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Ani Taj is a Tony-nominated choreographer and founder of The Dance Cartel, working between NYC and the misty west of Ireland....Read more
Ani Taj is a Tony-nominated choreographer and founder of The Dance Cartel, working between NYC and the misty west of Ireland. Her work is rooted in the belief that dance can be liberatory and a GOOD TIME for everyone; The New York Times described it as “haute-performance theory with a house party vibe.” Recent thrills include Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show on Broadway at Studio 54 (Tony nomination), the world premieres of A Wrinkle in Time at Arena Stage and Dead Outlaw on Broadway and at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theater, La Cage aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse, NEON’s The End starring Tilda Swinton, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Olney Theatre Center. She co-created Untitled DanceShowPartyThing with Sam Pinkleton for Virgin Voyages and has choreographed for Yoko Ono, Reggie Watts, Vic Mensa, and more.
Read lessClass Descriptions
Equal parts rigor and silliness, Ani’s class is a high-energy, physically-demanding 90 minutes including an upbeat warm-up, hot conditioning, brief improvisation, and substantial choreography sequences, often from The Dance Cartel’s repertory.
Designed to challenge both trained dancers and enthusiastic novices, the class fuses technical elements from Jazz and Contemporary with hype energy and a low center of gravity. Technical precision and energetic intent are given equal priority, encouraging students to heighten their expressivity and dynamics as well as stretch their physical ability.
The music will be loud, and will sometimes have dirty words. We will make jokes. You will probably sweat. Expect to get your heart rate up, and bring a clean shirt if you need to look cute after class. Sense of play and humor are encouraged, but only if you want to have a good time.