Dance+ Festival celebrates 20th year
Class session from an earlier year
The 20 th annual Dance+ Festival invites participants of all ages and skill levels to "dance like the stars." The event will offer classes in nearly two dozen different styles of dance and movement - ranging from Zumba to yoga, ballet to belly dancing - from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Sunday, March 28, in the National Museum of Dance at 99 South Broadway.
The popular daylong community dance festival is open to dancers (and would-be dancers) from beginner to advanced levels, with specific classes designed for teens, adult beginners, experienced dancers, and children ranging in age from 7 to 12. Among the day's options are "Famous Dances from the Movies," with noted regional choreographer Maud Baum teaching easy-to-learn versions of numbers from West Side Story, A Chorus Line, and Chicago. Ruben Graciani of the Skidmore dance faculty will explore modern dance partnering techniques and the physical skills and awareness needed for complex lifting techniques in "Contemporary Partnering." Floor Barre, Salsa, Creative Awareness for Children, Pilates, and Rhythm Tap are also among the festival's classes.
The complete Dance+20 program and registration forms are online . For more information, call 518-580-5375. Admission is $15 per class ($8 for children) or $45 for a full day. Several discounts are available.
In a feature new this year, lectures will be presented on topics of special interest to dancers: injury prevention, issues facing the female ballet dancer, avoiding burnout in dance class, and the New York City Ballet's wellness program. Two of the talks will be given by psychologist and Dance Magazine columnist Linda Hamilton, a former New York City Ballet dancer and author of Advice for Dancers: Emotional Counsel and Practical Strategies Hamilton, whose books have been described as original and groundbreaking, will be available to sign her books, which include The Dancer's Way: The New York City Ballet Guide to Mind, Body, and Nutrition and The Person Behind the Mask: A Guide to Performing Arts Psychology
The Dance+ Festival got its start in 1990 when Judith Atchinson, then a Skidmore pianist and dance accompanist, organized a day of dance at Hudson Valley Community College. In the years following, the event moved to Skidmore, where it has been coordinated by Mary DiSanto-Rose of the College's dance department and sponsored by the region's Dance Alliance organization of choreographers, dancers, dance teachers, and advocates. The Dance+20 Festival, the first to be held in the National Museum of Dance, is sponsored by the Skidmore College Dance Department, the National Museum of Dance, and the Dance Alliance.