Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre to Host 2013 Dance for World Community Festival, 6/8-9

José Mateo Ballet Theatre presents the Fifth Annual Dance for World Community Festival Weekend. FREE and open to the public, a two-day celebration in Harvard Square, Cambridge showcasing dance as a positive force to better our world. The Festival is the only of its kind in the area offering something for everyone with performances and classes in all dance forms, from Ballet to Hip Hop and beyond.

The festival will kick off on Saturday, June 8:

FESTIVAL ON THE COMMON

11:00 am-6:00 pm - The Cambridge Common, Harvard Square

FREE dance performances and opportunity to connect with local nonprofits bettering our world featuring:

· Four outdoor stages with performances by 75+ local dance troupes in a variety of dance forms including African, Ballet, Folk, Hip Hop, Irish Step, Modern, Salsa, and many more. Performers include: José Mateo Ballet Theatre, BoSoma Dance Company,Sokolow Now!, FlamencoBoston, and Triveni Ensemble.

· Advocacy Way offering the opportunity to connect to the important work being accomplished by social service agencies, environmental organizations, social justice activists and more including the Roxbury Youthworks Inc., The Women's Center, andFood for Free.

· Festive foods, picnicking, children's activities and more

Sunday, June 9

DANCE DISCOVERY

2:00-6:00 pm -José Mateo Ballet Theatre, 400 Harvard Street, Harvard Square

FREE introductory dance classes in all forms for all ages

· Children and adults are invited to discover the richness of diverse dance cultures with classes in Ballet, Belly Dance, Folk, Salsa and more.

Celebrating its Fifth Anniversary, the Festival has grown to a weekend-long event in two Harvard Square locations: TheCambridge Common in the heart of the Square and José Mateo Ballet Theatre, 400 Harvard St. FREE and open to the public. For more information call (617) 354-7467 or www.BalletTheatre.org.

The dance-based Festival illustrates Dance for World Community, an exciting initiative that showcases dance as a powerful force in bringing people together to work and celebrate for a better world. The Festival uses the power of dance to connect people to the important work being accomplished by social service agencies, environmental organizations, social justice activists and more.

Additional Festival events include Talk About Dance Friday, June, 7, 5:30-7:30 pm, a series of discussions and world café-style conversations about dance and social change and Dance Party Benefit, June 8, 8-11:00 pm, a Dance Party fundraiser for DWC outreach programs. Tickets $30 or VIP seating $100. Both events will take place at Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, 400 Harvard St., Cambridge

Founded in 1986, José Mateo Ballet Theatre is one of America's leading producers of new ballets, the area's most innovative ballet school, and the originator of Dance for World Community, a project that builds local and global networks to expand the role of dance in our culture. Over the past 25 years Cuban-born Artistic Director and Founder, José Mateo has developed his unique vision of using the power of dance to inspire and engage today's diverse audiences.

The Company regularly presents Mateo's highly acclaimed concerts at its stunning Sanctuary Theatre in its home at Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Harvard Square. The School offers an innovative model for a high-quality academy with a humanistic approach to ballet training that fosters diversity and inclusion at both itsCambridge campus and Duxbury satellite program. Dance for World Community makes dance accessible to thousands of children, families, and new audiences, and produces the annual Dance for World Community Festival, a two-day event that features performances by over 70 local dance groups, workshops, classes, and advocacy that celebrates the role of dance to create social change. Learn more about José Mateo Ballet Theatre at www.ballettheatre.org.

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