American Repertory Ballet to Host 'Dancing Your Way into College' & Waiting in the Wings DANCE POWER in April

In April 2014, American Repertory Ballet's Access & Enrichment department will present two events - one in each of the organization's home communities of New Brunswick and Princeton. Both of these events are free and open to the public. On Friday, April 4, 2014 at 5:15pm, ARB will host "Dancing Your Way into College," an On Pointe enrichment series event, at Princeton Ballet School. On Monday, April 7, 2014, American Repertory Ballet's acclaimed DANCE POWER educational residency in the New Brunswick Public School District will culminate with its Waiting in the Wings performance. This year, Waiting in the Wings will take place at State Theatre in New Brunswick.

ARB launched the On Pointe series in 2010 to help make ballet more accessible to the community. ARB has hosted a "Dancing Your Way into College" On Pointe in the past, featuring representatives from different universities and programs. At this year's "Dancing Your Way into College" event, representatives from ARB and from Princeton University's admissions and financial aid departments will advise high school dancers and their families on their college options and how to best navigate the admissions process. The event will be moderated by ARB's Acting Executive Director and Director of Educational Programming, Lisa Beth Vettoso. Robin Moscato, Director of Financial Aid at Princeton University, Jordan Moses, Assistant Director of Admissions at Princeton University, and company dancers from American Repertory Ballet will serve as panelists. This event will cater to students both interested in pursuing a degree in dance or a degree in another subject area while continuing to dance extracurricularly. "Dancing Your Way into College" is recommended for high school students and their parents or guardians.

Established in 1984, DANCE POWER brings dance education into New Brunswick elementary schools and offers opportunities for select students to study at Princeton Ballet School on full scholarship. Waiting in the Wings is an annual performance marking the culmination of the 20-week DANCE POWER residency in the schools. At the Waiting in the Wings performance, new DANCE POWER Scholars are announced. The students selected to be DANCE POWER Scholars - two boys and two girls from each school - are given the opportunity to study dance through 12th grade at Princeton Ballet School, which has a location in downtown New Brunswick.

This year, Waiting in the Wings will feature over 400 third grade students from the New Brunswick Public School District who have participated in ARB's DANCE POWER since the Fall of 2013. The show's theme is "Carnival of the Animals."

In addition to performances by this year's DANCE POWER students, the evening will feature a special appearance by DANCE POWER Scholars who have been studying at Princeton Ballet School for one or two years since they were awarded the scholarship, as well as a special appearance by DANCE MIX students. DANCE MIX students are DANCE POWER Scholars ranging from 7th through 12th grade who have chosen to study a variety of dance forms at Princeton Ballet School, such as modern, jazz and clogging. Dancers from American Repertory Ballet's Trainee Program will also perform at Waiting in the Wings, showing the audience and the students the type of high-level technique and artistry that can be achieved through continued, intensive study.

Since 1984, DANCE POWER has become a household name in New Brunswick. Waiting in the Wings is a highly-anticipated event for New Brunswick students and their families and neighbors. Over 1,000 community members attended the culminating performance last year. American Repertory Ballet is proud to have established this tradition in the community and to introduce hundreds of New Brunswick students and residents to dance each year.

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