Description
Summer 2026 Day Camps
Teaching Artists Loren Groenendaal and Olivia Brown
Dates:
Week 1: June 15th–19th, 2026 (Monday-Friday). Theme: Dance and Theater with Teacher Loren
Week 2: June 22nd–26th, 2026 (Monday-Friday). Theme: Dance and Drawing with Teacher Olivia
Day Camp runs from 9:00 am-5:00 pm, with options for Before Care (8:00 am-9:00 am), and Extended Care (5:00-6:00 pm).
- Half Day Camp: 9:00 am-12:00 pm ($350/week) Ages 5-12
- Mid Day Camp: 9:00 am- 3:00 pm ($400/week) Ages 7-12
- Full Day Camp: 9:00 am- 5:00 pm ($450/week) Ages 7-12
- Early Care: 8:00 am- 9:00 am ($50/week) Ages 5-12
- Extended Care: 5:00 pm- 6:00 pm ($50/week) Ages 7-12
Description:
- We’re hosting two one-week camps in Summer 2026 for ages 5 to 12. The first week will have a theme of Dance and Theater, lead by Teacher Loren Groenendaal. The second week will have a theme of Dance and Drawing, led by Teacher Olivia Brown. Students are welcomed to attend one or both weeks.
- Drop off is from 9:00–9:15 am, with an option for early dropoff (Early Care) from 8:00–9:00 am. There is one class in the morning each for ages 5-7 and ages 8-12, as well as activities such as storytelling, reading time, playtime, and outdoor time in local Philadelphia playgrounds and gardens. Lunch will be from 11:30am–12:00 pm, and Half Day Camp Pickup is from 12:00–12:15 pm for children ages 5-6. There are two classes in the afternoon for ages 7–12, with a time for snack and pickup windows from 3:00–3:15 pm for the Mid Day Camp and 4:45–5:00 pm for the Full Day Camp. There is an option for late pickup (Extended Care) from 5:00–6:00 pm.
- The camp day will include ample down time and free play time in between these learning and creating sessions. In the classes over the week, the students will learn visual arts and dance skills and will also practice individual and collaborative creativity to prepare for a final performance that will happen on the concluding Friday each week. The teachers, in conversation with families, will determine the time of that performance, likely in the late afternoon on Fridays, June 19th & 26th.
- In the classes, students will learn fundamental modern dance skills and do creative exercises, such as as well as improvisational theater and moving from and with drawings. Students will also create their own movement and work together to co-choreograph their performance.
Teachers:
Loren Groenendaal is a dance teaching artist who holds degrees in Dance: a BA in Dance from Oberlin College and an MFA from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is a Certified Movement Analyst in Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies. As an educator of educators, she has provided mentorship to junior colleagues at Cardell Dance Studio, The Arts League, Koresh Kids Dance, and the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies and has taught Dance Pedagogy at Temple University. As an administrator, she has been the Program Coordinator for Mascher Space Cooperative as well as serving on their board and led many programs through Vervet Dance, Dissolving Doors, and Free Fleet. Most of her artistic work is through Vervet Dance which is based in Philadelphia and has performed in Canada, Mexico and many places in between. This creative work often references patterns in the natural world, investigates the community-building possibilities of live art, the spectrums between improvisation and composition and ritual and performance, and blurs the distinctions between dance, visual arts, music, and sometimes even comedy. For youth her teaching is focused on creative dance education, supporting young dancers to become improvisers and choreographers while also building their skills in coordination, collaboration, strength, agility, flexibility, and balance through predominately creative movement and modern dance with some influence from ballet, hip hop, and folk dances from around the world. Loren’s movement vocabulary in her choreography and adult class has similar influences as well as traditional Balinese dance and Contact Improvisation. Loren is a certified Trauma-Informed Practice Teaching Artist through Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation and she also has a strong history of holding space for learning differences with a particular interest in supporting neurodivergent children and adults.
Olivia Jenna Brown is a dancer/choreographer and dance educator who loves sharing the joy of movement with students of all ages. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Dance from Bennington College. Originally from NYC, Olivia trained at the acclaimed Ailey School, where she studied Ballet, Limon, Graham, Jazz, and Horton techniques. She holds a BA in Dance from Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College. Her pedagogy is informed by extensive studies in movement development with the Laban Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies. She utilizes the Brain Dance Method as well as her training with the National Dance Institute to engage and empower her students. She aims to foster integrated neuromotor development and empower children to express themselves through creative movement.
