The Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet’s annual Summerdance Intensive will take place at their new downtown studios Aug. 4-15.

The workshop offers two weeks of intensive study for intermediate through advanced ballet students. Guest faculty for the workshop includes Brittany Bush, Michael Cerwinski and Iyalvo Alexiev, who will guest teach for two days.

Alexiev was born in Varna, Bulgaria. where he started his ballet training with the Vaganova Method at the National High School of Ballet.

He grew up in France where he earned a scholarship from UNESCO to join the prestigious Academy of Ballet in Monte Carlo directed by Madame Marika Besobrasova. He graduated with a Diploma for a Professional Ballet Dancer. Other important influences in his early development were Madam Luyba Fominich and Madam Svetlomira Mihailova.

From 2002-04 he was a member of Le Ballet de L’Opera National de Bordeaux, France, where he danced for three seasons, participating in every production and world tours with the company. In 2004, Alexiev joined Halberstadt Ballett, Germany, where he performed in different ballet productions working with many international ballet directors and choreographers.

In 2007, Alexiev was invited to join the Pforzheim Ballett, Germany, where he danced for two seasons in every production of the company including many solo and principal parts. Alexiev took part in many international Ballet Galas all over Europe and he has been invited as a guest artist by ballet theaters in France, Germany, Russia, Malta Japan, Bulgaria and Monaco. He joined Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre in 2010 as a member of the company and performed in Covens, Streams, The Nutcracker, Over and Over, Cubania and other repertory ballets choreographed from Jose Mateo. Alexiev speaks five languages and obtained a degree in dance pedagogy and history of ballet. He has been a member of the faculty at Ballet Theatre of Boston since 2012.

Bush began her dance training at the Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet with Monika Alch. During that time she was accepted into Intensive Workshops at BalletMet, the New York State Summer School of the Arts Ballet Program, Boston Ballet and Jose Mateo Ballet Theater. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Ballet Performance from the Dance Conservatory at SUNY Purchase.

While at Purchase she had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Jessica Lang and Emery LeCrone and to perform George Balanchine’s Serenade at Jacob’s Pillow with the Purchase Dance Company. Bush just finished her first year as a dancer with the Jose Mateo Ballet Theater in Cambridge, Mass. This summer she is guest teaching at several studios in Long Island. Brittany has choreographed The Red Violin Suite, Young Forever and The Woods Are Full of Fairies.

Cerwinski was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, and raised in Greene, New York. He began his dance training at the age of 14 at Ballet Arts Theatre, under the direction of Tina Christina-Price. Two years later he started studying modern dance at the Amber Perkins School of the Arts in Norwich, New York. Michael received his B.F.A at SUNY Purchase in the Conservatory of Dance in the composition concentration program. He has had the opportunity to perform works by Twyla Tharp, Pam Tanowitz, Nelly van Bommel, and Jonathan Reidel among others. He has also studied intensively at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, the Ailey School and with Ben Levy in San Francisco. Cerwinski now heads his own dance company – Michael James New York – and recently had one of his pieces, Garten, performed at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.

The Summerdance workshop will include daily classes in classical ballet technique, pointe, variations and modern. There are limited openings available for the Intensive.

As part of workshop offerings guest faculty Ivaylo Alexiev will teach a men’s master class on Thursday, Aug. 7, at 2 p.m. Male dancers with ballet background interested in the master class should call CRYB at 664-9766 to register. Alexiev will also teach advanced technique classes at CRYB on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8. There are limited spots available – interested dancers may call the studio to inquire about availability.