Sasso & Company 2018 Winter Workshop

Interested in furthering your dance training and performing alongside professional dancers?

Join Sasso & Company on Saturday, January 20th for a one day intensive workshop at The Dance Complex in Cambridge!!

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Photo Credit: Grace Stauffer Photography

This one day intensive provides advanced students ages 11-18 the opportunity to train with leaders and innovators in the field of professional contemporary dance.  Faculty members include Artistic Director, Lacey Sasso, and Senior Company Member Colleen Roddy.

Students will focus on contemporary and jazz technique while having a unique opportunity to learn and perform Sasso & Company repertory.

What makes this workshop different?

Students will learn Sasso & Company’s unique movement style that blends the elegant lines of ballet with the sassy, rhythmic movements of jazz dance and quirky gestures that are a signature of Artistic Director, Lacey Sasso’s work.

The workshop will close with an informal showing of Sasso & Company repertory performed by the students, followed by a sneak peak performance of a world premiere work featuring Sasso & Company’s senior members.

Registration Details

Who: Advanced Contemporary and Pre-Professional dancers aged 11-18

Where: The Dance Complex, Studio 1 (Parking available on Green Street; Red Line T  to Central Square)

When: Saturday, January 20, 2018; 10:30am – 3:00pm

Cost: $50 Early Bird registration through December 31, 2017; $70 Full Price Fee on or after January 1, 2018

To Register: Fill in the form at the bottom of this post.  Submit payment online or contact Lacey (sassoandcompany@gmail.com) for details to send a check.  On the day of the workshop, please sign a liability waiver upon drop-off.

Class Schedule

10:30 – 11:00 Check In

11:00 – 12:00 Jazz Technique

12:00 – 1:00 Contemporary Technique

1:00 – 1:10 Break

1:10 – 2:10 Sasso & Company Repertory

2:10 – 2:30 Improvisation and Performance Preparation

2:30 – 3: 00 Informal Performance of Sasso & Company Repertory* by Workshop students & Sneak Peak Performance by Sasso & Company senior members

*Family members are welcome to arrive at 2:30 to be seated for a brief informal performance

 Meet The Instructors

LaceySasso_Headshot_WorkshopLacey Sasso is the founder and Artistic Director of Sasso & Company, a Boston-based contemporary dance company. She has recently been on faculty at Boston University teaching contemporary jazz. Lacey attended Missouri State University where she earned a B.F.A in Dance Performance with a minor in Psychology. Lacey spent six seasons with Undertoe Dance Project (NYC) where she served not only as the Jazz Captain, but she was also the resident Jazz teaching artist. Her choreography was presented in the annual New York Season, Astoria Dance Festival, and Undertoe Dance Festival. In Boston, Lacey was a member and featured choreographer for Six One Seven Dance Collective for four seasons. In 2015 Lacey graduated from William James College with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy. Lacey has spent the last two years living in the United Kingdom. She has been on staff with the Royal Academy of Dance’s Step into Dance, Montage Theatre Arts, Kew Dance Arts, and SOTO Dance. Lacey has recently returned to Boston where she is on staff with South Shore Ballet Theatre and continues to direct Sasso & Company.

Colleen Roddy HeadshotColleen Roddy is currently in her third season with Sasso & Company serving as both a Senior Company Member and the company’s Rehearsal Director. Colleen received her early training at Gloria Jean’s Studio of Dance under the direction of Gloria Jean Cumming and Stacy Eastman and New Haven Ballet under the direction of Phillip Otto. She received her B.S. in Health Studies and Minor in Dance as well as her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Boston University. Most recently, Colleen completed her DPT Academic Practicum Project entitled: Project B.I.N.D.: Inclusion Hip Hop Dance Class at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester. As a member of the USA Dance Team, she has performed at Madison Square Garden in NYC and competed across the U.S. and Germany at the World Dance Championships receiving the Gold medal as a soloist and team member. Colleen has received recognition for her work including Young Choreographer Awards from American Dance Awards and North American Dance Championships. Since 2013, she has had the honor to present her work at the American College Dance Festival, Urbanity Next Residency Series, Jose Mateo Dance Festival, BU Dance Faculty Concert, BU Dance Showcase, and Kelley Donovan’s Third Life Choreographer’s Series. Colleen now serves on the faculty at Boston University in both the Children and Adult Dance Divisions, and as a guest teacher and choreographer across several New England schools. She has performed with Six One Seven Dance Collective, BoSoma2, Urbanity Underground, Transit Dance Company, and as a back-up dancer for SNL Comedian, Hannibal Buress.

Questions? Please contact: sassoandcompany@gmail.com

Register NOW before space fills up!

We look forward to dancing with you in January!

Complete checkout: Buy tickets for Sasso & Company Winter Workshop 


Sasso and Company wants YOU!!

Announcing 2017-2018 Boston Season Auditions

Artistic Director, Lacey Sasso has returned to Boston after two seasons choreographing and teaching in London.  Sasso & Company is looking for female dancers with exemplary contemporary and jazz technique to join our company for the 2017-2018 season.

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Photo Credit: Mickey West Photography

The company was formed in 2014 by Lacey Sasso as a premiere contemporary dance group comprised of strong, fierce, passionate women.  The company’s work is bold, emotional, and captivating for the first time dance viewer as well as a seasoned dance lover.

Sasso & Company’s first season was fully backed by a Kickstarter campaign allowing for the full creative focus to be on the psychology behind Love in Motion.  In 2016, Dancing the Distance was performed to two SOLD OUT audiences at Cambridge’s Green Street Studios.  The following season was a focused experiment on exploring dance through film.  Artistic Director, Lacey Sasso is excited to get back into the studio for a full season of concert dance.

What to expect as a company member:

Ms. Sasso will be creating an all new premiere evening length work.  In her signature style, movement will be motivated through psychological theory and dramatic narrative.  Dancers need to be ready to dive into their emotional depths to create an environment of complete immersion and commitment to the creative process.  

Ms. Sasso’s process is both collaborative and inclusive, making the dancers central to the artistry.  The movement will utilize the dancers’ versatility through partnering, balletic phrases, the sass and syncopation of classic jazz,  and a wide range of gestural contemporary movement. Dancers should be ready to showcase their improvisational skills and willingness to create collaboratively.

Audition Details:

When: Saturday, September 23, 2017 from 2:30pm – 4:30pm

Where: The Dance Complex, Studio 1 — To expedite the check in process please register here for access to the Dance Complex.

What: Barefoot contemporary and modern dance phrases will be taught in addition to a brief improvisational section

A few practical details:

  1. Dancers should be ready to commit to a full season (September 2017 – June 2018).
  2. Rehearsals are once weekly for 2-3 hours.  Space is always rented with T/public transit access in mind for those without access to a car.
  3. Rehearsals are currently unpaid.  Some performance pay may be available.
  4. Expect to be performing a lot!!  The company has performed at Third Life Choreographer’s Series, Somerville’s Art Beat, Jose Mateo’s Dance for World Community, Mobius Festival, GoodTHANG, and Astoria Dance Festival among others.
  5. If you are interested in creating work on the company, collaborative opportunities are available.

Interested in contributing your talent and passion to Sasso & Company??  

Get in touch: Email, LIKE us on Facebook, and mark your calendars!!


30 Days of Creativity: Journal Ideas for Artists

In January I set myself a challenge: to spend just five minutes each day doing something creative. I let the terms be both loose and attainable so that I would be more apt to complete my own challenge.

I bought myself an art journal and prompted myself to be creative for 30 days. Not all of my creativity fell into the realm of journalling, but I did use it on more occasions than not.

The idea was to get creative rather than worry too much about what I was doing.

But here it is, my 30 days of creativity. I hope my ideas inspire you to start a creative journal or challenge of your own!

Day 1 – Goal Setting

While this may not seem the most interesting or creative of prospects, it seemed the right place to start. Goal setting puts my head on straight. It helps me zero in on what I am hoping to accomplish. Continue reading


An Ode to the Great Trisha Brown

There is something quite strange about trying to describe your emotional connection to someone you have never actually met.

This is how I have always felt about the incredible Trisha Brown.

In the wake of her recent passing, I would like to describe how her work influenced my life as a dance artist.

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Artists Speak Out and Show Some World Love

‘What the world needs now, is love sweet love; it’s the only thing, that there’s just too little of’

These lyrics have been swimming around in my head for the last several weeks.  No matter your political affiliation, I think you can agree that there has been a massive change in the air since the US election.

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How to Source the Perfect Jazz Songs for Dance Class

If you are anything like me, you are constantly searching for new music. I perk up when I hear a good track in a film, while I’m shopping, and I find myself scribbling down artist names when my friends DJ for me in the car.

While I love discovering new artists and fun new jams, I am mostly trying to keep my playlist both current and appropriate for my students.

The hardest part about building a playlist is finding music that has variety and is catchy without being vulgar, suggestive, or laden with curse words.  Get the clean version you say?  In my experience sometimes the clean version simply swaps out one expletive for another that is somehow considered less offensive.

Having been a full time teacher for several years, I have found a formula in finding jazz songs for dance class and creating some killer playlists.

Here are some of my best tips and tricks to find jazz songs, and create a great playlist.

jazz_songs_for_dance_class_playlist_build Continue reading


Jenifer Ringer Dancing Through It Book Review

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dancing Through It: My Journey in the Ballet written by retired New York City Ballet (NYCB) Principal Dancer, Jenifer Ringer.

She writes openly, honestly, and with great grace about her lifetime of experiences in the world of ballet. She takes the reader on a journey from the time when she was a small girl and first started dancing, through her struggles with her body image, up until the apex of her impending retirement from NYCB.

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The Post Show Blues

Even with a successful season, you can’t make everyone happy. And, what even defines it as a success?

I am filled with a mix of emotions as I look back at the past season with Sasso & Company.  There have been a lot of hurdles along the way, but overall I would say we had a successful season.

Dance shows always leave me with this mix of euphoria and sadness; something that I call “the post show blues.”

There is a sense of wow we pulled this off.  We made dance and people paid to come out and see it.  Then you remember all of the little mistakes: a turn that didn’t go perfectly, a strap that fell off, hair that stuck in your lipstick, a lift that you thought was going to fall, and you start to wonder how the audience felt about the show.

If you have read some of my other posts, you’ll realize that the list of worries in the world of dance and live performance is seemingly longer than the list of positives.

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How to Really Run a Dance Show (and Sell Out)

What goes through your head when you are setting up a run of performances?  For me, I run the gamut of emotions. High on the list are excitement and fear – I get so excited to have the opportunity to share work with the world and get on stage and perform.

I also fear that no one will turn up to the performances and that I’ll put a ton of cash down and end up in the red.  While there is no guarantee that your show will be successful, I found a few things this season that helped make my shows a success and I would like to share them with you.

At the end of the day, running the show shouldn’t be terrifying. People will turn up if you prepare properly.

how to run a dance show

Everybody’s fear is not getting butts in seats

So, what’s the difference between a normal show and a Sasso & Company performance?

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Dancing the Distance: Near. Far. Together

I love chance technique.  I remember learning about Merce Cunningham for the first time when I was about eighteen and thinking how tough and ballsy his method sounded.  I was also terrified by the idea of not knowing the future (i.e. the next step or phrase).

As I have gotten older, I have really begun to fall in love with chance.  I find the entire experience exhilarating and thrilling.  You walk into the studio with an idea and then guide it slightly, or perhaps you  let it completely run wild.

Taking a chance in my work

My first experience using chance in my own choreography was in 2014 when I started creating a piece now called ‘Automatic Unconsciousness’.

To be really honest, I was struggling to come up with a storyline I wanted to tell, and was feeling a bit burnt out as a choreographer. But I went back to my roots and education, and I brought some tools to the studio.

For this piece, I used colored index cards labeled with a variety of things such as: Phrase A/Phrase B, invert, repeat, slow, fast, and more. First, I taught the phrases, then I had the dancers choose cards from each pile of: phrases, how to manipulate them, and speed suggestions.

We got to work and rather than ending up with too little material, we had far too many versions of all the phrases!  I was so intrigued and excited by how these simple manipulations created enough meat for an entire piece.

I believe that chance allows the dancers to have a deeper involvement in the creative process.  I also love knowing that we (as I believe chance often is a group process) can keep, discard, and further manipulate any material created.

Fast forward a couple of years and I have begun to challenge myself more and more to allow chance to be a part of my choreographic process.

Near Far Together Continue reading