A look inside the Stephen Petronio Master Class, and a look ahead to a class taught by Camille A. Brown:

By his own admission, Stephen Petronio likes to talk. During the his recent class, part of the ongoing DANY Studios Master Class Series, the choreographer informed, guided and supported the dancers through their exploration of Petronio Technique. Led by Petronio’s voice, participants initiated movement from the bones, and were directed to consciously navigate energy through the body and out into space. “The way you think will inform how you behave. Energy makes forms,” Petronio advised.

Petronio, whose company is in its 25th year, has made a point of studying the body’s anatomy, influenced by Irmgard Bartenieff and Susan Klein. This predilection was evident in the phrases that were taught during class. Amanda Wells led participants in material from I Drink the Air Before Me, and in dances like Middlesex Gorge and City of Twists, Petronio dancers slice, cut, drill into the ground and hurl themselves through space. The wild fury of his works belies the calm underpinnings that are at the center.

The series continues this Friday, May 28, 10am-12pm with a class conducted by choreographer Camille A. Brown. Ms. Brown is a tiny spit-fire of a dancer, who knows how to get a groove thing going. She uses her high energy to craft a movement vocabulary that mixes a “get down” vibe with contemporary dance sensibility. Ms. Brown’s unique style draws elements from several dance genres to create works that are filled with spirit, humor and pathos. Big, bold movements combine with gestures that express “urban cool,” as with her Groove to Nobody’s Business, or a sense of the spiritual, as with her solo Mary, a tribute to her grandmother. Camille, who is currently preparing for her shared season at The Joyce Theater with Andrea Miller, Kate Weare, and Monica Bill Barnes in August 2010, invites dancers to join her in a celebration of the spirit and dance during this upcoming master class.

To RSVP for Camille A. Brown’s Master Class, contact Maggie Lockhart at mlockhart@joyce.org.