Dear Dance Colleagues,

We are so excited to be celebrating the 22nd anniversary of the National High School Dance Festival. The Festival will be held Thursday, March 8 through Sunday, March 11, 2012 at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. The Festival is presented by the NHSDF organization in conjunction with the University of the Arts and Artists Exchange International. The four-day Festival will welcome up to 1,500 students in grades 9-12 from across the States, Canada and abroad, representing their high school. Note that Private studios are not eligible to attend.

The Festival is four days of sharing, learning, performing and dancing with friends and colleagues from across the nation as well as abroad. Along with exciting Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the Festival will feature six Adjudicated Concerts (two evening Gala concerts, two late afternoon Showcase concerts and two mid-day informal concerts). The first Showcase Concert will feature student choreography, where a Festival committee will honor our most talented student(s) with the Outstanding Student Choreography Award.

The Festival also offers a full day of Scholarship Auditions, over 200 Master Classes in subject areas including ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, musical theater, salsa, African, Pilates, Massage, Stretch, Injury Prevention, Nutrition and more. In addition, there will be Commercial Exhibitors and Special Interest Workshops for faculty and students. An outstanding nationally and internationally renowned Festival Faculty waits to inspire you. Live music will add an exciting element to the classes.

Your most talented junior and senior students (and some sophomores) will have the opportunity to register for Scholarship Audition classes in hopes of being awarded summer scholarships to prestigious schools and festivals as well as scholarships to Colleges and Universities. Thousands of dollars in scholarship monies are offered at the National High School Dance Festival.

The University of the Arts is located in the heart of Center City Philadelphia, where theaters, restaurants, and shops are in abundance and close by. All classes, performances and auditions will be held at the University of the Arts. Its studios and theaters are all within a short walking distance from Festival hotels. Whether it's the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross House, Philadelphia Art Museum, the Phillies or the Philly cheese steak sandwich, Philadelphia has a history, diversity and cultural zest that artists find extremely appealing. Historic parks and neighborhoods are scattered throughout the city. The country's oldest residential street is in Philadelphia, along with more public sculpture and mural art than in any other major U.S. city.

Opening and Closing ceremonies as well as Showcase and Gala concerts will be held in the Merriam Theater. Informal Concerts will be held in the ArtsBank Theater.

Because we anticipate heavy enrollment, we strongly encourage you to register your school early. Initial Festival Registration deadline is October 7, 2011.  Deadline for Full Festival Registration (i.e. students, faculty and chaperones) is January 13, 2012.

Registration will be accepted on a first come, first paid basis. Schools which are accepted to perform will have priority registration until December 16, 2011. If you wish to bring more than 25 students, you will be placed on a wait list, which will be opened after January 13, 2012.

Adjudication deadline for all tapes/DVDs to be received is Tuesday December 6, 2011. Schools will be informed regarding acceptance for performance by Thursday December 15, 2011.

The National Festival is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talent of our students and the quality of the dance programs that exist in high schools across our nation. We welcome the challenges of bringing the 2012 National High School Dance Festival to you and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Kathryn F. Kearns, Ed.D, Founder/Executive Director
National High School Dance Festival

Donna-Faye Birchfeld, Director of Dance
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA