West Virginia Dance Festival Draws Students from Across the State

 News…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Dance students from 45 dance school, high school and college programs participated in the 2013 West Virginia Division of Culture and History Dance Festival at the Culture Center at the State Capitol Complex on April 19 – 21. Students had the opportunity to take classes from nationally accredited dancers and dance instructors, and to perform in evening concerts.

Two students, Olivia Danielle Myers with the Capital High School Dance Company and Mia Danielle Sedney with the Kat and Company Dance Studio, were the 2013 dance scholarship recipients.  Myers received the Jerry Rose Scholarship of Excellence scholarship, which is sponsored by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. She will attend Point Park University’s International Summer Dance program.   Sedney received the Friends of Culture and History scholarship and will attend the Cincinnati Ballet’s summer intensive program.

“We are proud to host the annual statewide dance festival,” said Randall Reid-Smith, Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.  “This program allows us to bring together dance schools from around the state so that their students can take advantage of challenging dance instruction and have the opportunity to meet each other and learn from the experiences of other dancers.”

In addition to ballet, modern and jazz dance classes, dancers could take instructions in stretch warm-up, pre-pointe preparation, arabesque and body strength.  Special master classes for advanced students were offered in pointe, contemporary ballet, improvisation, tap and musical theater. Photos of all evening performances are available at www.wvculture.zenfolio.com/dance.  High resolution photos are available for downloading by using the menu in the top left of each image.

Participating in the Dance Festival were:

·     Academy of Arts @ January’s and JADCO Contemporary Dance Company, Charleston
·     Alchemy Dance Project and Red Stone Dance Initiative, Morgantown
·     Annabel Timms School of Ballet, Bridgeport
·     Art Center School of Dance, Huntington
·     Arts In Action, Hurricane
·     Augusta Youth Ballet Company, Buckhannon
·     Beckley Dance Theatre and Dance Theatre School, Beckley
·     Bridgeport High School, Flemington
·     Cadalzo Contemporary Dance Studio, Morgantown
·     Capital High School, Charleston
·     Charleston Ballet, Charleston
·     Dance Dimensions of Hedgesville, Hedgesville
·     Dance Underground, Dunbar
·     Elite Performance Academy, Proctorville, Ohio
·     Huntington Dance Theatre and Huntington Dance Theater School, Huntington
·     Jeslyn Dance Gallery and Jeslyn Performing Arts Center, Huntington
·     Kat and Company Dance Studio, Morgantown
·     Marshall University/Amused, Huntington
·     Mid Ohio Valley Ballet Company and Mid Ohio Valley Ballet Academy, Parkersburg
·     Momentum Dance Center, Clarksburg
·     Morgantown Ballet Company, Morgantown
·     Morgantown Dance Studio, Morgantown
·     Next Step School of Dance, White Sulphur Springs
·     Oglebay Institute School of Dance, Wheeling
·     Pace Performing Arts Connection, Parkersburg
·     Princeton Dance Studio, Princeton
·     Rhythm ’N Motion and Turning Pointe Dance Company, Martinsburg
·     River City Youth Ballet Ensemble and School of River City Youth Ballet, Charleston
·     Schrader Youth Ballet, Parkersburg
·     Shepherdstown School of Dance, Shepherdstown
·     Trillium Performing Arts Collective and Trillium Performing Youth, Lewisburg
·     Valley Dance Studio, Lewisburg
·     Village Dance Theatre, Huntington
·     West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon
·     West Virginia Dance Company, Beckley
·     West Virginia University Dance Program, Morgantown

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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