Youth Dance Fest East to host second annual festival in Fredericton March 23 and 24 at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre and Théâtre Centre Communautaire Sainte-Anne.
A unique, non-competitive dance festival is coming to the capital city. The second annual Youth Dance Fest East is a weekend full of events including workshops led by dance professionals from across the Maritimes and seminars on injury prevention and mental health and resilience.
Youth Dance Fest East was developed by two New Brunswick dancers, Marcia Dysart and Ginny Steeves, who after many years of teaching and performing in the province, realized there was a need for a new kind of dance festival for the many young dancers looking to foster technical and artistic excellence.
“We are so excited to bring this kind of an opportunity to the New Brunswick dance community,” says co-creator Marcia Dysart. “By focusing on artistic and personal development in a non-competitive environment, we’ve provided the opportunity for students to expand their dance knowledge, to create new connections with fellow dancers, and to learn about how they can better take care of their bodies. It’s also going to be a lot of fun!”
The festival provides workshops in ballet, contemporary, hip hop, floor work, improvisation, modern, and creation practices. Dancers will also be invited to perform their own choreography for their peers and dance educators.
“There is a great dance community here in New Brunswick and we are hoping that this new festival can continue to expand that love and appreciation for dance,” says co-creator Ginny Steeves. “We’ve been lucky to bring on some incredible workshop mentors who are excited to help the next generation of dancers grow.”
Workshops will take place Saturday at CSAC. A performance featuring original choreography from the participants and other artists taking place Sunday afternoon at the Théâtre Centre Communautaire Sainte-Anne will be open to the public and tickets are on sale now.
