Panoply® Choreography Competition Applications Now Available

Huntsville, AL – Applications are now available for the 2005 Panoply Arts Festival Choreography Competition. Entry deadline is February 14, 2005. The competition will be held Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23 in the Von Braun Center Concert Hall, during the Panoply Arts Festival. The festival takes place in Big Spring Park, April 22-24.

The Panoply Choreography Competition promotes the creation of new dance works and gives festival audiences the opportunity to experience the art of expressive movement. Choreographers aged 18 and over may enter up to two original works in ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance. Panoply awards the winner in each of the four categories $500 and awards the winner for Best Overall Choreography $1000. The fee for each entry is $50. Competitors from all across the nation make this a very exciting dance event!

Judges for this year’s competition are Krista Saab, Tamara Hoffmann, and Lori Teague. Krista Saab has traveled around the world performing onboard both Royal Caribbean and Seabourn Cruise lines and has danced with the Aeolian Ballet Theatre and Ballet Jorgen. Krista has performed as a back up dancer for Charo, appeared in numerous commercials, and is currently a Radio City Rockette. Tamara Hoffman has danced professionally for 16 years. She performed as a soloist with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada, and with the Ballet du Nord in France. Hoffman is currently the Ballet Mistress at Ballet Memphis. Lori Teague began teaching dance movements and exploration to children and adults in 1986. She has performed with Zivili (Songs and Dances of the Western Balkans), Randy James Dance Works of New York and presently with GardenHouse Dance and Several Dancers Core of Atlanta. She has her Master of Fine Arts degree from Ohio State University in Choreography and Performance. Lori teaches dance, movement fundamentals, improvisation, composition and all levels of modern technique in the Emory Dance Program.

In addition to adjudicating the competition, each of the judges will teach a 90-minute master class in their respective discipline on Saturday morning, April 23, in the Von Braun Center Ballet Room. Master classes are open to all dancers aged 12 and over. Pre-registration is required for the competition and for master classes, as space is limited.

For more information about the festival or to request an application, please call The Arts Council, Inc. at (256) 519-2787, or visit the Panoply Arts Festival website at www.panoply.org.