Douglas dancers perform in Florida festival

Nine of Nevada Dance Company’s Pre-Professional 12-18 year old dancers performed starting Wednesday at the Regional Dance America’s National Festival in Daytona, Fla.

The dancers will perform at the Peabody Auditorium in front of 2,500 other dancers, directors, choreographers and recruiters from all over the U.S. They will be performing “Danse Macabre,” choreographed by Oliver Adams.

“You may have seen this piece at NVDC’s recent spring shows, “Artistry in Motion,” Erica Adams said.

Artistic Directors Erica and Oliver, who also own local dance studio, The Dance Workshop, will be accompanying this group which is Nevada’s only representatives at the festival.

“Dancers selected to be in the pre-professional company not only show immense talent, but also a passion for dance and the arts,” Erica Adams said.

Currently, these dancers all come from Dance Workshop but, this Pre-Professional company was started by Erica and Oliver specifically for dedicated young dancers of an advanced level who are looking for a career in dance, whether they choose to dance professionally in a dance company or to participate in dance at the university level.

Which is why, they are all on scholarship during the 16-week rehearsal process which occurs on Saturdays from January - April. “Due to donations from some wonderful donors and local organizations, Nevada Dance Company is also able to pay for the dancers’ flights to Florida for this National Festival,” Erica said.

The Regional Dance America National Festival only occurs every 4-5 years, therefore, for some of these students, this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“Attending these festivals allows them to be seen by some of the most prominent names in the dance world,” Erica said. “They will also have the opportunity to dance alongside and meet other young dancers who share the same passion. This will be a very important experience for each of these young dancers as they make their mark and pave their way into the dance world outside of Northern Nevada.”