REACH THE APEX OF YOUR POTENTIAL
Started in the Fall of 2023, Vanguard's Advanced Performance Experience, or APEX, provides actors the opportunity to hone their craft. At APEX you will work alongside seasoned professionals to find your voice. Our classes are designed to build an actors focus, discipline, imagination, and sense of ensemble.
APEX Classes are designed for actors to continue to train outside of the rehearsal room and elevate their work. We would like to extend our deepest thanks to Jayne and Michael Pink of Milwaukee Ballet for their support of APEX. See below for our upcoming classes and intensives.
We are currently accepting input from Milwaukee actors to help shape our first round of publicly available APEX classes. If you are interested in taking part in these classes, please send us an email at info@vanguardmke.com.
Announcing our APEX VIEWPOINTS SUMMER SERIES!
This summer we are offering our critically acclaimed APEX Viewpoints classes as a series! Over the course of eight weeks you will have the opportunity to explore Anne Bogart's Viewpoints with Vanguard's Producing Artistic Director, Josh Pohja. These classes are designed for artists looking to hone their spontaneity, creativity, and sense of ensemble with a group of like minded actors. This class is great for newcomers and folks who have taken our spring invitationals. Continue your artistic training this summer with Vanguard! Classes are offered on a first come, first serve basis, so register today!
APEX VIEWPOINTS SUMMER SERIES
- Saturdays, 10am-12pm, June 15th - August 10th (No Class on July 6th)
- Taught by Josh "JP" Pohja.
- All Classes will be held at Calvary Presbyterian Church.
- Classes are $10 each or $80 for all eight classes. We are offering a package deal of $65 for all eight classes to be purchased at our first class.
- Please contact us at info@vanguardmke.com with any questions or concerns!
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Viewpoints?
Originating from the vibrant world of postmodern dance, the Viewpoints technique was pioneered by visionary choreographer Mary Overlie. She deconstructed the core challenges faced by performers into six essential categories, known as the Six Viewpoints. Building on Overlie's groundbreaking work, Anne Borgart and the SITI Company have dedicated developing and expanding this innovative approach.
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The Viewpoints technique offers artists a unique language to heighten their awareness of the present moment, enhancing their sensitivity and broadening their expressive capabilities. For actors, this method cultivates spontaneous, intuitive collaboration, enabling them to create bold, theatrical works with remarkable speed. The Viewpoints vocabulary fosters flexibility, clarity, and a heightened sense of perception, benefiting both individual performers and ensembles alike.
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Who can take this class?
This class is available to all students eighteen and older.
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Who will I be working with?
All classes will be taught by Vanguard's Producing Artistic Director, Josh Pohja.
Josh Pohja (Producing Artistic Director, Vanguard Productions) began his education at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (Acting/Directing) where his passion for dance theater blossomed. He then graduated from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama during the tenure of the Moscow Art Theatre, Mladen Kieslov, Don Wadsworth and Victoria Santa Cruz. There he aligned with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company and found a vocabulary for dance theater in Viewpoints, Suzuki and Composition training. After moving to Milwaukee, leadership at First Stage Children's Theater nurtured his training ground to hone his technique and build his education career. JP served five years as Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Education Programs Coordinator and Basic Acting instructor during which he met George Lorimer and Vanguard’s creative alignment began. Pohja's philosophy for Vanguard APEX is that imagination is your strongest muscle and APEX training provides the foundation to flex it.
Where does the class take place?
All classes will be held in the sanctuary of Calvary Presbyterian Church located at 935 W Wisconsin Ave Milwaukee, WI 53233. Participants will enter through the main entrance on Wisconsin Ave. There is ample street parking around the church and two hour free parking on Saturdays.
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Do I need Viewpoints Experience to take the class?
We recommend that students have some Viewpoints experience before taking the summer series. Newcomers are encouraged to reach out to info@vanguardmke.com for more information before the class begins.
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I have an injury, can I still take the class?
Yes. The Viewpoints can be adapted and modified to fit each actor's body. We have made accommodations for our previous classes and are happy to do so in the future. Please contact us at info@vanguardmke.com, before the start of class for more infomation.
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Do I have to attend every class?
No. Classes are offered on a drop in, drop out basis. Progression Training is encouraged, and we offer all eight classes as a package deal at a discounted price of $65.
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How do I pay?
Payment will be taken at the door at the beginning of each class. We accept cash, card, or Venmo for payment. A