Festival to feature various troupes
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> After a long winter, one upcoming local event is addressing the need for dance.
The spring event in this year’s quarterly Arts Fest Fridays series, Gotta Dance! will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 31 at the National Dance Museum & Hall of Fame, located at 99 S. Broadway in Saratoga Springs.
Gotta Dance!, which is free and open to all, will feature leading dance troupes performing everything from ballet, tap, and swing, to classical Indian dance, Irish step dancing, and belly dancing.
The family-friendly festival will feature dance performances in the School of the Arts and Riggi Theater, a fashion show, a film screening, swing and salsa dancing to the sway of the Joey Thomas Big Little Band in the main hall, and a Shirley Temple craft and snack station just for kids.
Dance groups and performers for Gotta Dance! include The Joey Thomas Little Big Band, The School of the Arts, Spa City Swingers, Aakriti Ensemble, Tango Fusion, fifth grade Dancers from SPAC’s New in- school residency program, Skidmore Dance Ensemble, Saratoga City Ballet, Nacre, Irish Step with Terri Hughes, Saratoga Jazz & Tap and Elaina & Melina, who will offer classic American and modern Egyptian cabaret styles of belly dance.
Dance shoes, dapper apparel, tutus and tiaras are optional but always encouraged.
There will also be a fashion show featuring local designer Kim Vanyo’s works.
Afterward, attendees can stay for a film starting of the Fred Astaire classic film Top Hat at 8:15 p.m. in the Riggi Theater following the festival.
Arts Fest Fridays, presented by SaratogaArtsFest, is a series of free entertainment-filled events that offers innovative arts experiences for people of all ages and previous exposure to the arts. Each Arts Fest Friday has its own production team that brings together arts groups, business organizations, and community members to create a theme and unique mix of the visual and performing arts. The result is a fun, welcoming way for people to experience the arts, find new interests, and get to know more about the region’s many artists, performers, and arts organizations.
“What we do is create incredible art parties/experiences,” said production director Nicole Coady. “Our mission is to support local artists, both financially, by hiring them to participate in our events, and also by giving them exposure by bringing them, through our events, to new audiences.”
The group is also dedicated to bringing free vents to the community. “We give current art lovers access to affordable art. But more importantly, we really strive to bring in under- served communities, or people with little exposure to the arts, and give them the opportunity to experience our local artists in a fun way,” Coady said.
Beyond this week’s Gotta Dance! event, SaratogaArtsFest has another Arts Fest Friday on June 9 called
Beauty and Beasts, which will feature Opera Saratoga, an Animals in Art exhibition and a fun petting zoo with pony rides at the Victoria pool house in the Saratoga Spa State Park. Then in September the organization will produce a film-based event at Skidmore College’s Tang museum, finishing with a holiday celebration in December with a strong music component.
For more information on Gotta Dance! and Arts Fest Fridays visit saratogaartsfest.org.