The Youth Dance Ensemble, Joy of Motion Dance Center’s elite program for the developing young dancer, consisting of a 9th through 12th grade dance ensemble and preparatory levels for 1st through 8th grades, will perform at The Greenberg Theatre at American University (4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016) on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $15. The performance will feature choreographic works by Youth Dance Ensemble core faculty members Tiffany Haughn (Artistic Director of DancEthos), Julia Smith, Kathleen Weitz, Helanius J. Wilkins (Founder and Artistic Director of Edgeworks Dance Theater) and Youth Dance Ensemble Program Director Helen Hayes (Winner of the 2009 MetroDC Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance Education).

Guest artists Jennifer Lee, Felipe Oyarzun (guest choreographer from Chile, apprentice with Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company), Christine Stone Martin (Daniel Burkholder/The Playground) and Vincent Thomas (Towson University) have also set works on the Ensemble company members to add to their extensive repertoire. Several of the pieces presented in this concert include movement contributions from the young dancers which illuminate their creativity and compositional skills. The performance will showcase the quality of technical and artistic training that the Youth Dance Ensemble provides its young dancers.

This year’s concert features the youngest group of Ensemble members ever, said Hayes. There are also four Youth Dance Ensemble members, Serena Baldick, Emily Knickerbocker, Cecily Lo and Ella Meyer, who are enrolled at Sidwell Friends School where President Barack Obama’s daughters are also in attendance. According to Hayes, “this concert promises to be one of the most diverse programs in the history of the Ensemble. To watch young dancers work on material that is so sophisticated, mature and challenging on both a physical and emotional level is truly compelling. The audience will certainly be impressed, but more importantly, the audience will be transported and touched. Come share the magic of the evening with us.” For more information about the Youth Dance Ensemble Program, please click here.