The Dance Gallery Festival Celebrates November 4th & 5th

Weekend of Performances by Choreographers/Artists
From Across the United States and Europe

Annual New York City Dance Festival Offers
Platform for New Talent on Texas Stage

(Huntsville, TX, September 26th) The Dance Gallery Festival will return to Texas this fall for its 8th year and celebrates its 10th anniversary in New York City offering opportunity for choreographers and dancers to showcase original work on a Texas stage. The annual Festival serves as mentor and launchpad for new talent and up-and-coming national and international choreographers. All performances will take place Friday, Nov. 4th through Saturday, Nov. 5th at the Gaertner Performing Arts Center at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX.

Under the guidance of Astrid von Ussar, co-founder and artistic director, and Andy Noble, associate artistic director, The Dance Gallery Festival aims to cultivate artistry by creating a performance vehicle which helps support the growth of dance companies. By providing increased exposure and new performance opportunities, The Dance Gallery Festival serves to mentor hundreds of artists seeking to establish a foothold in a business with few resources and much competition.

Over 300 emerging and established choreographers have participated in The Dance Gallery Festival since its founding in 2007, with more than 25 works commissioned. Many Festival alumni have gone on to perform at Jacob’s Pillow, the Joyce Theater, international venues and national television.

According to Ms. von Ussar, “No one today takes a chance on new talent. Our ‘no performance fee’ Dance Gallery Festival offers choreographers an affordable platform to showcase their work, giving them an opportunity to shine. Our mission is to not only feature the next up-and-coming talent, but to give artists the ability to network and establish a sense of community,” she said.

In 2009, The Dance Gallery Festival partnered with Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, offering paid guest artist residencies to select participating companies. The University’s one-week residencies include the opportunity to choreograph new work on Sam Houston’s upper-level students, as well as teach classes in technique and choreography. A juried panel comprised of Sam Houston’s faculty and area artists select the resident artists.

One artist, Manuel Vignoulle of M/Motions, will participate in this year’s residency program, setting a new work with students, while ten artists from this year’s Festival will teach master classes. Bruce Wood Dance Project, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, and Houston based choreographers, Jennifer Mabus and John Beasant III, will present work in both Texas and NYC among many other talented national and international choreographers. The Dance Gallery Festival will present the 2016 Festival in full at the University’s Gaertner Performing Arts Center, Nov. 4-5, before moving on to New York City for the Manhattan Movement Center performances, Nov. 11-13. Looking ahead, Ms. von Ussar hopes to establish similar teaching and performance partnerships with satellite universities nationwide.

November 4-5, 2016
Sam Houston State University
Gaertner Performing Arts Center
815 17th Street
Huntsville, TX 77340

10TH Anniversary Festival Program:
Friday & Saturday, November 4 – 5 @ 8 pm – Dance Gallery – Ten artists, selected by the Festival committee from more than 250 applications, will present work pushing the boundaries of modern and contemporary dance. More about The Dance Gallery Festival and Mission Statement www.dancegalleryfestival.org

FULL LINEUP INCLUDES: Bruce Wood Dance Project, Manuel Vignoulle of M/Motions, Mike Esperanza of BARE Dance, Chris Rudd of RuddRDance,Joshua L. Peugh of Dark Circles Contemporary, Amy Morrow of The Theorist, Jennifer Mabus, John Beasant III, Susan Douglas Roberts of wild goose chase dance, Rohan Bhargava of Rovaco Dance Company