Over 2 Decades Celebrating the Art of Dance at The Vermont State Dance Festival

By: Rebecca McGregor
Lyndon Institute Dance Teacher, Fine/Performing Arts Dept Chair, Lyndon Institute Mentor Program Chair, VT State Dance Festival Founder & Coordinator, National Dance Education Organization’s Mentoring Dance Educators Committee Member    

    Once again the Saturday before Thanksgiving marks the annual Vermont State Dance Festival.  This year marks the 21st VSDF.  It is a very special day of dance that occurs in the Northeast Kingdom as student dancers and professionals from around VT and as far away as Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York come together to learn and share in the art of dance education and performance.  Dancers and teachers alike participate in professionally led workshops in a variety of styles and techniques as well as collaborate in the reflective process in preparation for an evening performance open to the public.

    The Vermont State Dance Festival is an annual event that began in 2003. After touring all of the Vermont high schools that had dance programs in 2002 as part of an independent study LI Dance Teacher, Rebecca McGregor did in college, she discovered that there was little collaboration, resource sharing and opportunities for dance teachers and students from all over Vermont to work together, learn from one another, and share knowledge and skills in dance education. The Vermont State Dance Festival offers dance educators and high school aged dancers of all disciplines an opportunity to study new and varied techniques with professional dancers and to showcase their skills before professional artists, teachers, their student peers and the general public.  The dance educators at the festival can participate in workshops alongside the students throughout the day but also have a specialized workshop in various education topics relating to dance to attend in the morning.  

   The State Dance Festival is composed of three elements: 

• a series of workshops led by the professional artists
• a closed session for the dancers to perform prepared choreographies for feedback from a professional and the remarks get transferred onto adjudication sheets for the dance educators and students to take home and make choreographic improvements in their work for future performances
• an evening performance open to the general public. 

   The mission of the VT State Dance Festival is to:

• introduce students to new dance styles and techniques that they might not routinely be exposed to in their high school dance programs
• allow students to interact with experienced professionals
• provide the students an opportunity to perform before a larger audience than they might typically enjoy
•  provide dance educators a chance to come together to discuss topics of interest/develop curriculum and instruction, share resources, and learn about changes/opportunities in dance education they can bring back to their classroom/studio

The professionals coming and teaching workshops this year include:

Paula Higa will be teaching dance for the camera

Isadora Snapp will teach contemporary ballet

Steve Shannon, former LI student and dancer, will be teaching hip hop dance forms

AnnaMaria will teach house dance 

Olivia Schrantz will be teaching a ballroom sampler class

    And, at lunch dancers will be treated to a special film preview called The Migrant Body https://www.paulahiga.com/works.html 

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/new-works-by-paula-higa-dance-explore-themes-of-migration-and-identity/Content?oid=38145023 

    Another special part of the day is for studio dance teachers and high school dance teachers to come together to learn and share professionally about issues related to teaching and learning, professional development, and the art of dance performance

    As always, the public is welcome and encouraged to attend the evening public performance at the Lyndon Institute Alumni Auditorium on Saturday, November 18th at 7pm.  Admission is by donation and performances will be shown by students from dance programs all across VT and as far away as NYC!  You don’t want to miss this amazing performance!

    For more information about the 21st Annual VT State Dance Festival or if you are a teen and want to participate in workshops, contact Rebecca McGregor at 802-535-3636 or [email protected].  

    A special thank you for the event to Lyndon Institute, NVU-Lyndon, the Town of Lyndonville and Burklyn Arts Council to help make this event possible in our rural kingdom.