* This is a journey of personal research, and while individual exploration is respected, sharing insights and experiences with fellow participants is integral to the collective growth of the group.


Our Core Values: Vulnerability, Self-Expression, Trust, Safety, Empathetic Listening, Radical transformation

Our intentions are:
• To create a supportive and loving community.
• To connect with our intuition, our inner self, our truth & our power.
• To express ourselves fully, and be witnessed with love.
• To reclaim our voice and find our WHY? as artists. 
To design our year so we start with a clear plan of action. 

 

 

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Summer Intensive 2025

Valleto Dance Intensive

VALLETO Summer Intensive fosters a supportive and non-judgmental environment for dancers to build unique perspectives about their movement language while refining their technique and unleashing their creative potential. Under Valeria Gonzalez's direction, attendees will have the chance to collaborate, learn new choreography, and receive individualized mentorship to their needs and aspirations. Build lasting relationships, gain new perspectives, and contribute to the dance world with your unique voice!

 

 Fellowship Program Opportunity: 

VALLETO's Fellowship Program offers a fully-funded opportunity for a dancer to participate in our two-week intensive, focusing on professional growth and fostering creativity. The selected dancer will not only attend all classes and contribute to the Performance Project but also work closely with VALLETO Director, Valeria. This collaboration will include discussions, feedback, exploring creative possibilities, and observing classes.

The program encourages a flexible approach, enabling the dancer to immerse themselves in the experience through various means, such as videography, choreography, collaboration, observation, or photography. The Fellowship Program aims to provide dancers with the freedom to delve into their creative interests in a supportive and non-judgmental environment.


 

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PHOTO BY DÉ RANDLE

SESSIONS

VALLETO COMPANY CLASS

BODYDRAMA

 Valeria's classes take you on a physical and sensorial journey to awaken the unconscious, and emotional inner knowledge. Valeria cultivates a safe space for the students to have a deeper connection to the movement practices. Her workshops also focus on exploring partnering dynamics, undoing old movement habits, and unveiling the psyche through a variety of contemporary dance methodologies, improvisation, and acting methods. Her goal is to invite the students to have more awareness of their bodies, their minds, and their spirits to find freedom in the uncomfortable. Valeria encourages her dancers to tap into their imaginations, and their desires for unapologetic self expression.

She also includes:

ºHolistic Approaches (Meditation)

ºEmbodiment Practices

ºDialogue

ºDiscovering What Is Your Artistic Statement (Journaling)

 

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PHOTO BY SARAH ANNIE NAVARRETE- COURTESY OF UT AUSTIN


VALLETO CHOREOGRAPHY/CREATIVE PROCESS

Valeria’s choreographic process excavates deep emotional states and memories through movement research, shapes, geometry, voice, the outer and inner world, sound, curiosity and collaborative exploration. She safely invites her dancers to be vulnerable and allows them to unveil the many layers that our collective consciousness hides.  

Valeria is interested in the creature we all hold within. Her goal is to awaken and allow uninhibited self-expression in all aspects of the process to happen. 

 




 

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"I found the effects of the intensive even weeks later, rewiring my brain into new ways of thinking and appreciating both myself and the people around me. Experiencing and communicating constantly with the other individuals was more powerful than I realized at the time."

Intensive Participant

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"Working with VALLETO has been a source of rich, inquisitive stimulation that has opened my mind to what might be possible for the future of collaboration, art, and movement. As the world adapts to the “new normal” everywhere we turn, it gives me hope that movers across the globe have not lost the desire to exercise their creative and physical muscles, finding ways to keep the spirit of dance alive. I am inspired by this team of artists, and I have been reminded that movement has the power to heal us all and this is what unites us. I was drawn to VALLETO for their genuine efforts to amplify female-identifying voices, and give them a place where they feel liberated, supported, and ready to take risks. Every day I am examining what it means to unapologetically be myself, and I feel I am getting closer to the answer through this collaboration with VALLETO."

Jessica Germano

FORMER VALLETO DANCER

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Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and will close when all spots have been filled. 

We have a four part payment plan available through Sezzle.

"I never expected to be a part of something so real. The environment we have created in VALLETO has allowed me to experience this entire process with honesty and to give full-bodied attention to the work, to the cast, and to myself."

Adie San Diego

FORMER VALLETO DANCER



Valeria Y. Gonzalez


Val-bw-2

Artistic Director 

BODY-DRAMA & Choreographic Process





"Working with Valleto is always intense. Val is an intense person herself, and she embraces this part of her in her work. Her deep connection to her sexuality and her mission to unleash the inner sexual demon we all have in us allows a unique experience to shine through. Working with Val makes you realize you’re more badass than you know. She does this with incredible finess and ease, like she was made to bring about kings, queens and majestic beings in the world through her wild mind and incredibly emotional workshopping. Valleto is otherworldly."

Jensen Springer

VALLETO INTENSIVE 2019 PARTICIPANT

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"I feel like I grew so much from this intensive, not just as a dancer, but as a human being. We really pushed ourselves physically, but I always felt safe and supported. Everybody involved was able to tap into this really beautiful vulnerability and have the support of everybody in the room. Those moments are so magical because it is so rare and truthful. You feel safe to take risks and push beyond your limits because you know everybody is there for you."

Rachel Lovett

VALLETO INTENSIVE 2019 PARTICIPANT

PREVIOUS

GuestArtists_1c

2023

AUSTIN SUMMER INTENSIVE

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2022

MIAMI SUMMER INTENSIVE

pao2

Paulina Espinosa

Flying Low

Photo-2

Two in seven billion

Floorwork

NicoleG_3

Nicole Gerkey

Nourish

cassidywagner

Cassidy Wagner

GAGA

2022

MIAMI WINTER INTENSIVE

WhatsApp-Image-2022-01-24-at-12.48.01

Mariale Arrieta

Ayurveda

NicoleG_3

Nicole Gerkey

Nourish: Understanding your physical, creative, and emotional needs in relation to your cycle

Yanina

Yanina Orellana

Soma Connection

2021

NYC SUMMER INTENSIVE

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pao2

Paulina Espinosa

Flying Low (Artistic Exchange with Mexico)

inversiones-
Isela-A

Isela Quintana

Floorwork (Artistic Exchange with Mexico)

Photo-2

Two in seven billion

Floorwork (USA)

1

Monica Steffey

Untamed Curiosities (USA)

2020

VIRTUAL SUMMER INTENSIVE

Twoinseven_1

Two in seven billion

Floorwork (USA)

Robi_1

Ashley Robicheaux

Contemporary Forms (USA)
Sleep No More

Stephanie_1

Stephanie Langdon

Improv (Chile / TLV)

Emma_1

Emma Evelein

Contemporary (Amsterdam)

Talya_2

Talya Sato

Ballet & Ballet Body Training
(Mexico)

2019

NYC SUMMER INTENSIVE

Elia

Elia Mrak

Flying Low

Layne

Layne Willis

Sleep No More

Jacob

Jacob Wollos

Sound Designer

Find freedom in the uncomfortable.

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INTENSIVES