ORANGE, NJ — The Orange School District and Orange Dance Conservatory will host the seventh annual Dance Festival at Lincoln Avenue School on Sunday, April 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“On Sunday, April 22, top-level dance educators will take part in the Orange Dance Conservatory’s seventh annual Orange Dance Festival, offering master classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, modern, contemporary and world styles,” said Debbie Rembert, the Orange Dance Conservatory coordinator Monday, April 16. “The featured choreographer this year in Los Angeles-based dancer Phil Wright. Phil is renowned in the hip-hop arena as artistic director for many top hip-hop performers.”
Rembert, who also teaches dance at Park Avenue School, said Wright would be the featured presenter among the cadre of dance and performing arts professionals participating in this year’s festival, including Maleek Washington, who recently appeared on the live television production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” According to Orange Superintendent Ron Lee, the Orange Dance Conservatory and the annual Dance Festival has become “the place to be for dance enthusiasts, students and adults.”
“The festival will offer live dance program auditions and panel discussions to give students an understanding of what it is like to work as a professional dancer or dance educator,” Rembert said. “The cost is $25 for Orange Public School District students. The festival is open to dancers, ages 7 to adult, from dance studios, dance schools, youth programs, public and private school dance programs and members of the community. Refreshments will be available for purchase and dancers should bring a bag lunch.”
The 2016 Dance Festival lineup included: Vivian Nixon, the daughter of “Fame” television show dancer Debbie Allen and former L.A. Lakers basketball star Norm Nixon; Carlos Neto; Charles Smith; April Cook; Wendy McKenzie; Ronald Alexander; Maleek Washington; Ashley Rich; King Jafi Rock; Joanna Numata; Jeremy McQueen; Dorrit Koppel; Keenan Cooks; and Miles Keeney. Last year’s featured attraction — at least for the large group of pre-teen and teenage dancers that participated, including Kyanna Dwyer, 14, Kayla Fisher, 13, and Shackayla Campbell, 13 — was singer Jayla Marie from “The Rap Game” and King Jafi Rock.
Rembert said the seventh annual Dance Festival will be a great opportunity for young dancers to get instruction from “master dancers” at very cheap prices and, this year, some of the participants actually got the chance to audition for Marie and serve as her backup dancers.
“Some of them are actually school kids from the Orange public schools who got to audition for her and got picked to perform,” said Rembert. “So they got a professional opportunity, too.”
For more information and for admission fee information for non-Orange Public School students, email orangedanceconservatory@gmail.com.
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