Fourth Annual Dance Union Festival Celebrates Dance Community Across Union County
Carolyn Dorfman Dance produces and hosts the
Fourth Annual Dance Union Festival
TICKETS: All events are free, but registration is required. Advance registration is required at https://bit.ly/2PLMOlM.
Registration for this popular
celebration of dance is now open for programs that include master classes, open
rehearsals, and a culminating performance featuring the noted dance company
with high schools, dance studios, other professional companies, and artists on
Friday, April 16, at 6:00 p.m. Masterclasses and an upcoming professional
development workshop are held in partnership with Union County Teen Arts. (Photo above by Vandy Photography)
The week opens with an
open rehearsal featuring Artistic Director Carolyn Dorfman and the entire
company. Watch the in-person rehearsal being held at SOPAC (South Orange
Performing Art Center) on Tuesday, April 13, from 1:00 until 3:00 p.m., which
gives the public an insider look at the art, artists, and processes of Carolyn
Dorfman Dance.
On Wednesday, April 14, as
part of Dance Union on the Move, the company will hold three programs for The
Deron School of New Jersey (Union and Montclair campus) and Community Access
Unlimited including mini performances and movement instruction. These programs
are funded by the company’s own DEPTH initiative (Dance that Empowers People To
be more Human), started in 2016, to funds programs in schools and community
organizations that are interested in the company’s work but have limited
resources.
In partnership with Union
County Teen Arts, on Thursday and Friday, April 15 and 16, middle and high
school students from Union County can participate in master classes with the
dance company. Separate classes will be held, both from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
each day: Dorfman Technique and Repertory and an open level class. The open
level class, Because Dance is Fun, has something for everyone with top
instructors in Zumba®, Jazz and Hip Hop. Teachers are invited to submit a form
on behalf of their respective schools.. Registration for Thursday is at https://bit.ly/3m5yZuM and for Friday is at https://bit.ly/31E5ua1.
For the more serious
student of dance (intermediate level and above), Dorfman Technique and
Repertory, will focus on center driven movement, breath phrasing, musicality
and the integration of mind, body and spirit. Students will also learn a piece
of Dorfman rep. Registration for Thursday is at https://bit.ly/2PqKhOj and for Friday it is at https://bit.ly/3cEibb1.
Dance Union Festival kicks off National Dance Week with a virtual performance by Carolyn Dorfman Dance joined by high school dancers, local dance studios, and other professional companies and dancers from Union County starting at 6:00 p.m.
You can reserve your free ticket to watch: https://forms.gle/ijgfiPY71e4Cyjms9. The performance features the
company along with Union County Academy for Performing Arts (Union County Vo.
Tech.), The Well Performance Project, Rahway Dance Theatre, Linden High School
Dance Company, Columbia High School, Buggé Ballet, New Jersey Dance Theatre
Ensemble, Cranford High School, and Plainfield High School Dance Ensemble.
This arts program is made
possible in part by a 2021 HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands)
Grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners and the New Jersey
Community Foundation COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund. For more information about
the event and about the dance company, visit www.carolyndorfman.dance.
