Dancing With Horses workshop

The Center for America’s First Horse
Presents “Dancing With Horses” in Vermont

An Interdisciplinary Workshop In The Heart Of The Green Mountains

Johnson, VT (January 10, 2010) New York City-based choreographer JoAnna Mendl Shaw, founder of The Equus Projects http://www.dancingwithhorses.org/ joins Vermont-based Natural Horsemanship professional Stephanie Lockhart to lead “Dancing With Horses,” an extraordinary 3-day workshop grounded, in the shared principles of dance and natural horsemanship, on March 18-20, 2011.

Instruction will take place inside the arena at The Center for America’s First Horse, http://www.centerforamericasfirsthorse.org/, and at the dance department studio at Johnson State College, both located in Johnson, Vermont. Space is limited to 15 individuals, and auditors are welcome and encouraged. No prior dance or horsemanship experience is necessary. The fee is $225 per individual and $100 to audit the 3-day workshop, lunch included.

Under the guidance of Mendl Shaw and Lockhart, participants will engage directly with horses to explore various spatial, psychological, and energetic concepts integral to the development of effective improvisation and partnership. Material learned from the horses will then be transferred to the studio and explored more deeply among the dancers.

Registration applications and other information are available online or contact Stephanie Lockhart, Stephanie@centerforamericasfirsthorse.org, 802-730-5400.

The Center for America’s First Horse, Inc., a non-profit organization founded by Stephanie Lockhart and located in Johnson, Vermont. Home to the most diverse group of Colonial Spanish horses in the eastern United States, the center’s mission is to enrich lives through the spirit of the Colonial Spanish horse. The Center offers programs focusing on education and public awareness, natural horsemanship, community outreach, work-study and rescue of Colonial Spanish horses.

Like the buffalo, the Colonial Spanish Horse has served many of America's native tribes for centuries, and is now listed as critically endangered with only 3,000 remaining worldwide. Brought to the New World by Spanish explorers in the 1500's, these small, hardy horses were used as courageous war horses, the mounts of the Native Americans, and Pony Express riders. By the turn of the 20th century, they were near extinction, due in large part to U.S. government attacks on feral and sacred tribal herds. Today, preservation efforts are underway to secure the Colonial Spanish horse for future generations.

Informational Links
Logo/Images: http://gallery.me.com/josabel - 100260
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFWxl6t-MGI
The Equus Projects: www.dancingwithhorses.org
The Center for America’s First Horse: http://www.centerforamericasfirsthorse.org
Stephanie Lockhart: http://www.centerforamericasfirsthorse.org/board-of-directors.html
JoAnna Mendl Shaw: http://www.dancingwithhorses.org/mission.php
Registration: http://www.centerforamericasfirsthorse.org/dancing-with-horses-registration.html
Johnson State College: www.jsc.edu