FCDC Goes Formal with… A Celebration of Dance

With black ties and ball gowns at the ready, the Fairfax County Dance Coalition (FCDC) is making A Celebration of Dance not just a showcase, but a full gala affair. Now in its third year running, the FCDC’s gala event is overflowing with an array of area talent, featuring twelve companies and a mix of ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, musical theatre and international dance styles. Not just the dancers will be dolled up for this event; the audience is encouraged to show off their own glitz and glam.

A Celebration of Dance will be presented Sunday, October 7th at 3:00 p.m. at the Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus theatre. A brief reception is open to audience members following the performance in the upstairs gallery.

“Every year, the reasons we produce this show become stronger,” says Marilyn York, FCDC President, Gala Director and artistic director of Dancin’ Unlimited Jazz Dance Company. “The Gala not only provides an opportunity for advanced and professional dancers to share their artistic talents with each other across this dance community. The Gala also helps to build a network of dance enthusiasts beyond family and friends of dancers.”

Drawing together these twelve specialized groups has put Fairfax County dance on the map in the DC Metro Area, and the FCDC has created this dance production with the purpose of sharing its talent across county lines. Participating companies include: BalletNova, Center Stage Dance Company, Dancin’ Unlimited Jazz Dance Company, Encore Theatrical Arts Project, Gin Dance Company, Impact Dance Company, Lasya Dance Company, Nrityanjali Dance Company, The Ballet Arts Ensemble of Fairfax, The Fairfax Ballet Company, The Kintz Mejia Academy of Ballet and the Virginia Ballet Company.

“It’s amazing how we all get along,” states Caroline Frankil Warren, Executive Director of BalletNova Center for Dance. “The Gala is a watershed collaboration among 12 dance groups, resulting in a wonderful showcase of the dance talent hidden within Fairfax County.”

BalletNova will perform in two pieces – the Pas de Deux from Les Sylphides and a contemporary piece by Amy Tuck. The Gin Dance Company will present “The Core,” a contemporary piece about universal interconnectivity, energy and strength. Center Stage will perform a modern take on Frank Sinatra’s iconic song “New York, New York,” fusing classic Broadway and rhythm tap. “White Out,” a contemporary jazz piece performed by Dancin’ Unlimited, encourages the audience to get past, or white out, life problems. The Fairfax Ballet Company will perform a contemporary lyrical piece inspired by the journey of adolescence. Encore will present “Kick Line,” a Rockette-style number. The audience can also expect several traditional Indian dance works.

For the second consecutive year, the Fairfax County Dance Coalition and the Arts Council of Fairfax County will announce scholarship awards to two 2013 high school graduating seniors from among the FCDC member companies planning to pursue studies in dance. Mason District Supervisor Penelope Gross and Arts Council President Linda Sullivan will present the scholarships at the Gala.

Gala tickets are $20 in advance and $23 at the door. To purchase tickets and find more information, visit www.dancefairfax-gala.org, or contact any of the participating dance organizations. The NVCC Annandale Campus theatre is located at 8333 Little River Turnpike in Annandale, VA; convenient to Beltway exit 52A.

This information is from a Fairfax County Dance Coalition press release. Lauren Green of danceDC will be performing at the event with Dancin’ Unlimited Jazz Dance Company.

Dancin’ Unlimited Goes Broadway and Beyond

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Dancin’ Unlimited

Dancin’ Unlimited will perform “Dancin’ on Broadway and Beyond,” a Broadway showcase tribute, at the Port Tobacco Players playhouse in La Plata, MD.  On April 21st at both 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., audiences will experience the thrill of Broadway smash-hit numbers, with a few concert style jazz dance works mixed in.

Directed by Northern Virginia jazz dance icon Marilyn York, the Dancin’ Unlimited Jazz Dance Company packs the show with signature songs and dance pieces from Chicago, A Chorus Line, Fosse and Pajama Game.

“We will take you on a jazz dance journey through dance styles that made Broadway famous,” says York. Dancin’ Unlimited’s motto is “Jazz Dance with Class.” They hold true to classical technique and clean lines with the exuberance to light up Broadway to boot.

Dancin’ Unlimited’s mission is to promote, produce and perform quality jazz dance, a uniquely American dance art form that has evolved with our history and absorbed our cultures. Founded in 1973, Dancin’ Unlimited is the only professional jazz dance company in Northern Virginia with a focus on both concert and musical theatre jazz dance. Marilyn York, the artistic director, produces new and exciting programs each year with an emphasis on artistic excellence, broad variety and professionalism. The Company repertoire ranges from classical jazz dance to hip-hop, from the Big Band era dance to Broadway. Company dancers are all classically trained in ballet and modern as well as jazz dance. Dancin’ Unlimited is a non-profit 501-(c)3 arts organization, a member of the Arts Council of Fairfax County, and a founding member of the Fairfax County Dance Coalition.

The above information is adapted from a Dancin’ Unlimited press release.

The Deets

• Dancin’ Unlimited Presents Dancin’ On Broadway and Beyond
• Port Tobacco Players –  508 Charles Street; La Plata, MD 20646
• Saturday, April 21st, 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
• $17 Adults; $14 Students/Seniors/Military
• Dance students and others are welcome to meet the Director, Marilyn York, and Dancin’ Unlimited dancers after the first show around 5:00 p.m.

26th Annual Jazz & Tap Festival

With 25 annual productions down, the Dancin’ Unlimited Jazz Dance Company (DUJDC) launches the next quarter century with the 26th Annual Jazz & Tap Dance Festival on Saturday, March 3rd at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 4th at 4:00 p.m. at the Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus theatre. The Festival showcases jazz dance, a true American art form, in its variety of 20th century styles evolving with 21st century music.

“A characteristic of jazz dance,” says Marilyn York, Artistic Director of DUJDC, “is that it changes as jazz music changes and as popular entertainment preferences change.” York frames the Festival as a vaudevillian sequence of jazz, tap, hip hop, and musical theatre dance numbers. The “Chambermaid Swing” premiers in this years show. It reaches back to ragtime and swing in a fun piece about maids on a holiday. Another piece takes us forward to the latest contemporary interpretation of concert jazz dance.

Five more dance companies expand the Festival’s syncopated patterns of movements and pauses: Encore Performers, Center Stage Dance, Capitol Movement, Impulse, and MYTE. Center Stage’s Michael Hibbs, recent winner of the Fairfax County Dance Coalition’s scholarship for a high school senior pursuing advanced dance education, demonstrates his Bill “Bojangles” Robinson tap dance expertise. The Encore Performers “rockette” us with large-scale musical theatre pieces and Capital Movement hip hops us into street crowd frenzy.

The above information is adapted from a press release received Friday, February 24th.

The Deets

• 26th Annual Jazz and Tap Festival
• Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus Theatre –  8333 Little River Turnpike; Annandale, VA 22003
• Saturday, March 3rd, 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 4th, 4:00 p.m.
• $20 in advance, $22 at the door; Click here to buy tickets