INTENSIVES
The VALLETO Intensives are held twice annually and are open to participants from around the world. These programs serve as artistic incubators and provide dance training incorporating dance, holistic practices, and the opportunity to collaborate with other dancers. The summer intensive is for semi-professional, and professional dancers and culminates in a live performance for an audience.
NEXT INTENSIVE:
January 2024
Location: Austin, Texas
Winter Intensive 2024
Heal + Dance Edition:
This course is designed for all humans (dancers and non-dancers) who crave to be in a safe and intimate space for self- expression and movement exploration. This exploration involves several modalities we utilize in VALLETO choreographic processes such as improvisation, conversation, acting methods, meditation, partnering, embodied and somatic practices, sound, and more.
Our Core Values: Liberation, Self-Expression, Autonomy, Curiosity, Trust, Safety, Inclusivity, Movement Research, Empathetic Listening
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 bodies.
• To learn healing and holistic modalities.
Summer Intensive 2024
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.
SESSIONS
VALLETO COMPANY CLASS
Unpredictable Bodies
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)
ºDialogue
ºEmbodiment Practices
ºDiscovering What Is Your Artistic Statement (Journaling)
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.
"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
"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
Photo Credit: Alba Garcia
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.
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"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
Artistic Director
Unpredictable Bodies + Choreographic Process
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"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
Photo Credit: Alba Garcia
"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
2023
AUSTIN SUMMER INTENSIVE
2022
MIAMI SUMMER INTENSIVE
Paulina Espinosa
Flying Low
Two in seven billion
Floorwork
Nicole Gerkey
Nourish
Cassidy Wagner
GAGA
2022
MIAMI WINTER INTENSIVE
Mariale Arrieta
Ayurveda
Nicole Gerkey
Nourish: Understanding your physical, creative, and emotional needs in relation to your cycle
Yanina Orellana
Soma Connection
2021
NYC SUMMER INTENSIVE
2020
VIRTUAL SUMMER INTENSIVE
2019
NYC SUMMER INTENSIVE
Find freedom in the uncomfortable.
INTENSIVES