Conservatory registration open house planned for Aug. 27

Winona, Minn. — The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts semester I registration open house will be held 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, at the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 West 10th St.

Registration for semester I dance classes and MCA’s new youth choir — the Winona Area Youth Singers — will be accepted at the open house. Classes begin Sept. 8. Tours of the facility will be available, refreshments will be served, and students will have the opportunity to meet new and returning faculty and staff. Additionally, students can be fitted for dance attire needs. MCA’s dance attire boutique offers quality basics, including leotards, tights, ballet slippers, jazz shoes, and tap shoes.

Class offerings are available for anyone age 3 to adult and include beginning- through advanced-levels in classical ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, Pilates, and a special tuition-free boys program which offers a “Dance Technique for Boys” class. Semester I also contains programming for teens and adults, including teen/adult ballet, as well as classes in partnership with Winona County Community Education (clogging I, clogging II, dance fitness, and Piyo).

MCA’s new music division offers a youth choir – Winona Area Youth Singers — for students in grades three through six who have been introduced to choir/music in their elementary or middle school years. Winona Area Youth Singers seeks to encourage and nurture the talent of these young vocal students and provide them with an opportunity for additional educational and performance opportunities.

Academic credit is available through Cotter High School and Saint Mary’s University’s dance minor program for a variety of MCA dance classes.

Semester I classes will provide 10 weeks of instruction, concluding with a demonstration week, Nov. 10-16.

In addition to participation in classes, students and community members age 5 to adult are invited to audition for MCA’s Dance Repertory Company production of “The Nutcracker.” “Nutcracker” auditions are 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Valéncia Arts Center. “The Nutcracker” performances will be Dec. 4-7 at Saint Mary’s University’s Page Theatre.

Winona Area Youth Singers will conclude Semester I following their inaugural concert, Nov. 23, and their collaborative performance in The Nutcracker.

Tuition for MCA classes varies depending on course length and level. Discounts and scholarships are available.

For more information about MCA’s open house, dance classes, Winona Area Youth Singers, or The Nutcracker, visit www.smumn.edu/mca, e-mail dance@smumn.edu or call (507) 453-5501. Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts is an affiliate program of Saint Mary’s University.