NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL DANCE FESTIVAL: Centennial Youth Ballet dancers currently enrolled in 9th—12th grade are eligible to attend the National High School Dance Festival in March. Fundraising efforts by students and additional financial support from Friends of Metro Dance subsidize the cost for students to attend the festival, which is held in different locations around the country each year.
CYB Students participating in the festival audition have been the recipients of numerous scholarships to summer dance intensives, universities and colleges. |
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CYB STUDENT TESTIMONIAL FROM OUR FIRST TRIP TO THE 2023 NHSDF AT POINT PARK UNIVERSITY IN PITTSBURG, PA:
“Earlier this spring, ten of my classmates and I traveled to Pittsburgh, PA for the 2023 National High School Dance Festival. At CYB, we train extensively in classical ballet, and at the festival we were able to experience many different styles from teachers from many of our country's top college dance programs. Some of my favorites included; African, Salsa (which was very different from what I normally do, but super fun!), and Advanced Contemporary Ballet. Another great class that lots of my friends and I took was Breakdancing, which is surprisingly difficult! Overall, I think it was super beneficial for me to be exposed to these various forms of dance, and I believe my experience at the dance festival has helped me become a lot more confident in moving outside of my normal classical ballet bubble.
In addition to the many classes we took, we all attended the opening ceremonies for the festival which was a performance by Complexions Contemporary Ballet. It was incredible. As someone who watches a lot of ballet on YouTube and such, it was just amazing to be able to see these gorgeous dancers in person. It was truly an inspiration to my classmates and me!
Here at CYB, we are all very close friends, but going on this trip strengthened my bonds with all of my classmates even if we’re not all in the same class every day. So many memories were made, laughs shared, and friendships forged. I would definitely go on this trip again, and I cannot wait for NHSDF 2024!”
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY FOR DANCE ARTS: The high school dancers at Metro Parks Dance Division now can join the National Honor Society for Dance Arts through the National Dance Education Association (NDEO). It will be only the second chapter in the Nashville area. Students do not need to be interested in having a career or continue their education in the arts or dance, just a current interest and participation in dance.
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