IPA Launches New Intimacy Choreography Training Program
Intimacy Professionals Association (IPA), one of the world’s leading training organizations for intimacy coordinators in film and television, is now accepting applications for its new training program: Intimacy Choreography for Live Performance.
Founded by Amanda Blumenthal, one of the industry’s first intimacy coordinators with credits including Euphoria, The White Lotus, and The Affair, Intimacy Professionals Association is an internationally-renowned training organization for intimacy coordinators. The new program, which focuses on training intimacy choreographers for all types of live performance, was developed in partnership with Dr. Rebecca Johannsen, who in addition to being one of IPA’s top intimacy coordinators, is a long-time director and educator in theatre.
“IPA has been one of the leading organizations for bringing about change in the world of film and television by training intimacy coordinators internationally to meet the needs of the global market. We are thrilled to expand this crucial work into the live performance sector to spread the change we’ve seen in Hollywood in the last seven years” said Amanda Blumenthal of the new program.
Dr. Johannsen holds a Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of California Irvine and San Diego joint doctoral program and has taught in the theatre departments at NYU, Fordham University,
CSU Northridge, and Mercy College. Her IC credits include Netflix’s Griselda, Max’s Bookie, and Amazon’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, among others. In addition to her work as an intimacy coordinator she has previously developed workshops in advanced topics in intimacy coordination for film and television, as well as co-teaching the IPA intimacy coordinator certification program in 2023.
Dr. Johannsen shares Amanda’s excitement of the new areas where the work can go: “While this work has been happening in the theatre for a while, we’re looking forward to expanding the work by bringing IPA’s unique approach to all live performance spaces, including theatre, opera, dance, circus, and any space where performers interact with an audience.”
Dr. Johannsen collaborated with several intimacy coordinators and other experts world-wide to craft a new, unique program focused on supporting live performance: from theatre to opera, from dance to circus, and from improv to concerts. The new program seeks candidates from across the world to train online for 15 weeks, and then culminating in a multi-day in-person choreography workshop.
Applications are accepted from June 19-July 31. Applicants for the program will be assessed by a panel of reviewers. If an applicant is deemed to have a strong background for the work, they will be granted an interview for the program. Interviews will be completed by September 1, 2024
Admissions decisions will be made by September 15th. The program runs in English on Zoom from October 6-December 15, 2024, then resumes from January 15-February 2, 2025. An in-person choreography workshop will take place in Europe in late February 2025. International applicants are strongly encouraged to apply, though all classes will be taught in English, so fluency is required.
For more information about the program, click on this link to the information sheet.
Anyone interested in supporting intimacy work in any form of live performance is encouraged to apply at intimacyprofessionalsassociati
You can also watch this video for more details.
Main image: stock photo
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