Nashville Ballet Offers Free Classes to Celebrate National Dance Day, 7/30

To celebrate dance as an art form and fitness activity, Nashville Ballet will participate in National Dance Day on Saturday, July 30, by offering free sample classes and choreography provided by the hit realty show So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD).

 "National Dance Day allows dance lovers to share their passion with people who are trying it for the first time," said Angie Adams, executive director of Nashville. "Experienced dancers, including ballet fans, also have a chance to try new forms of art and movement by sampling a variety of dance classes."

 Nashville Ballet's National Dance Day festivities will offer free Hip Hop, Afro Caribbean, Jazz and Contemporary dance classes. All class participants will learn choreography provided by SYTYCD, and perform as a group. The performance will be recorded and submitted to the SYTYCD website.

Students can choose which classes they would like to try during the event:

--  10 to 10:45 a.m.  Contemporary or Afro Caribbean                

--  11 to 11:30 a.m.  Hip Hop or Jazz

--  11:30 a.m. to Noon  SYTYCD choreography and performance

SYTYCD executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe started National Dance Day in 2010 to encourage fans of the TV show to engage in the kind of fun physical activity they see profiled each week. Lythgoe's initiatives to increase physical activity through dance and raise awareness for dance education across the country were recognized by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) last year.

National Dance Day classes at Nashville Ballet are free and open to men and women ages 13 and up. Advance registration is not required to participate. Most classes offered on National Dance Day are offered at the School of Nashville Ballet. Classes  for the new term at School of Nashville Ballet begin August 22, and are currently enrolling students.

Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. Nashville Ballet presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director Paul Vasterling.

Nashville Ballet and its Second Company NB2 (a pre-professional training company) serve nearly 70,000 adults and children annually through performances and our outreach and community engagement programming. Curriculum-based outreach programs bring dance education to community centers, colleges, public libraries and public elementary, middle and high schools across the state. The School of Nashville Ballet provides world-class instruction in ballet and other forms of dance for dancers of all ages.

Pictured: Christopher Butler of Nashville Ballet

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