Dancing Arts Ensemble Selected to Perform at the Massachusetts Dance Festival

The Dancing Arts Ensemble from the Dancing Arts Center in Holliston has been selected to perform at the first annual Massachusetts Dance Festival. The Massachusetts Dance Festival is a statewide event, sponsored by UMass Amherst Department of Music and Dance that will be held August 21st and 22nd at Boston Ballet, 19 Clarendon Street, Boston, and August 28th and 29th, at UMass Amherst (Totman Building) and The Fine Arts Center, Amherst. The public is invited to attend events at both sites, which include Saturday evening performances by eleven professional dance companies, and Sunday late afternoon performances by eleven emerging dance companies, representing genres of ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, multimedia, East Indian, and hip hop/jazz, including the Dancing Arts Ensemble.

In addition to dance performances are a total of 48 dance classes for adults and children in Boston, August 21st and 22nd, and in Amherst, August 28th and 29th, between the hours of 11:00 am and 5:00 pm on Saturdays, and between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm on Sundays. Massachusetts master dancers, college and K-12 educators, and industry specialists cover genres of ballet, jazz, tap, modern, African, Cuban, Salsa, hip hop, “inclusive dance for physically disabled dancers,” and a diverse range of innovative children’s dance classes. Specialty workshops on “dance photography,” “managing a successful cultural business,” and “healthy dancers” will also run adjacent to movement classes, offering a full spectrum of activities for all ages and levels of audience participants.

MDF’s Emcee for both Saturday nights is Massachusetts native and national jazz icon, Rebecca Parris, who will open both performances and sing two of her favorite, popular jazz standards. She is an ardent supporter of music and dance performance and education in Massachusetts.

Tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased in advance or at the door. Discounts are available for Boston Dance Alliance Members, students, senior citizens, and groups of 10 or more. Call: (508) 429-7577 for ticket sales information. You may also pay for tickets in advance, through Pay Pal, at the Massachusetts Dance Festival web site http://massdancefestival.org.

For more information about the Massachusetts Dance Festival, including a full listing of performing artists and classes for adults and students, please visit their website at http://www.massdancefestival.org.  For more information about the Dancing Arts Center (dance school), Dancing Arts Academy (academic and dance day school) or the Dancing Arts Ensemble (not-for-profit performing company), contact Karyn Edison at 508-429-7577 or visit the web site at http://www.dancingartscenter.com/.