It's going to be quite a memorable day. I began thinking back upon my first experience with Ballet Theatre and what popped into my head was this festival. A Professor of mine mentioned it to me as something fun to attend while I explored the art of dance. Also, he wanted me to meet our very own Lori Manzelli, Associate Director of Marketing, so I could start forming contacts in the Dance and Arts Administration fields. Little did I know what this festival would do for me as an avid dancer, spectator, and supporter of local non-profict organizations.
There was plenty to do at the festival including watching performances, learning about the organizations who felt they wanted to share their missions with the Cambridge community, talking to members of local dance troupes, and even just enjoying the welcoming atmosphere created by those who brought this festival together and those who attended. I recognized a few of the troupes who performed throughout the day. It was also wonderful to watch groups who were unfamiliar to me as they taught me about their chosen style of dance and how devoted they were to it.
This event was located around the Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Harvard Square, on Harvard St. right behind the Theatre, and in the parking lot next to it as well. Performances took place within the beautiful Sanctuary Theatre and also on a stage outside in the parking lot. Both settings proved to be successful as both areas were packed for each performance! People who knew about the festival most likely had their day planned out (which performers they wanted to watch) and there were many passers by who just happened to see this large event while they walked around Harvard Square. Everyone and anyone could stop by and participate in this wonderful experience of dance and social awareness, and they certainly did. It was estimated that around 10,000 members of the community attended! As for this year, we hope to see the same!
As we prepare for the 2nd Annual Dance for World Community Festival, we hope you all have this event penciled into your calendars! Starting at 12PM you can find performances at 4 stages this year: 1 in the Sanctuary Theatre, 2 on Mass. Ave, 3 at Harvard and Wage Streets, and 4 at Harvard and Quincy Streets. Now that's a lot of dancing! We have over 40 local dance troupes performing throughout the day. Some of these performers participated in the festival last year and we are grateful to have them back. We welcome and are more than excited to have all the troupes join us as we celebrate dance! You will find the performers, the times, and locations here: PERFORMANCES!
As for the dance classes: teachers from all around the area are offering their expertise and passion for different styles of dance so everyone can have the opportunity to learn something new. Styles include: Contemporary, Hip Hop, Middle Eastern Oriental & Fusion, Tap, Ballet, Salsa, Chinese Traditional, Haitian Folk, Creative Movement, and more! Perhaps you will find yourself falling for another style of dance, and that's exactly what we hope: to open eyes to the diverse and captivating world of dance. These classes are open to ALL children and adults. You can check out the classes, age groups, and styles here: CLASSES!
The third aspect of the festival are the local non-profit organizations that truly want to create social change, and we want to help! Please take some time to go to the booths and learn about each of these organizations. What is their vision for change? How do they believe they can bring about this change? Is there anything that you can do to bring forth these changes? Maybe you will find connections with these groups and will sincerely consider working along side of them in any way you can. We have about 20 Social Service and Advocacy Organizations who have chosen to spread their knowledge and desire to create social change with US! You can look at a list of these organizations here (scroll down): SOCIAL CHANGE!
OH! And don't forget about our Dance party from 7-10PM!!! After a wonderful day exploring different kinds of dance through performances and classes, as well as learning about how YOU can help change our community, come and enjoy dancing for yourself. We supply the music and location and all you have to do is DANCE!
I for one cannot wait for this dance festival to get underway! This festival was one of the major reasons why I desired interning for José Mateo Ballet Theatre. I was inspired by the community engagement, the incredible dancing and social advocacy groups, as the way the entire event was put together. I could have only hoped to be able to work with such an amazing team of people and help out with this powerful festival. Mr. Mateo's vision to, "celebrate the power of dance to create social change" will hopefully encourage and promote all to join him in this quest for change through the art of dance. Well, I am proud to say that I am certainly on board and cannot wait to experience yet another year of the magic. So, please join us for what will be another extraordinary day at Ballet Theatre. You won't want to miss it!!!
See you there!
-Cori
PS. Don't forget to tell your friends and families! The more the merrier =)
PPS. If you want to learn more about the performing groups, their dancers, & any of the instructors teaching open classes you can click here: MORE LINKS!
