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From the far Pacific coasts of California to sunny Italy… This summer the University of California, Santa Barbara, Dance Company in collaboration with ISI Florence started their Italian tour. Thirteen pre-professional dance students  offered free master classes in contemporary dance and hip hop at one of Florence’s most important dance centers, Opus Ballet, and performed a seven-piece concert there. The performances dazzled Florentine audiences by presenting original works by guest choreographers from New York, as well as Psalm, a tribute to renowned choreographer José Limón. During the day, the master classes were filled with enthusiastic Italian dancers, who reveled in the lessons offered by their American peers, admiring their technique and passion. UCSB’s first stop in Italy inaugurated a relationship with ISI Florence’s rapidly expanding performing arts program. This summer ISI has added music to its already rich curriculum, bringing students from the University of Colorado to both study and perform. Dance is a must on the performing arts list, and the institute looks forward to further artistic and scholarly projects, shared with American universities and American talent.