UB to Host American College Dance Festival March 12-15

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Center for the Arts and the UB Department of Theatre and Dance will host the American College Dance Festival, March 12-15.

More than 600 university dance students and faculty from Western New York and throughout the Northeast will convene on the campus for the four-day festival, which includes master classes, concerts and panel discussions. In addition, a panel of internationally renowned guest artists will adjudicate dance works presented by the participants.

On March 15 at 8 p.m., the public then will have the rare opportunity to see, in one concert, some of the best choreography that is being created in the nation by a diverse group of innovative choreographers, dance faculty and guest artists. This Gala Dance Concert will feature the adjudicators' selections of the best dance works presented at the festival.

The primary focus of the American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA) is to support and promote the wealth of talent and creativity that is prominent throughout college and university dance programs. ACDFA's sponsorship of regional and national dance festivals provides the venue for students to engage in workshops, lecture/ demonstrations and master classes taught by instructors from around the region and nation.

The festivals also provide the unique opportunity for students and faculty to have their dance works adjudicated by a panel of nationally recognized dance professionals in an open and constructive forum. Culminating with the presentation of pieces selected for their exemplary artistic quality, the festivals are the primary means for college and university dance programs to perform outside their own academic setting and be exposed to the diversity of the national college dance world.

Tickets for the American College Dance Festival's Gala Dance Concert are $12. Tickets are available from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center Box Office and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS or visit the Web site at http://www.arts.buffalo.edu. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location.