Dance West is a pre-professional training ground for students who come to Arts & Communication Magnet Academy with a desire for in-depth technical study and performance experience. The company is comprised of dancers ages 13-19 who have auditioned for placement in the school. A daily schedule, which includes core academic study, dance technique classes, and a two-hour rehearsal where dancers learn a repertoire of diverse concert works, is required of each student. With this intensive training, the students begin to understand the commitment necessary to pursue dance as a career.
Students who audition and are selected for the company make a full-year commitment to attend daily technique classes and company rehearsals. Performance opportunities, in the form of lecture demonstrations, special event fundraisers and business or industrial shows, give the students outlets for developing their technical and presentation skills. Concert tours and lecture demonstrations provide the dancers with the opportunity to experience life in the professional world of dance. A staff of skilled audio and lighting technicians, costume designers and guest choreographers further enhance this educational process.
Master teachers, with extensive dance careers, bring a professional approach to the classroom by sharing a wealth of experience to aid serious minded dancers in achieving their goals for professionalism. The company’s repertoire is selected to reflect history, cultural diversity, human spirit and artistry, and contains renowned choreographic works set for Dance West by guest artists from around the nation.
ACMA has been recognized as a “Star” School by the International Network of Performing and Visual Arts Schools; a Magnet Schools of America “School of Merit”; and received an “Exceptional” rating on the Oregon State Report Card in 2001/2002, 2002/2003, 2004/2005 and 2005/2006. Administrators and teachers at the Academy work on the cutting edge of education, preparing students for life in the 21st century. The rigorous arts-infused academic curriculum, enhanced with specialized professionals, provides unique opportunities for our students. They experience the kind of education that prepares them with life-long skills necessary for success in higher education and in their chosen career path.
Dance West Artistic Director
Julane Stites has been a dedicated dance educator in the Northwest for over twenty-five years. As former company director of the Jefferson Dancers, she views her current directorship of Dance West as yet another opportunity to share her vast background with a community committed to quality arts education. Dance was practically a genetic trait in her family, the trade being passed from her grandfather, Carl Kelly, to her mother, Merleen Stites, then on to her.
Julane was raised in her mother’s studio and her skills matured at a very young age. At twelve, she was selected to perform the lead child’s role in the Bolshoi Ballet’s Northwest debut. By the time she was sixteen, she was featured on Broadway in original-cast, principle roles of “The Happy Time” and “Promises, Promises.” Her credits also include appearances on the David Frost Show, Saturday Night Live, The Tony Awards, The Ed Sullivan Show and numerous commercial and industrial shows. Upon her return to Portland in 1981, Julane became artistic director of “A Moving Force,” a dance company that was sponsored by Mt. Hood Community College. At the same time, she co-directed The Stites Center with her mother. She worked on musical productions for many years at David Douglas and Gresham High Schools, and was honored with the Willie Award for best choreography of “West Side Story,” which she did for Portland Civic Theatre.
Through the years she has compiled a large body of choreographic works that has received high praise and recognition. In 1984, her “Yellowjackets” jazz trio won 1st place in New York City at the National Fred Astaire Contest. In 1998 her choreography opened the door for the Jefferson Dancers to perform at the International High School Dance Festival and, in 2000 and 2002, won the same honor for Arts & Communication’s Dance West and Seabury Hall Preparatory School in 2004.
Specializing in tailoring work for concert, video, and community events, Julane’s credits also include Knott’s Berry Farm, Disneyland, Columbia Sportswear and Avia. She was responsible for the original choreography in Will Vinton’s “California Raisins” commercials, which reached international audiences. She is a regular guest artist at Seabury Hall Preparatory School in Makawao, Hawaii and a revered master teacher of the Kneeland Methodology. Julane takes pride in knowing that she has been a part of the lives of many professionals working in the field of dance at home and abroad. Sharing in their success is a fulfilling experience.
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