PHILADELPHIA (February 25, 2008) – More than 1,800 high school dancers from nearly 90 schools from across the globe will descend upon the Avenue of the Arts for the ninth National High School Dance Festival (NHSDF) March 13-16 at The University of the Arts (UArts). Hosted by the UArts School of Dance and presented in conjunction with Penn State Abington and Artists Exchange International, the four-day festival features auditions for up to $300,000 in scholarships, over 300 master classes, six gala performances and internationally renowned faculty. The festival is so wildly popular, enrollment reached capacity in early November.

“We are delighted to welcome so many of the world’s best up and coming dancers to Philadelphia,” said Susan Glazer, director of the UArts School of Dance, the largest such program in the country. "Sixteen years ago, we hosted the first of these festivals and were unsure of its potential for success. We had no idea how many people would be interested in attending, where they might come from and what could be accomplished in four days. Since that time, the festival has proven to be an important way to promote dance across the United States. It strengthens the art form and provides opportunities to showcase the best and brightest of high school dance through classes, workshops, lectures and performances.”

“NHSDF began as a way to showcase high school dance programs, give dancers a chance to work in a non-competitive environment and, of course, inspire one another,” said NHSDF executive director Kathryn Kearns, Assistant Professor of Integrative Arts at Penn State Abington. “Some states have very strong high school dance programs and others, unfortunately, struggle for dance to be an accepted part of the curriculum. The festival serves as a large forum for teachers and students to share.”

The four-day festival features a full day of auditions where more than $300,000 in scholarships is expected to be awarded to over 100 students for collegiate dance programs including The Boston Conservatory; Butler University (Indianapolis, Ind.); Cornish College (Seattle, Wash.); The Juilliard School; The University of the Arts; Rutgers University and Towson University; and summer programs including the American Dance Festival (Durham, N.C.); Ballet Met Columbus (Ohio) and Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston, Maine).

The festival schedule ensures there won’t be a dearth of live performances either. Following a spectacular opening performance featuring Pennsylvania Ballet, Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and Brian Sanders Dance, six adjudicated concerts with live music populate the jam packed schedule, which includes two evening gala concerts, two late afternoon showcase concerts and two mid-day informal concerts. At the first showcase concert, the festival committee will honor one student choreographer with the Outstanding Student Choreography Award. The top prize is $500 and the winning piece will be performed at the festival’s final gala performance. New to this year’s festival are “Jam Sessions,” where students and instructors can simply show up and freestyle.

The University’s 14 dance venues, including nine bright and airy studios in Terra Hall, and the Merriam Theater will be jamming day and night with students and instructors from UArts, Juilliard and Goucher College participating in master classes in areas such as ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, musical theater, salsa, African, Pilates, massage, stretch, injury prevention and nutrition.

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