Project Dance entertains while giving young dancers the opportunity to learn from the pros

Take 100 young dancers, add in a dozen choreographers from dance companies and studios across the Delaware Valley Region, plus two months of intense rehearsals and you’ve got Project Dance 2016.Project Dance, a two-night integrative dance festival, entertains and celebrates the bonds formed from a love of dance. It takes place May 26 and 27 at Paul VI High School, Haddonfield and is sponsored by Paul VI and Next Stage Dance and Drama Academy.

“Project Dance is such a great opportunity for young dance enthusiasts to experience working with different choreographers at an accelerated pace. I know for my particular teaching style, I like to be light-hearted and down to earth. That allows the dancers to feel at ease whenever they work with me,” said choreographer Adryan Moorefield.

Moorefield is a member of Philadanco, the Philadelphia Dance Company. He’s been with the company for five years. He holds a BFA in Modern Dance Performance from the University of Oklahoma. For Project Dance, he’s choreographing a modern piece with a dark undertone based on moments in his life where he felt trapped and lost.
Making her debut as a Project Dance choreographer is Gabby Yudenich. Yudenich was a soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet for six years and a member of the company for more than 13 years.

“Project Dance is a great way to expose the students to the differences in dance. They can take some of what they have learned and apply it to their everyday lessons,” said Yudenich. “For my dance, I have chosen to choreograph the waltz from Pokeofiev’s Cinderella. The music is so beautiful. It’s a quintessential waltz that you cannot help but dance to. I hope the dancers feel a joy to dance the ballet and have fun with it.”

Yudenich began her training at age seven with the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. She also trained under the guidance of her mother, Barbara Sandonato, who was an original member of the Pennsylvania Ballet. In addition, Yudenich attended the School of American Ballet.

Courtney Daniels, founder of Project Dance, is pleased that the program has continued to attract dynamic choreographers such as Yudenich and Moorefield since its inception in 2003. Daniels is the performing arts department chair at Paul VI High School; Paul VI dance team coach; and director, Next Stage Dance and drama Academy. She developed Project Dance as a platform to raise awareness about the benefits of dance and arts education in school curriculum and to support scholarships for high school seniors pursuing dance or musical theatre degrees.

Daniels said, “It’s amazing to see how much the program has grown over the years. I’m thrilled that we continue to attract a great variety of choreographers and student dancers who come together from different dance backgrounds to bond over their love of this expressive art form.”

These choreographers and dancers will present Project Dance on May 26 and 27, 7:00 pm at Paul VI High School, , 901 Hopkins Rd, Haddonfield, NJ, 08033. Tickets are $12 and available at the door, cash only.

Photo Caption: The integrative dance festival Project Dance will feature 100 dancers, May 26 and 27, 7 p.m., at Paul VI High School.