PRESS RELEASE: Joy of Motion Dance Center presents the Fall 2018 Youth Concert, featuring 148 youth dancers

—–

Contact: Julia H. Cain
Joy of Motion Dance Center
Phone: 202-907-5113
press@joyofmotion.org

Street Address:
Joy of Motion | Friendship Heights
5207 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20015
www.joyofmotion.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Joy of Motion Dance Center presents the Fall 2018 Youth Concert, featuring 148 youth dancers, performing in seven different styles

Washington, DC: Joy of Motion Dance Center will celebrate its 42nd Fall Session with its Fall Youth Concert, presented at the historic Hartke Theatre at Catholic University of America. This annual event will showcase 148 youth dancers from two pre-collegiate training programs and nine performance companies, spanning ballet, freestyle, jazz, hip hop, modern, street jazz, and tap.

Unique among dance education organizations, Joy of Motion provides high-level training and performance opportunities for young dancers from a broad range of styles and backgrounds — and unites those dancers in a collective concert event.

December’s concert will highlight:

Broadway Dance Academy (BDA): inspired by the innovation of classical and contemporary Broadway choreography, BDA engages students in Grades 5-12 in a curriculum-based jazz and tap program.

  • Youth Dance Ensemble (YDE): our pre-collegiate program with core classes in ballet and modern, YDE includes six preparatory levels and a company; numerous young dancers grow through the program from elementary to high school
  • Youth Performance Companies: designed for aspiring young performers in grades 3-12,, our 2018-19 youth companies are:
  • Vibe Tribe and Rhythmix (hip hop, directed by Jasmine Andrews)
  • Hype Company (hip hop, directed by Ayden Elder)
  • HypeFlow (freestyle hip hop, directed by Krystal Collins)
  • Jazz Corps (jazz, directed by Samantha Greymont)
  • Jazz Factor (jazz, directed by Sara Herrera)
  • The Pulse (street jazz, directed by Maurice Johnson)
  • Soles of Steel (tap, directed by Stephanie Vadala)
  • Shades (multiple styles, directed by Krystal Odom)

The director of both BDA and YDE is Helen Hayes, Director of the Dance Institute at Joy of Motion and currently the Interim Director of Programs. Under her direction, YDE won the Metro DC Dance Award for Most Outstanding Youth Performance in 2006, 2010 and 2012.

The YDE Company will be premiering a new work by Alexandra May Ballance, YDE Company alumna (Class of 2017), who is currently in her second year at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Says Hayes, “Alexandra was the first student to go through the entire YDE program from Grade 1-12 and we are thrilled to have a new piece of hers in the Company’s repertory this year.”

In addition, seasoned faculty members Jen Dobbins, Robert Maynard, and Abby Leithart will be presenting new works, and new faculty Rachel Luebbert and Whitney Brown will premiere pieces as well. Student dancers in BDA will be presenting work by new faculty members, Jessyka Bagdon and Shané Johnson.

Sarah Chapin, Director of Production, adds, “By coming together in a single evening, our Youth Performance Companies can showcase dance in five different concert styles, enabling the audience to experience a remarkable breadth of performances and techniques.”

ABOUT JOY OF MOTION:

A non-profit charitable organization founded in 1976, Joy of Motion Dance Center has since developed into “the area’s most comprehensive dance institution” (Washington Post), engaging 60 faculty members and teaching artists, providing more than 300 weekly classes, and drawing nearly 9,000 unique students and artists annually to three studio locations (in two Wards of DC and in Bethesda, MD). With more than 40 years of history in the District, Joy of Motion has become the hub of a vast artistic community, committed to excellence both in high-level training and community-based arts experiences.

Our Mission: to unite dance professionals, students, and audiences by providing exceptional education and performances that stimulate a universal love of dance.

###