Nez Perce Dance & Drum Show

The Nez Perce Dance & Drum show at McDonald Elementary School in Moscow was a wonderful event! It was part of our Building Cultural Bridges program with Lapwai, Id. The students got to watch traditional Nez Perce dance and learn about the regalia. There was an informative question and answer period afterwards. The students even got to get up and dance with the dancers!! Such a great time!!

Living Window Display Music Video

Living Window Display 2008

The Living Window Display was a huge success! It was enchanting! The dancers did a wonderful job of entertaining the crowds - and themselves. :o)

A Magical Peter Pan Christmas!

MOMIX was a hit! I haven't written a post since before MOMIX because - well because, it's just been VERY BUSY at Festival Dance. :o) We're working on A Magical Peter Pan Christmas and it is coming along brilliantly. I am very pleased with our casting: Siri Hammond is a wonderful Peter, and all of the key parts are absolutely wonderful!! Shows are December 13, 3:00 & 7:00 and Dec. 14, 3:00 at the Hartung Theatre. Tickets on sale at Paradise Ridge CDs in downtown Moscow. I'll post more later. For now, here are some pictures.

Fragrance Festival!

Macy's Fragrance Festival Was Graced By Our Dancers!

MAD ABOUT MOMIX!

Whoa! MOMIX will be here in fourteen days!! I am terrified and excited at the same time. Momix is an incredibly fascinating show - so I'm excited about seeing them live here on the Palouse. But I am terrified that the advertising we are doing won't reach everyone. (I realize that no marketing plan can reach everyone, but I intend to try!) MOMIX is truly a spectacle and it is a real miracle that they agreed to perform for us. I assure you, they are getting so popular, they will soon stop performing for the out-of-the-way markets like our area. I wish everyone could understand how magical, awe-inspiring, and artistic the show is - because no one would willingly miss it.

This video will give you an idea about the show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_igxPpb4O4
http://www.festivaldance.org/content/headers/momix.wmv

Tickets are selling briskly and I hope you've got yours! See you at MOMIX!

Yours In Dance..........

The cutest High School Musical show ever!

I just came up to the office from studio 110 after our 'High School Musical' open house/dress rehearsal and am so proud of what we've accomplished! The show was dazzling. It is when performances miraculously come together that I really appreciate the ability of people to surprize you. These little dancers were working hard all week, they were nervous, and hot, and well........ just wonderful. The performance went off without a hitch. They are ready to do the show tomorrow at 9:00 at the Farmer's Market, much to my relief. :o) Wal-Mart donated the basket-balls that the dancers use in the first number, "Get Your Head In The Game," and they will get to take home the basket-ball that their classmates have signed, a basketball jersey they decorated with glitter glue, and their ribbon hairpiece they made during the craft segment of the workshop.

This summer tradition, the Imagination Arts Workshop, is one of the most worthwhile projects we do. I'm so proud of our little dancers!

See you tomorrow morning-
Yours in dance........

Crusin' at the Eastside video!

This is a music video of the 50s event.... It's so cute!

Dance Idaho Music Video

This is a music video of the week of Dance Idaho 2008.

Advertise with Festival Dance and Grow Your Business!

This is a video created especially for our advertisers. Thank you for advertising in our gorgeous Great Performances Series program last season! This year, not only will our season program be gorgeous, but advertisers get to be featured in a video (designed just like the one here) that is posted on our website and on our blog.

Festival Dance Thanks Our Contributors!

Nationalism!

Peru Negro was a stirring performance, not just for the athleticism and cultural depth, but because the dancers showed the audience the heartfelt national pride they feel for their country. After the show, it was hard to find a dry eye in the audience! They brought out the Peruvian national flag amid a standing ovation and continuing encores that brought chills to your skin. It was truly an uplifting event. (If you were there, I know you felt it, too!)

The show sponsors, Moscow Hotel & Garden Lounge, and NWPR have made a great impact with Festival Dance. Moscow Hotel & Garden Lounge was Festival Dance's very first corporate sponsor. We are so thankful to them for their generous and ongoing support. Also, I bet you heard about the performance on NWPR! Lots of people let me know that they heard about our event from the radio.

The school show the following day brought at least 50 students up on the stage to dance with the artists! It was fantastic! (See picture.)

Hey- coming next are our spring recitals! Check with our website to attend one of our four spring recitals. The theme is "Movies, Musicals, and Magic!" I know I sound cheesy when I say this- but it really is magical to see the dancers on stage - entrancing the audience. It is a form of magic.

Yours in dance.........

A Swinging Time!

Wow. I loved Swing Kings. The whole audience loved it. Mia Swartwood, our Ballet Mistress, told me that the first half of classical ballet variations were some of the best she'd ever seen. (That's saying a lot! Mia is a perfectionist.) And then the second half- well, it was so fun to watch. There were so many funny moments, scenarios that got you giggling; it was a really good time for everyone who braved the icy, terrible weather.

Perhaps one of the most memorable things that I will never forget, is the incredible mini-burger/soda shop experience afterward in the Cougar Lounge. (This is the after party/reception that we hold after every performance at the Beasley for our subscribers, sponsors, board members, and the performers. Incredibly, the receptions are catered by Gerald Henry, a board member, and Glenda Albright, (better known as Jonell's mom). But all the board members help out.

The funniest thing was watching board member Roberta McPherson slinging burgers and all the board members standing in an efficient line assembling fully loaded mini-burgers! It was entertaining and delicious! And all the more so because they were so lovingly prepared by our wonderful board. There were the mini-burgers, fries, condiments, and root beer floats to carry on the Swing Kings/soda shop theme. It was so neat.

The Beasley was packed for the school show the next day! The students and teachers loved the educational performace. Some kids got to go up on stage and learn the 'Lindy Hop.' Did you know that the Lindy Hop was named after Charles Lindburgh, after his flight (hop) across the Atlantic? It became all the rage...

Next we have Peru Negro - 30 dancers and musicians from Peru. This job is so great.

Keep dancin'.............

Lots to look forward to!

Happy New Year!! It's a snow day and the sun is shining and the holidays are over. But we at Festival Dance have a lot to look forward to this spring semester.

First, let me update you about the success of the holiday show, Nutcracker Suite & Celtic Treats....... It was great! Wonderful! Stunning! Brilliant! Fun!! The show went well and provided the high quality performance opportunity for our academy students that are so important to our mission of 'Bringing the Arts to the People and the People to the Arts.'

Tickets sold extremely well, and the personal pride and satisfaction felt by everyone involved was worth all the long hours. The show was aired on Idaho Public Television channel 8 on the 27th, 28th, & 29th and the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th. I hope you were able to catch it.

Coming soon we have Swing Kings! February 10th, 3:00 Beasley Coliseum. The Eugene Ballet will perform beautiful ballet selections and then finish off the performance with the new crowd pleaser - Swing Kings! Jitterbug, Jive, and Jazz will have the audience dancing in their seats! For tickets, go to http://beasley.wsu.edu/calendar/event.aspx?event=184 or call Festival Dance at 883-DANS.

Spring Specials:
50% OFF- We have a special for 'half off for one month for new students' in the Moscow, Saturday morning Kinderdance class. 9:45-10:30. Just refer to the offer when enrolling.

50% OFF- We have a special for 'half off for one month for new students' all classes in Lewiston at our LCSC location and American Legion location. Just refer to the offer when enrolling.

FREE- Festival Dance will offer classes in Kinderdance (intro to dance including basic steps and creative dance), Beginning Ballet, Jazz, and Hip Hop at Troy Elementary School starting in January. A grant from the Latah County Arts & Culture Committee will provide free classes for the first month with payment of a $15 registration fee. After the first month, cost will be $32/month for Kinderdance and Ballet and $36/month for Jazz and Hip Hop. (Enrollment for the free classes does not obligate you to continue.)

No classes on Martin Luther King Day.

Have a great 2008 and keep dancing......................