New Year's
Training Camp
December 28-30, 2024
Los Angeles, California
While They Rest, You Train and Audition for Summer Programs and Scholarships
3 Days.
27 Hours of Exceptional Training.
8 Stellar Faculty.
1 Transformative Experience.
A rigorous and holistic intensive to accelerate training, inspire and motivate greater individual effort, and prepare students for successful auditions, intensives, performances, and competitions in the new year ahead.
Frequently called a ‘breath of fresh air’ by students, parents, teachers, and directors alike, every one of Francisco Gella’s programs deliver on a central commitment: To transform hardworking young adults into remarkable young artists regardless of body type or background, and instilling a belief in them that anything is possible with hard work, a sense of purpose, and a willingness to take risks.
Enrollment
New Year's Training Camp offers different options for enrollment outlined below. We offer 50% deposits up to 30 days before the program begins so that you may hold your space in the program. The remaining amount is due by December 5th. Please note that deposits will require an additional fee of $9.95 for processing the payments.
In-Person Enrollment
Full 3-Days / 30+ Hours
$765 for Registration
$485 for College Students*
*College student discount available for those currently enrolled as an undergraduate in a university. Students who have not yet graduated from high school but who may be taking college courses are NOT considered college students. You'll be asked to verify the institution where you are enrolled as you register.
One Day Passes
$265/Day for In-person Registration*
$145/Day for College Students
*In-person day passes may be available no sooner than 2-weeks prior to the event, based on space availability, and are therefore not eligible for earlybird prices.
Studios and Conservatories
Any studio or conservatory with 10 or more dancers attending, is eligible for a 10% group rate discount. Please contact us in the chatbox below or email us to make arrangements.
Parent Involvement
We embrace parents' involvement in their dancer's journey. In this spirit, parents are encouraged to attend our welcome/orientation session and the closing session. We will also open up selected classes to observe throughout the weekend.
Eligibility
Open and limited to all intermediate and advanced dancers ages 10-22 from in and outside the United States who are serious about their training and artistry. For the purposes of this workshop, ‘Intermediate/Advanced’ is roughly defined as a student preprofessional having danced for at least two years in a studio as a company member with a minimum of 3 hours of ballet training per week and 10 hours total weekly of dance classes, or who has been enrolled in a conservatory setting with at least six hours of ballet a week and a minimum of 10 hours of total weekly dance classes. All participants must be serious about their dance training and want to improve. No auditions are required to join us at the NYTC intensive.
Auditions for the Zeitgeist Dance Theatre Trainee Program and Summer Intensives & Workshops
Along with the exceptional training you’ll receive from our faculty, there’s another important reason to attend the New Year’s Training Camp!
Our intensive is a designated audition location for the Zeitgeist Dance Theatre Trainee Program, as well as scholarship awards for Francisco Gella’s Ballet+ (beyond technique) intensive in Miami and Hawaii, the New Century Dance Project Choreographic and Performance Workshop, and early admission offers to the Preprofessional Dancer Institute. All of these programs will be held between June and September 2025.
There’s nothing extra you need to do when enrolling in NYTC and there is no extra cost if you’d like to audition. Our staff will reach out to everyone who has enrolled before the program begins to find out if you’d like to register for the audition.
The Joan Myers Brown
Equity Dance Scholarship Fund
A limited amount of scholarships are available for especially deserving dancers. Scholarships will be allocated according to the combined consideration of both merit and financial need. Decisions on scholarships will be made a few weeks after each deadline. Since a limited amount of scholarship awards will be offered, it is better to apply by the early deadline. Please click below to learn more about this opportunity and to apply.
Scholarship Application Deadlines
9/
30
Earlybird Deadline for Fall Programs
11/1
Late and Final Deadline for Fall Programs
About New Year’s Training Camp
Highly acclaimed dance educator and choreographer Francisco Gella has introduced his revolutionary dance training technique and philosophy to hundreds of dancers around the world through private instruction and master classes. With New Year’s Training Camp and the expert guidance of the program’s artistic directors, Francisco, and veteran dance educator Julie Friedrich, preprofessional dancers from 10 years old to college-age have an opportunity to spend a challenging and fun-filled three-day ‘boot-camp’ style intensive in beautiful Los Angeles.
This rigorous, holistic program is structured to accelerate your training as a dancer, inspire you to go much further in your journey during the year ahead, and want more for your future. The technique-based program will focus on strengthening the body, mind, and spirit with a structured curriculum that will build on skills each day, resulting in opportunities to demonstrate your detailed artistry before the three days are complete.
Highly-acclaimed choreographer and dance educator Francisco Gella has introduced his revolutionary philosophy and approach to dance training to thousands of dancers around the world through intensives, masterclasses, and individual instruction. For seven years since the introduction of our program in Miami, young dancers have had the opportunity to spend eight-days with Francisco and his team through this innovative program called Ballet+ (beyond technique).
Ballet+ is much more than an intensive. It’s a powerful idea and a transformative experience. The program is based on his extensive thirty-year dance career and his background in gymnastics coaching. With an integrated teaching approach, he incorporates spirituality, psychology, physiology, and kinesthetic awareness – all toward developing dancers into holistic and versatile performers and most importantly, human beings. The results are astounding.
Our carefully designed curriculum accelerates the learning of children, youth, and pre-professionals, and assists them in being fully prepared and motivated for a successful summer of dance experiences – whether going to an intensive, a national competition or staying at your home studio to train in preparation for a college dance program or professional audition.
With the guidance and knowledge of expert faculty mentors, each with years of experience dedicated to education, training, performance, and choreography, young dancers quickly become more aware of their own body and the mind’s connection to it. Regardless of how long they’ve been dancing, participants grow more than they likely ever believed they could and get closer to realizing their full potential.
2024 Schedule
To help you prepare for the experience, here is a downloadable PDF of last year’s (2023) schedule as an example of what you can expect this year until we update the schedule closer to the program launch.
12/28
Saturday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
12/29
Sunday: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
12/30
Monday: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Class Size
We will have three different studio classrooms. Classes will be limited to up to 50 dancers per age group depending on enrollment.
Teaching Artists & Mentors
Francisco Gella (he/him)
Founding Artistic Director & Core Faculty
Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Improv, Choreography
Francisco Gella’s distinguished thirty-year career as a compelling dancer, award-winning choreographer, and widely recognized dance educator, began when he took his first formal dance class during his freshman year at the age of nineteen. His innovative choreography and highly effective teaching methods are sought after by professional companies, universities, arts high schools, ballet conservatories, and studios across North America and around the globe.
In addition to a successful performance and choreographic career, Francisco is a renowned educator, artistic director, and arts entrepreneur. He is the founding co-artistic director of Zeitgeist Dance Theatre launched in January of 2020. He is also the founding artistic director of NUEVO School of Contemporary Dance and COLABO Youth Dance Collective (2008-2015). As Chief Creative Officer of Francisco Gella Dance Works, he has created numerous influential educational programs; Ballet+ (beyond technique) workshops, the Preprofessional Dancer Institute, New Year’s Training Camp, Seattle Dance Advance, the New Century Dance Project (a festival for choreography and performance) and the College Dance and Career Prep program. Additionally, Francisco is the lead ballet and modern faculty member, and adjudicator for the 24 Seven Dance Convention.
Julie Rose Friedrich (she/her)
Founding Co-Artistic Director and Core Faculty Member
Ballet, Composition
Julie Friedrich’s distinguished career as a professional dancer, mentor, and dance educator in the areas of ballet and contemporary dance spans more than 20 years. Julie received her primary dance education from Meredith Baylis of the Joffrey Ballet School and the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Upon graduation, Julie joined the American Repertory Ballet under the direction of Septime Webre; and then went onto join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. Discovering her passion for contemporary dance during her time with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, she made the move to Europe where she danced professionally for five years. In Europe she had the opportunity to dance with Compagnia Zappala Danza and Teatro di Bari.
Currently, Julie serves on the performing arts faculty at the Windward School in Culver City, where she teaches, directs, and curates the dance program. Along with her full time work at Windward, she serves as the ballet director for Danceology, and as guest ballet faculty at Westside Dance Project. Since 2012 she has been an integral part of the artistic team at Francisco Gella Dance Works. In 2019, Julie was named the artistic associate of career and college programs for all of FGDW. In 2016 Francisco and Julie created the Pre Professional Dancers Institute, a five day program they direct, serving the highest level of young artists in the nation. Julie continues her work mentoring students in preparation for their entrance into the collegiate world through her College Preparatory Program that has developed into a nationwide program serving students and families. In 2013, through the Young Arts Foundation, President Obama and the White House named Julie one of the most influential arts teachers in the country for her mentorship of young dancers.
Wilson Mendieta (he/him)
Teaching Artist
Jazz, Musical Theatre
Wilson Mendieta is an Assistant Professor in Dance at Chapman University, where he has choreographed for Chapman Celebrates and the Dance Faculty concert. Prior to his arrival to Southern California, Wilson served as the Director of the Musical Theater Program at the University of Washington in Seattle (2013 – 2017), where he also earned an M.F.A. degree in Dance and a Nonprofit Management Certificate from the Evans School of Public Affairs. His creative credits at the University of Washington includes directing a production of Pippin and Sweet Charity for the Musical Theater Program. He also earned a B.F.A. degree in Acting with a minor in Dance from Montclair State University.
Wilson’s other credits include being the recipient of a grant to conduct research on musical theatre production and training methodologies in Latin America. He also is the co-author of a new book about the collaborative nature of dance production to be released in the Fall of 2022.
Steven Sofia (he/him)
Teaching Artist
Jazz, Musical Theatre
Steven Sofia is presently teaching at Chapman University and CSULB after serving three years an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Washington for the Musical Theater Program. Steven is an Educator, Broadway performer, dance captain, choreographer and Pilates master trainer. His Broadway and National tours credits include: Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Chicago, Kiss Me Kate, Beauty and The Beast, Guys and Dolls (‘92 revival), Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story, An evening with Betty Buckley at Carnegie Hall and Applause at City Center’s Encores. He danced with The American Dance Machine where he worked with such choreographers as Ron Field, Agnes DeMille, Buzz Miller and Gwen Verdon, to name a few.
He has been an assistant to Broadway choreographers Tony Stevens and Chris Chadman. Steven choreographed the National Tour of Chicago for Troika, a number for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Andy Williams, productions of Pippin and Anything Goes at the UW, a production for the Wings Theater, and directed and choreographed Pippin for NYU’s Cap21. Steven has been on the dance faculty with NYU, Cap21, SUNY Purchase, Marymount College, Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. Steven is co-owner of Synergetic Movement and certification program for Pilates, Reki and Yoga.
Sharmila Mitra (she/her)
Teaching Artist
Pilates
Sharmila Mitra is one of Southern California’s most distinguished Pilates instructors. As an instructor, teacher-trainer, and entrepreneur, she has over 20+ years of progressive Pilates experience. In 1999, she apprenticed with the late master teacher Romana Kryzanowska, a protégé of Joseph Pilates, consequently earning her a certification under Kryzanowska’s tutelage. Sharmila’s 25+ years of dance experience as a performer, choreographer, and adjudicator, in essence, was the precursor for her passion in examining the convergence of technical and artistic human movement.
Zak Ryan Schlegel (he/him)
Teaching Artist
Contemporary, Floor Work
Zak Ryan Schlegel is a performer with Shen Wei, educator at The Joffrey Ballet School, founding curator of cross-genre salon CONGRESS, and co-artistic director of AXIOM Dance Theatre. His work has been presented from The Juilliard School in NYC to Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA and is a three-time Outstanding Choreographer of the Youth America Grand Prix. He is the official recipient of the New Century Dance Project 2022 Choreography Award Grand Prize Honor, his film “In Beauty It Is Unfinished” is an official selection of The Athens International Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, and recently won the Knight Foundation award at the Miami Film Festival. The New York Times calls him “a star” & Wall Street Journal “eye-catching & effortless”. His extensive research of Eastern and Western movement traditions adjacent to the philosophical tenets of observation, logic and mathematics largely inform his presence of being, technical vocabulary, arresting language and physical study of identity. Query is his primary motivation of understanding—where mortal repetition and shifting layers define performance as a series of cascading epiphanies.
Fiona Lummis (she/her)
Teaching Artist
Ballet
Fiona Lummis was a dancer for twenty years with Netherlands Dance Theater (1981-2001). Fiona created roles in 15 of Jiří Kylián’s ballets, and in numerous works by Hans Van Manen, Nacho Duato, Ohad Naharin and Mats Ek among others. She danced featured roles in the repertoire of William Forsythe, Jerome Robbins, Lar Lubovitch and Glen Tetley. She graduated from the Elmhurst School of Dance and The Rambert School in England, and also has a comprehensive Pilates teaching certificate from B.A.S.I. (Body Arts and ScienceInternational). In 1992 she received the Gouden Theaterdans Prijs for her performances in William Forsythe’s “Steptext” and in 2000 was awarded the “Oeuvre Prize” in recognition of her career in The Netherlands.
Fiona can be seen on many of the Arthaus films of Kylián’s ballets, including the “Black and White Ballets” and “Kaguyahime.” She is also featured in 8 recordings of Hans Van Manen’s ballets in his “Master of Movement” DVD collection, and is recognized as one of his Muses. Fiona works closely with the Kylián and Van Manen foundations, teaching their repertoire in colleges, schools, and companies in the US and Europe.
Juliette Grace Martinez (she/her)
Teaching Artist
Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical, Ballet, Tap, and Hip-Hop
Juliette Martinez, a San Diego native, discovered her passion for dance at the age of two. She honed her skills through training with Tessandra Chavez and Kevin Frey at a local studio, and later received the majority of her training in Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical, Ballet, Tap, and Hip-Hop Choreography during her competitive training at Evoke Dance Movement and Mather Dance Company. Graduating with honors from Orange County School of the Arts in the Commercial Dance Conservatory in 2018, she performed in principal roles of George Balanchine’s Apollo and Serenade, and established a lasting relationship with Young Arts as a Winner in 2017. Throughout her high school years, she toured the country as an assistant for several renowned dance conventions and esteemed choreographers. Juliette constantly pursued training opportunities of the highest caliber. She had the opportunity to train with the Joffrey Ballet School, as well as numerous programs produced by Francisco Gella Dance Works.
Upon moving to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, she continued to work professionally, both nationally and internationally, with credits including So You Think You Can Dance, the YouTube Streamy Awards, LA Opera: La Traviata, Generation (HBO Max), and live performances with notable artists. Juliette has worked as a model for brands including Uniqlo, Away Travel, and Vogue Italia. Most recently, Juliette has partnered with Nike as a brand ambassador at Coachella 2024 and is working as a performer at Legoland California.
Anastasia Miller (she/her)
Guest Teaching Artist
Contemporary
Anastasia Miller, originally from Houston, Texas, now resides in Los Angeles as a freelance dancer and choreographer. She is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona, where she earned her BFA in Dance and BA in Biochemistry. During her time at university, she trained extensively in a diverse range of dance styles, including tap, jazz, ballet, ballroom, modern, contemporary, and hip hop. Throughout her university years, she had the privilege of performing works by renowned choreographers such as Juel D. Lane, Lauren Edson, Tamara Dyke-Compton, Yusha Marie Sorzano, Jess Hendricks, Thang Dao, Sam Watson, Francisco Gella, and many others.
In her professional career, she has been a part of Zeitgeist Dance Theatre, Whirlwind Dance Company, DXX Tap Company, and The Klein Collective. She has also appeared in Social Fatigue's "Paris" music video and participated in concept videos choreographed by Luam Keflezgy, Aaron Czuprenski, Wade Robson, and Jaci Royal. Additionally, she has traveled the country as a dance assistant, working with esteemed industry names such as Francisco Gella, Jess Hendricks, Yusha Marie Sorzano, Madi Hicks, Joshua Manculich, Kayla Kalbfleisch, and Lenorris Arnold.
More faculty to be announced soon…
Program Location
NYTC will be held in the beautiful, new Irene Kleinberg Theatre at The Windward School in Los Angeles, CA. Windward is conveniently located just a few miles from Los Angeles International Airport.
NYTC is located at:
11350 Palms Boulevard
Lodging
NYTC staff is arranging for a limited number of discounted hotel rooms conveniently located close to both Los Angeles International Airport and the program location. This information will be available here no later than September 15.
About Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles both confirms and dismantles all of its stereotypes. Sure, it's a sprawling metropolis with eternally congested freeways, but it also contains one of the most diverse and unique sets of neighborhoods in the United States. La-La Land is filled to the brim with the glamour of chic Hollywood name brands and movie set backdrops, yet it's also home to renowned art galleries like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and architectural masterpieces like the Getty Center.
The world's visual entertainment empire, LA offers tourists behind-the-scenes looks into the world of filmmaking and television broadcasting at studios like Paramount Pictures Studios and Warner Bros. Studio. What's more, the City of Angels features some of the country's most eclectic cuisine and dozens of highly acclaimed restaurants. Away from the revitalized downtown area, the Malibu and Santa Monica beaches provide sun, sand and surfing, while Venice Beach offers close-ups of the city's most unique residents. Additional outdoor pursuits like hiking can be found at Griffith Park and Angeles National Forest.
(Taken from 'US News & World Report Travel Guide’)
New Years Training Camp Enrollment
Feel free to contact us in the chatbox below or contact us if you have any questions.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
No full refunds will be issued for registered participants. A 50% refund will be issued with cancellations made up to sixty days prior to the start of the program. An exception will be made for documented medical or health reasons due to an unforeseen injury or illness. For dancers with an injury or illness, 100% of the tuition will be refunded up to thirty days prior to the start of the program. If the illness or injury reported to the program director is under 30 days, a 50% refund will be issued b no more than five business days after the completion of the program and the other 50% may be used as a credit for another program in the next twelve months that is produced and owned by Francisco Gella Dance Works. In the case of any injury or illness, a documented note or letter from a licensed physician on their letterhead must be submitted before a refund will be considered.
Feel free to contact us in the chatbox below or contact us if you have any questions.